Teachers connecting to students

"These students describe the majority of their relationships with teachers as devoid of trust, devoid of caring, and devoid of viable information and therefore deficient in social capital resources that enable positive educational outcomes."

In Dance's article Tough Fronts, children interviewed report that their favorite teachers were teachers that made a genuine effort to connect in some way. When teachers do not engage, and simply go through the motions, they feel that the teacher is not trying to help them, and they are not motivated to work. The children interviewed are also from urban environments, which poses certain risks and challenges. They also remarked that often they felt like their teachers did not understand the challenges they faced, and were uncooperative and unwilling to make exceptions. Students also claimed that some teachers did not try to learn about students lives, but those teachers that did were often listed as favorites. When teachers do not make the effort to connect with students using the social capital that teachers have a lot of, students do not feel like it is worth it to engage, and become bored with school. Their noncompliance is blamed on the student, and not the teachers approach. Ultimately, it is the student that suffers when teachers fail to share their social capital.