It’s widely agreed-upon that your relationship with your teacher can affect your enjoyment of the class, but many students at Benilde-St. Margaret’s recognize that those relationships can affect their grades too. Out of 58 student responses on a recent survey, 95% of respondents said that they learned more effectively when they had a positive relationship with their teachers. At BSM, students agree that their relationships with teachers strongly influence productivity in classes.
Teachers have a lasting impact on the experiences of their students, and having a good relationship with your teacher can make being awake at 8:00 in the morning easier. Julia Lealos, a senior, never thought she had an aptitude for science until she took Honors Chemistry with Ms. Bargas. The class unfortunately broke her 4.0 GPA, but Lealos found that her personal growth is worth more than getting a perfect grade. “I remember [that] last year I took Honors Chem, and I was really nervous because I was not a science girl at all, but Ms. Bargas made it such an amazing class for me…she definitely changed the classroom [for the better],” Lealos said.
Conversely, Lealos has taken classes with less rigorous course material that have felt more difficult simply because of poor relationships with those teachers. “In classes that I’m not connected with the teacher, [I’ve had] a much harder time really getting into [class material] and doing well scores-wise,” Lealos said.
In classes that I’m not connected with the teacher, [I’ve had] a much harder time really getting into [class material] and doing well scores-wise
— Julia Lealos
86% of respondents to a survey said that they are more academically successful when they have a positive relationship with their teacher. Many students say that they feel more comfortable making mistakes with teachers who go out of their way to promote a positive learning environment. “If I have a good relationship with the teacher I feel more comfortable asking for help and getting that support,” junior Nelle Teitscheid said.
Lealos thinks teachers can improve their relationships with students by balancing between being strict and easygoing. “It’s such a hard balance because a lot of times you can have teachers that are way too strict and it makes you not excited to come to class…but I think it’s also not helpful to like become too passive…because then you’re not really learning the material and [that’s] why we’re all here at like the very end of the day,” Lealos said.
Austin Cronk, a junior, has experienced the impact that teachers can have on class atmosphere. “If your teachers know you really well, they have a positive impact on the class, but teachers who… don’t try to get to know [you on a] more personal level, I wouldn’t say have a negative impact on the class, but [they have] less of a positive impact,” Cronk said.
Ms. Bargas made chemistry fun. Mr. Cohen is making [AP US History] fun. Ms. Bevington made English fun. Teachers make the class fun and [that’s] what makes classes enjoyable
— Luke Sauer
Lealos has found that office hours have been helpful both academically, and to foster more positive relationships with teachers. “[I went into] office hours…that’s how I talked with Ms. Bargas so much. I was always in there—probably because the class was so hard—but because I was able to go in with her, I was able to make that relationship where I was like, ‘Okay, I actually enjoy seeing you in class,’” Lealos said.
Sophomore Anya Seppala has also noticed how her relationship with a teacher changes how much she enjoys class. “[If my] teachers have a good relationship [with me] then it makes [the] class more fun or I like the class more. Versus if the teacher’s not as great…it makes class harder to go to,” Seppala said.
Senior Sophia DeMars feels that her relationship with her teacher greatly affects her experience in class. As a senior, she has taken classes with dozens of teachers and her class experience has varied based on their attitude and level of patience with students. “If you have a good teacher [who’s] very kind and supportive, you feel like you can ask questions. Versus if you have a teacher that’s really mean… you felt like you couldn’t ask questions, because if you did, you felt like you were in trouble,” DeMars said.
Teacher’s impacts can be felt by students even after their class is over. Luke Sauer, a junior, still is appreciative of how his teachers in freshman year made class worth going to, along with his current teachers who make his classes fun. “Ms. Bargas made chemistry fun. Mr. Cohen is making [AP US History] fun. Ms. Bevington made English fun. Teachers make the class fun and [that’s] what makes classes enjoyable,” Sauer said.