Trust : A Game Changer for My Classroom

“I trust you”: A Game Changer for My Classroom

Trust is a crucial component of any relationship, especially for student-teacher relationships. More importantly, we must empower our students to trust themselves to independently make decisions. 

One of the biggest challenges I faced as an art teacher was getting my students to trust their decision making. Students often doubt themselves, which can make it impossible to be assertive. If we don’t resolve these challenges at the elementary school level, they could seep into adulthood.  

Most students seem to struggle with open-ended tasks. I have helped my students cope with that by sharing this short affirmation with them:

“I've taught you everything you need to know to be able to do this. I trust you to make the decisions that need to be made. If you mess up, it's going to be okay. We're going to work through it. But I want you to trust yourself. And you probably won't need to ask me any questions while you work. You trust yourself to make the decisions.”

That has changed the climate and culture of my classroom. I say this affirmation to my students regularly, and they know I'm sincere. That student-teacher trust comes in very handy because my classes can tell that I'm authentic. 

You can share similar words of encouragement with your students to help them gain confidence. This has been a complete game-changer for my classroom.

I’m Amanda, and I align standards and integrate content to help teachers meet the needs of the Whole Child in art class! I have yet to find a standard that I couldn’t teach through art, and I want to share it all with you.

Not sure where to start with bringing art and content together? This freebie guide is packed with 25 ideas to align your art lessons with math and ELA standards. Your students will be crafting art and practicing algebraic thinking. Win-win!

I want all students to feel successful in the art room, so I created a standards-based Daffodil Collage lesson to do just that! The lesson includes an artist study, student reflection, and more, so push your artists to their full potential.

Follow along on my Instagram page for more tips on teaching the Whole Child in the art room!