Getting to know students can be overwhelming at the start of a new school year. You may have a large caseload or maybe the only counselor at your school. How can you make individual student connections when this is your situation?
Use Duty Assignments to Make Student Connections
Leverage this to your advantage if you have a designated duty station before and/or after school. My early morning and afternoon duty in the front hallway enables me to connect with individual students daily.
After just a few weeks, I have already noticed some patterns. I get to know the late arrivals, sleepy heads, friend groups, talkers, non-talkers, bus riders, and so on. Last week, a sixth grader high-fived me as he headed to the bus and noticed my blue house shirt. He exclaimed, "Our house is the best!” This truly made me smile!
Other duty locations, such as the cafeteria, bus line, or car line, provide a glimpse into the students at your school. This can help foster relationships throughout the year.
Be Visible to Students
Another way to connect with students is to be present where they are. Standing in the hallway, visiting the playground during recess, observing gym class, or spending time in the cafeteria helps to make you visible and engaged.
I learned a great deal in the cafeteria during the first weeks of school. It provides insight into the social dynamics at each grade level. I get a sense of who might benefit from extra support with friendships. Observing various classes and being on the playground allows students to see you and opens the door for spontaneous conversations.
Co-Teach to Create Student Connections
This year, I am focusing on collaborating more with teachers. I will co-teach an SEL lesson in some content area classes, and I will continue my monthly classroom curriculum as planned.
Additionally, I will partner with an ELA teacher to develop SEL lessons aimed at addressing anxiety and resilience. The ELA curriculum incorporates SEL, ensuring it does not hinder students from achieving their learning targets. This experience will allow me to see students in a different setting while also helping them view me in a different role.
Use Data to Make Student Connections
Review attendance, achievement, and discipline data to identify specific students who may need intentional one-on-one time with you. Chronically absent or tardy students, low-performing students, or students with multiple discipline offenses could benefit from positive interactions at the beginning of the school year.
This approach will help establish individual connections with students, so you already know them when intervention becomes necessary. They will trust you and be more likely to cooperate because of your relationship.
Use Name Cards
Having almost five hundred students on my caseload makes making individual student connections challenging. I use name cards to help with this. I print out class rosters for each class I will be visiting. This helps me to see the name on a list.
Then, during my “Meet the Counselor” lesson, I have students take a sheet of paper and answer a few questions about themselves. They use this paper to make a name card and decorate it however they choose. I keep these in folders and bring them to my classes each month.
Before the next class, I set aside time to look at the name cards and read the answers to the questions. This helps me make a mental and visual connection that I can use throughout the year.
Sponsor a Club
Extracurricular activities are a great way to make connections with students. Although they do take additional time out of your day, they can be very rewarding in growing relationships. They also give students a different perspective outside of your regular counseling role. Having this individual student connection can allow you to be available when they have a need or know someone else who does.
Remember Student Birthdays
Student birthdays are a simple way to connect with each student. Use your master student list to sort students by date of birth to get organized for each month. Use bookmarks or postcards and address with student names and homeroom. Attach a piece of candy, a pencil, or a coupon to each card.
During their birthday week, divide the cards by homeroom and put them in the teacher's box to pass out. I was surprised by the positive reaction of students to this small gesture. This made me realize that the little things can help make student connections.
For me, making those individual connections is so vital, but yet so challenging. It is not an easy task, and I will not know each of my students by name. My goal is that I will do better on improving these relationships by building these connections.
