Building Relationships at Brimmer

Each year, we receive feedback about the positive impact Brimmer teachers have on the lives of students. Students, parents, and alumni share stories about how the community helped them become better students and people. Often, those stories center on a relationship: a teacher who recognized a strength, offered encouragement during a difficult stretch, or helped a student see what they could accomplish. 

 

Building community is an important part of our work. We intentionally create opportunities to strengthen student-teacher relationships and develop supportive learning spaces in our classrooms. Those relationships help students feel known and valued, and they play an important role in how students learn. 

 

This week, the 9th grade built upon their experiences at US Camp with a day at Hale Education. The program allowed students to connect more deeply with each other while practicing communication and problem-solving skills. Students were asked to embrace the struggle, working through challenges together and learning from the experience. 

 

That invitation to embrace the struggle connects directly to our academic work. Learning often requires students to spend time with something they do not yet understand. They may need to reconsider an approach, ask for help, or try again after an unsuccessful attempt. A supportive community helps students approach those moments with the confidence that they have people beside them who want them to succeed. 

 

In its article, The Science of Learning and Development, the Learning Policy Institute explains that “Strong, trusting relationships are essential to learning and development.” The article brings together research on how children grow across academic, social, emotional, and physical domains. One of its central findings is that these areas of development are deeply connected. Students’ experiences and relationships help shape the conditions in which learning takes place. 

 

I saw this connection in a history class this week. A student shared a comment that did not come out quite as they intended. A classmate and the teacher encouraged the student to try explaining their idea again. With that encouragement, the student rephrased their thinking and offered a deep, thought-provoking comment about the historical impact the class was discussing. 

 

It was a small moment, but it illustrated why a supportive classroom community matters. Sharing an idea before we have found the right words can leave us feeling vulnerable. In this case, the teacher and classmate gave the student space to work through their thinking. Their response helped the student make a meaningful contribution and gave the whole class an idea to consider more deeply. 

 

Our teachers build the foundation for moments like this through their daily interactions with students. Getting to know a student’s interests, noticing when they seem discouraged, or following up after a challenging assessment helps teachers understand what students need. Establishing expectations for respectful discussion and thoughtful collaboration helps students understand their responsibilities to one another. Over time, these interactions build trust and help students feel comfortable participating while they are still developing their understanding. 

 

Trust also matters when teachers challenge students. A teacher who knows a student well can help identify an appropriate next step, offer useful feedback, and encourage the student to persist. Students can come to understand that a teacher’s questions and expectations reflect confidence in their capacity to grow. The Learning Policy Institute emphasizes that development involves an appropriate degree of challenge and opportunities to learn through productive failure. Strong relationships help teachers guide students through that process. 

 

Students contribute to these learning environments as well. In the history classroom, a classmate helped create the space for another student to try again. Students also build community when they invite someone into a group, listen carefully to an idea, or respond to a mistake with patience. Experiences such as US Camp and Hale give students opportunities to practice those habits. The ongoing work is to carry them into our classrooms and daily interactions. 

 

As we continue exploring our school year theme, 250 Years: Many Voices, Building Community, we can consider what each of us contributes to the community around us. For our students, that includes how they support a classmate and how they respond when learning becomes difficult. For our teachers, it includes the daily work of knowing students, challenging them thoughtfully, and helping them recognize their progress. 

 

The stories we hear from families and alumni remind us how lasting those relationships can be. This week’s history discussion offered a glimpse of how they develop: through everyday moments when we listen, encourage, and give one another room to grow. Each of those moments helps build a community where students can find their voices and deepen their learning.