Teachers are central to education. They guide students in their lessons and cultivate passion for learning. Because teachers are supportive in students’ education, it is vital for students to build positive relationships with their teachers, and good teacher-student relationships can eventually lead to better learning and engagement.

Here are five ways for students to improve their relationships with teachers:

Be on time

Always being on time is a way for students to give their teachers a good impression in advance, especially for the first class. Students should arrive and be seated before classes start. This shows that students care about class and are prepared to learn. Arriving late may imply a lack of accountability and respect for classes. Therefore, it is necessary for students to always be punctual.

Stay consistent

Staying consistent also helps students to cultivate better relationships with their teachers. Students who are consistent constantly put in high effort to their work. Moreover, students have to keep their promises with their teachers and do what they say they are going to do to gain trust from their teachers.

For example, being passionate about writing, I expect myself to be consistent at my writing club, Taipei Teen Tribune. Thus, I force myself to make progress each week in producing my articles, regardless of whether I am busy with my schoolwork or not. I also try my best to not miss classes. Because of my consistency and reliability, I earned a role as the Associate Editor. In addition to producing my articles, I can edit my classmates’ outlines and first drafts of their articles. Thus, I have earned trust from the program organizers and gained more momentum in refining my writing skills.

Participate in class discussions

Another way for students to facilitate their relationships with their teachers is to be active in class discussions. To guide their classes, strong teachers often ask open-ended questions and invite students to respond. Class discussions not only keep students focused on their learning but also give them a chance to interact with their teachers. Therefore, students should not be afraid to answer or ask basic questions. Rather, students need to be proactive and speak up in class, otherwise class discussions will be difficult to carry.

Furthermore, students need to listen when teachers are giving lectures and when other students are attempting to raise questions or respond to their teacher’s questions. By doing so, students can show respect to and gain insight from both their teacher and classmates. When students are proactive this way, they enhance both their learning and relationships with their teachers. If students still have questions after class, they can visit their teachers during their office hours to seek further guidance.

Meet all deadlines and produce high-quality work

Teachers appreciate students who turn in their work on time and produce quality work because both actions show that students are responsible and productive in their studying. To do this, students need to stick to a schedule. When students are organized in terms of their schedules, they can manage their time better and will have time to check for mistakes and refine their work.

Take myself as an example. When I was preparing my college applications, my editor and I created a schedule for writing admissions essays. In addition to sticking to it, I pushed myself to start writing earlier so that I could have more time to brainstorm, draft, and revise my essays before I submitted them to my editor. As such, she and I did not spend a huge amount of time fixing many major underlying problems in my essays. Most importantly, though, I demonstrated responsibility and care regarding my college applications that impressed my editor, strengthening our mutual relationship.

Make mistakes and stay open-minded to teachers’ feedback

Most students want teachers to praise the good quality of their work, but constructive yet critical feedback is the key to help students benefit from their mistakes and improve their learning. Therefore, students should stay open to constructive feedback, showing their teachers that they are resilient and that they desire to improve. When students improve, both they and their teachers feel a sense of achievement, helping both sides to enjoy the problem-solving process and stimulate students’ motivation for learning.

For example, at Englist, one of the core educational philosophies is to push students to excel in their critical thinking and communication through writing. In addition to giving students positive feedback, sometimes teachers need to be strict and talk to students directly about the weaknesses in their work. Therefore, students have to put in a lot of effort and accept their teachers’ feedback, both constructive and positive, to improve their writing skills. As students improve their writing through overcoming their weaknesses, they feel increasingly motivated.

In short, building teacher-student relationships allows students to learn effectively. It also offers an opportunity for them to develop critical thinking, communication skills, and accountability. Students should keep these strategies in mind so that they can both enhance their learning and get along with their teachers.