Middle Level Students and Trust:

Proof that trust IS important

It sounds like common sense, but trust is important to people, including middle level students. In doing the study, Cynthia S. Mee, understood even before doing the study that she had to have the trust of the students that she was surveying in order to get honest answers for the validity of the research. They want trust from those around them and the responsability from that, and to be able to trust those around them also.

Students are interested in learing skills useful in developing trust in their own relationstips and in their behaviors. They don't like it when people automatically assume they're gonna act irresponsible and distrustful. (Mee, 47)

They also want to have communication with adults. They want to build meaningful relationships with adults around them such as community members, parents and teachers about what they want to learn, how they feel, about the world around them.

Ways to show students trust in school involve things like bathroom passes and hallway behaviors, as opposed to creating a prison like enviroment at school.(Mee, 67). They want to be a part of a trusting enviroment. For them, trust is a part of being considered more mature, and a part of growing up.

There are ways to build rapport with students to make them feel comfortable sharing concerns, problems, what they want to learn, and their questions about the world around them. Methods can involve techniques such as using the statementaire that Mee used in her research to find out what students are interested in and thier worries about themselves and such. However, be careful for this not to become a touchy-feely activity, as you are still thier teacher and not a counselor.

Involving parents in the school through various activites is also a great way to help students and parents build relationships and get parents involved in their students education. This is also a great way to get community members involved, and allow students to build relationships with adults around them.

Respond to ideas that students present to you. Even though it may not make sense right away to you, it is important to the student who make the request. It helps student's self esteem when they see their ideas and suggestions being taken seriously by a teacher or an adult then just having the idea tossed aside as purely silly.