As you know, I work with emotions and relationships to boost learning in class. But why do I have a teddy bear? Emotions / emotional intelligence and human relationships are strongly related. Building solid relationships with the students and creating a proper learning environment makes it possible for the brain to generate the needed chemicals for the learning to happen. This teddy bear 🐻 is a present from 2 students (2 students who have had a very rough life), so I make a big deal of everything to cover and balance their affective needs. The big smiles they show and the effort they put in Spanish prove that it works. 

As it is a gift from them, I spent all day long with the teddy bear so they could see I appreciated the present and it is important to me. Because of this, bonding grows, the respect gets stronger, and it is easier to teach them. To the rest of my students, it was a shock to see me with the teddy bear 🐻 so I surprised them, generated intrigue and engaged them (always try to break the routine in class). On top of that, the kids love the teddy bear 🐻 and they asked me if they could hold him and hug him. We named him, and everyone has the chance to cuddle him, play with it and keep it while they are working. They look after him, and they share him (sharing skills and self-regulation) 

One day, our bear had a minor accident and got a cut on his belly. The students saw it, and they teamed up and planned everything to fix him. They wanted “to cure” him (how sweet), So they brought sewing threads, needles, scissors and fixed him; he was back 100% healthy. It was so special to see this; they showed responsibility, self-planning, teamwork, and what moved me the most “empathy, love and care” The bear was hurt, but they fixed him with love. 

Now it is Our thing; the Spanish class has a mascot that the kids named, love, and look after him.  It is our special thing in Spanish. The teacher has a teddy bear 🐻 that lets the students play with him. Trust, respect, sharing and showing affection again the bonding and the relationship gets stronger, students feel more confident, in a safe environment and it boosts their learning massively. Little things and small details have a significant impact on kids learning and student-teacher relationships.

IT IS NOT ONLY A TEDDY BEAR 🐻

Borja Ferraz 🎓
Building positive relationships 🌠❤️

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#DONTUNDERSTIMATETHEPOWEROFRELATIONSHIPS