Often students enroll at an online school because they want to minimize the amount of interaction between themselves and their teachers. If that is the case, the student will most likely not respond to a teacher’s efforts to forge a relationship.

Some students find interacting with adults face-to-face intimidating, so the idea of interacting with their teachers digitally makes communication with adults more bearable. These students are more likely to respond positively to a teacher’s efforts to forge a relationship.

We live in a day and time when much of our lives are dependent on the Internet. People trade, communicate, work, and entertain themselves through an online medium. Students are able to forge a relationship with a teacher online, especially when the teachers make initial contact.

How Will Online Teachers Forge Relationships With Their Students?

It all starts with a good introduction.

Teachers at Enlightium Academy always send a greeting letter when a student joins their class. Teachers introduce themselves in a colorful way, where they talk about their interests and families and show themselves as fun, interesting people who will help their students through the coursework. 

For some students, this introduction is enough to break the ice; they will respond with an introduction of their own, and the teacher will remember this conversation.

For other students, an introduction is not enough, and teachers know this. So they keep reaching out to students in different ways. Most of their interactions are through chat on Ignitia, although some students have access to teachers through phone tutorials, screen sharing and face-to-face video chat. 

Be it face-to-face or just written communication, the chance to work one-on-one with the student is what gives teachers the opportunity to truly forge a relationship with them. It is during these interactions that teachers can continue to learn about the person behind the screen name. It isn’t uncommon for teachers to know the names of the student’s pets or to be in prayer with the student and his or her parents.  

Everyone, young and old, has experienced peer pressure. It's not always negative, there is positive peer pressure, too. Peer pressure is when a person’s friend tries to get them to do something, and since some teens and adults want to fit in, they succumb to it. Sometimes it's because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, but most times, it’s because they don’t know how to say “NO!”

According to the Kids Health Organization, these are some of the main topics that come from discussions about positive and negative peer pressure.

One of the challenges for online students can be maintaining a healthy social life and finding homeschool connections with their peers. I remember struggling to find a social arena when I was homeschooled, and I hear my students echo this difficulty in their essays and assignments.

Home-based learning can present a unique challenge, because it can be difficult for online and homeschool students to find the right spaces to connect with their peers. It is difficult to find a balance, because some homeschool students are choosing to learn at home because they have had difficulties with their peers in the past. At the same time, we know that it is important for online students to connect with their peers, to have the opportunity to make and maintain friendships and to talk with other students their age. With this goal in mind, I would like to suggest four ways for online students to connect with their peers.