educators take advantage of listening to the
experiences and perceptions of the children
we teach, we gain a great understanding
about what contributes most to their suc-
cess. Following are three profiles of at-risk
students succeeding at school. Names have
been changed to protect their confidential-
ity. Each of them attribute much of their
success to the student-teacher relationship.
Lupita’s story
Lupita was a 12th grade student who was
ranked third overall in her senior class. She
was highly motivated to attend college and
to pursue a medical degree in pediatrics.
Lupita’s parents are both immigrants from
Mexico and have less than a fifth grade edu-
cation. Spanish is her primary language, and
she lives in poverty.
She shared that she hasn’t had many op-
portunities to experience much outside of
her community and recognized the negative
impact it had on her exposure to her cul-
tural, social and emotional development.
When she was in eighth grade, her grand-
mother, uncle and great-grandfather all
passed away. This moment in her life was
very difficult for her to cope with as a middle
school student. She praised the caring rela-
tionship she had with one of her teachers as
the savior to her education at such a pivotal
time in her life.
Lupita describes Mrs. Jenkins as “the first
teacher that actually had confidence in my
abilities.” During the time surrounding her
grandmother’s death, Mrs. Jenkins made the
biggest impact. Lupita describes a particular
experience with her teacher: “I remember
we were in class and somebody mentioned
grandmothers, and I asked her if I could be
excused. She went out and she had a talk
with me, and I was just telling her how I was
scared and everything. She made me feel
that everything was going to be OK.”
Lupita shared many other experiences
with various teachers that impacted her life,
making it clear to her that a teacher’s rela-
tionship with a student was critical to her
resiliency development and mindset. She
described the need for at-risk students to
have teachers who believe in them and show
confidence in their abilities. She recognized
that, although she receives support at home
from her parents, many at-risk students do
not, and therefore, it is critical that teachers
fill that void at school.
The loss of these close family members
threw her into a downward spiral, causing
her to struggle in school. She started to be-
lieve that her ability to achieve in school was
not possible. One day Mrs. Jenkins chose to
read her essay to the class as an exemplary
model for the rest of the students to follow.
Lupita continues, saying that after class her
teacher pulled her aside to tell her she was an
amazing writer.
She shared, “She would always tell me
that I was an amazing writer. She was the
first teacher I can remember that had confi-
dence in my abilities.” She credits this teach-
er’s positive reinforcements to her ability to
believe that she can overcome any challenge
and be successful in life.
She began to cry softly as she expressed
her deep appreciation to this teacher, credit-
ing the teacher for her academic success. As
a Top 10 graduating student, her parents will
get to sit on the football field in the front row
at graduation to be recognized. Her tears
flowed more freely as she expressed the pride
that her parents feel toward her excellent ac-
complishments in school and she credits her
teachers for her motivation to succeed.
Jamie’s story
Jamie emigrated from Nigeria when
she was 11 years old. She has faced mul-
tiple challenges in her life, including the
loss of her father as he collapsed and died
in the streets of Nigeria one day walking
home from church. She lives alone with her
mother and is struggling with a new male
figure emerging in her life as her mother be-
gins to date.
I asked Jamie which teachers contributed
most to her academic success and why. She
admits that the advisory program at school
helps her cope with the challenges because
of her teacher’s compassion, understanding
and commitment to student success. She
stated, “I can talk to my advisory teacher
about anything. She helps me stay focused
on my academic success, teaches me how to
be successful in my classes, and gives me an
opportunity to fix things when I am strug-
gling in a class.”
Jamie shares additional experiences about
other teachers who influenced her life, spe-
cifically a former chemistry teacher. She
expressed that her former chemistry teacher
excelled at communicating with students
and in providing help with difficult concepts
in class. A student’s question in class was
always perceived as being important to the
teacher, and she took great care in answering
the questions without intimating the ques-
tions were unwarranted.
Her appreciation for caring teachers that
focused on student success was evident in
our conversations. Her final example came
from her English professor who always took
the time to teach ways to improve rather
than criticize deficiencies. She noted that
teachers who genuinely focus on student
learning make the greatest impact in the
lives of students. The language that her
teachers chose to use with her undeniably
motivates her to see that effort and success
are linked together and that her abilities are
not limited to her circumstances.
Jose’s story
Jose is an athletic young man with a desire
to become a physical therapist for athletes.
Jose’s primary language is Spanish, and he
lives in a low-socioeconomic community
riddled with gangs and violence.
He had a close relationship with his fa-
ther, until he was convicted and sent to
prison out of state. If his father survives the
35-year sentence, he will be deported to
Mexico after his release.
After his father was convicted five years
ago, the money the family needed to sur-
vive was diminished significantly. Due to
the drastic change in his home environ-
ment, Jose now lives in poverty. At first, his
older brother was helping out with the bills,
but his mother kicked him out of the house
when he became heavily involved with drugs
and gangs.
The situation had a very serious impact
on Jose’s life and left him feeling angry, be-
trayed, hopeless and frightened. To add to
the stress that Jose has encountered, last year
his best friend and teammate was struck by a
p