The role a teacher plays in the education of a child cannot be overemphasized. The relationship a student has with her teacher is in most cases directly proportional to the learning of such student. Learning goes beyond acquiring knowledge or skill; it involves cognitive and psychlogical factors, therefore they are important processes that determine a student’s maximum academic achievement. One of the major ways a student can fulfil the demands processes is by being receptive to the teacher and receptivity stems from having a good relationship with her teacher.
There exists a huge disparity between a student who has a close constructive relationship with her teacher and one who does not. A student who talks with her teacher frequently, and receives more constructive supervision and approval rather than just criticism from her teacher is likely to trust her more, show more commitment to learning, perform better in class and excel academically compared to another student who hates and runs away from her teacher, therefore receives criticism. Positive teacher-student relationships enable students feel safe and protected in their learning environments and provide framework that meet students’ developmental, social and academic needs. This goes further to show that students will always want to be in school rather than avoid school in such a learning environment.
Although, students have a role in ensuring this relationship stays positive and constructive, teachers have a greater responsibility in ensuring this as it has been observed that students are not quick to embrace their teachers till they find reasons to. The population of students in a class is a major factor, as one teacher might not be able to handle relationships with several students in a class. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the number of students in a class must not exceed what a single teacher can handle.
