Finding New Ways to Build Relationships Within My School Community

Making a student’s day can start with something as simple as the shirt they are wearing. Finding something in common with my students is one of the ways that I build relationships with them, and that can start by pointing out characters they have on their shirts. I usually get a really great response from them, and we go from there. 

With my older students, I love to connect with them by sharing my experiences growing up in Chicago. I am able to be extremely relatable by telling them some of my experiences when I was their age. 

I may be a special education classroom assistant at Kozminski, but I feel like I contribute so much more to the school community. I see myself almost like a school mom. I spearhead a lot of our efforts to create a welcoming and supportive school environment, from being in charge of everything we do to celebrate Black History Month in February to leading our school’s talent show. I truly dabble in a little bit of everything. 

These relationships that I’ve been able to build are what keep me coming back to Kozminski year after year. I love watching students grow and mature over time. I think I’ve been in pretty much every classroom in the building at some point, so, not only have I gotten to know the students well, but I also have strong relationships with their parents and guardians. 

My students know that I genuinely care about them. I may come across as no-nonsense at times, but they know that stems from a good place of love and support for them. Even when they are being disciplined, they know where I am coming from. 

We celebrated Women’s History Month last month, and that always makes me think about all of the female game changers who I grew up with who I learned from and who inspired me. This time of year always reminds me that my work at Kozminski is bigger than me. 

I always try to remind my students, especially my young women, to stay level-headed and to always remember that they can make a difference even at this point in their lives. 

Making a difference is not always easy. Even in my role, I’ve learned that something may sound good on paper but may not work in practice. Thus, you have to always be flexible and willing to fix the kinks in your plans and re-evaluate your goals. 

And there is also something I want each of my students to never forget. When you know better, you do better. And when you do better, you do your best.