Connect with Students with these Kindness Notes for Teachers

Inside: Teachers and educators can use these 16 different kindness note printables to connect with students in meaningful ways.

We all have a favorite teacher.

The teacher who took the time to really get to know us. To really learn who we were and what we wanted to be and what was important to us.

Mrs. Bev Manassee was mine.

But she was everyone’s favorite teacher. And maybe it was because she was fun. Maybe it was because she challenged us. Maybe it was because she was an incredible educator.

The real reason she was my favorite teacher is that she took the time to connect. She came to my first ballet performance of the Nutcracker on a Tuesday evening and then came with us for ice cream afterwards because I invited her to come.

She showed up to soccer games and bought Girl Scout cookies and wrote us letters.

She connected with me in a way that made me never forget her, almost 30 years later.

And her magic way of connecting doesn’t have to be elusive for other educators.

You can use these kindness notes as an easy way to connect with your students…and maybe one day, 30 years from now, they’ll still remember you.

Why it’s important to connect with students

Connecting with our students is important for several reasons.

It allows us to build a classroom community where we want everyone to feel safe and feels welcomed. But that starts with us and our students feeling connected with us.

Connection with our students increases the chances of more positive behaviors in our classrooms. They’ll want to be more helpful, courteous, and kind in our classrooms if they feel connected to us.

Connecting with kids and being a kind adult is a powerful way to model how to be a kind person. If we want our kids to be kind, we have to show them how to be kind.

And kids who feel connected to others are less likely to suffer from mental health issues, bullying, and mean kid behaviors.

Taking the time to connect with our students is also helpful because sometimes, too often, educators are the only people who are willing or able to connect with them. Sadly, too many students come to school to feel safe, to get fed, and to be around adults who interact with them in positive ways

You could be the person your students need.

How to Use These Kindness Notes to Connect with Students

1. Download and print these kindness notes on cardstock. (download them below)

2. Cut them out and have them prepped and ready to go for when you need them.

3. When you see a student who needs to be lifted up or a student who deserves recognition for hard work or kindness, write them a note and leave it for them.

You can also give a note to a student when you notice them struggling or having a bad day. It could be to cheer them up or could just be to let them know you see them and you’re their to listen.

4. Keep a running list of your students and who you’ve given a notecard to. Ensure that you give notecards to all of your students to connect with all students and no one feels inadvertently left out or slighted.