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When I started my second year of service with ��ɫ��Ƶ Milwaukee, I knew that building relationships with students was going to be different. As a Second Year AmeriCorps member,������had��the privilege to work with two 7th grade classrooms, two 8th�� grade classrooms and a couple of 6th graders. In��total, I worked with over 90��students��a day.��This was a big change from my first year of service,��when I worked with one 3rd��grade classroom, and��meant that��building relationships with students was��going to be��more challenging this year.��Even though it was difficult, I made sure to build powerful relationships with the students I worked with. ��

Listening to my students helped me build strong relationships.

My first classroom of the day��this year��was��my 7th��grade homeroom. This classroom has a very special place in my heart. Since day one,��I have witnessed��the academic and social��emotional learning��of��each��student.��Two of my students,��Sebastion*��and Giovanni*,��were always known as the boys who did not like doing their work and just slept all morning. When I noticed their habits, I started to brainstorm ideas on how I could keep them engaged��in class.��Once I��started to��gain their respect and trust, I started sitting next to them��during class. I noticed that the more I sat next to these two, not only would��they��do their work, but they started asking me questions about the stories we would read.��The reason why I got��through��to them quickly,��is because I listened, I asked and I understood. Ever since��then,��we grew a bond that��couldn’t be broken.��

Once I built relationships with my students, and learned more about their interests, I was able to help them learn.

Now for my girls, the��Powerpuff��Girls,��Nia*,��Sussy*, and Cassie*. These three girls are the��sweetest,��but sassiest,��girls I have ever encountered. Building relationships��with them was really tough at first. They did not like me because they thought I was mean and strict, which in reality,��I just needed to break into��their circle, and get to know them better. I discovered these girls loved��Ramen��Noodles��so much, so��I decided to bring them down for lunch one day and got to know them on a personal level. They started to trust me more and��began��feeling more comfortable with me. They started telling me about their academic struggles and why math was really hard for them.����

After��getting to know them better,��I took it upon myself to��tutor��them individually every day. Working every day with them improved their test scores by 30%. They went from��having��55% on their assessments to��getting��85%.

I honestly cried because every day was a battle with them. To giving up, walking away from me, telling me to leave and never speak to them, to “thank you so much for your patience.” Not only did I��teach��them math��skills,��but��I taught them��to always trust the process.��

��The relationships I built with my students, helped me learn the individualized support they needed, in order to succeed in the classroom.��

Now,��my biggest struggle of the year��was working with��my 8th-grade girls. I cannot tell you how many times I felt unwanted, unappreciated and mostly frustrated every day. Every day was��challenging, but I soon learned that��they only acted out��in class��because they couldn’t understand��math��concepts��and thought math was pointless.��I worked with my partner teacher, and��I kept on assigning��them��different seats and moving them around��the classroom, but the problem was not going away��when their seats were moved.����

One��day, I sat down with them and��asked them what I needed��to do so they could understand the concepts��and feel��heard in the classroom. One of them responded, “I don’t like sitting alone because it gives me anxiety.” Another one responded,��”Can you sit with us and explain the concept step by step?”.��

Another��thing I noticed��was��they were very infatuated with my colorful markers and pens. So,��one afternoon, I asked for all four of them to go to the back of the classroom and sit with me. I asked them to each grab a colorful marker and pen. We started going over the concept of y=mx+b. We were graphing and trying to find the equation for the problem. I broke it down in��eight��steps. In each step, I always asked the why behind everything, and if they did not understand why,��we would start��the problem��all over. We did this for the entire week until one Monday morning, my girls started to explain the concept to the entire class.

Again, I bawled��my eyes out, not only because they understood and were explaining the concept, but they went up there with so much confidence. I knew they had it in them��all along.��I just needed to bring out the pens.����

Building powerful relationships��with my students��was very important to me because, without trust, you cannot move forward. This was my investment every day. Since I had over 90 students, it was my goal to connect with��at least��one student from each classroom, every day.��I wanted to learn everything about them,��good and bad. I taught my students the value of truth and honesty. The reason why this was so important for me��is��because as a human,��it is always important to reflect on your growth��especially��on your down days, and to always be true and honest with yourself.��It’s also important to always admit when you are wrong and to always acknowledge your choices. I couldn’t be any more proud of the growth my students have done this academic school year. I miss them so much but I know they are going to do wonderful things in high school and in 8th grade.������

*Names��changed��to protect privacy of students����

Want to read more about the powerful impact of relationship building? Check-out ��ɫ��Ƶ Milwaukee AmeriCorps member, Julia’s, story of believing in the power of young people.��

About the author:����Fernie��Torres proudly serves as a Second Year AmeriCorps member on the Julia A. Uihlein team at Alexander Mitchell��Integrated��Arts��school��and is a proud alum��of��Bay View High School. When asked why she serves,��Fernie��said, “People tend to look down at the students with low grades��and challenging backgrounds,��but what they don’t see is the knowledge behind their eyes. I am here to give a voice to our students. I believe everyone deserves an education and the benefit of the doubt, and that their history does not define who they are now.��That is why I serve.”
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