Building Positive Relationships

Q: When is a teacher happy to discipline a group of rowdy 3^rd-graders?
A: When one of those kids is experiencing the joy of his first-ever friend group!

That kid is Troy,* who overcame significant social anxiety to form his first classroom friendships as a 3^rd-grader in 2019. Classroom or no classroom during the 2020-2021 “pandemic year,” Friend Russ will be a consistent presence to help Troy continue trusting and forming bonds with others.

*Youth's name changed to protect their identity

Jack* recently broke ties with two middle school “friends” who weren’t always nice and pushed him to make poor choices.

“I was so proud of him for having the self-confidence to see that he deserved better than to be treated poorly by his peers, especially those he considered friends,” said Friend Will, who will continue to model a friendship of genuine care and respect.