6 Questions for Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
Creating an environment of respect and rapport is component 2a of the Danielson Framework, and it measures two things: how a teacher interacts with students, and how students interact with each other. Both are judged on words and actions. Domain 2 evaluators look for warmth, consistency, and how fast disrespect gets addressed.
Have you seen the magic between the best teachers and the most difficult students? It seems these teachers know how to connect and correct behavior through positive and meaningful conversations. As an administrator, you want to video these interactions and hit "play" for others to see the subtle yet effective words these teachers use. Likewise, when these teachers work with the top progressing students, they can challenge and make them even better than they are currently.
After having a teacher once tell me, "We don't need to push these students because they have been working so hard in other areas," I vowed to tackle a culture. How can a teacher have that conversation with an administrator or parent of the student, in essence, telling them "we are not going to challenge them and they can relax this school year?"
Over the past decade, educators have been hearing that "relationships" are the true ingredient to drive instruction. That's true, but there's more to it than having a relationship with a student. The master teacher uses very specific strategies in the classroom to get buy-in. Those relationships get modeled, and then students replicate them with each other.
The following six questions will help you reflect on your practices and move what you do from Proficient toward Distinguished.
What Component 2a Actually Measures
Before the six questions, it helps to know what an evaluator is holding a clipboard for. In the 2013 edition of the Danielson Framework, component 2a breaks into two elements, and both are described in terms of words and actions:
- Teacher interactions with students. How you speak to students, how you respond when one of them tests you, and whether the warmth is consistent or reserved for the easy kids.
- Student interactions with other students. How students talk to each other when you are listening, and how they talk to each other when they think you are not.
That second element is the one teachers tend to treat as outside their control, because it feels like it belongs to the students rather than to them. What you permit is part of what you are teaching.
A note on which framework you are actually being evaluated under. The language in this article comes from the 2013 edition, where Domain 2 is The Classroom Environment, and 2a is "Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport." The 2022 revision renamed Domain 2 to Learning Environments and retitled 2a as "Cultivating Respectful and Affirming Environments," with rewritten descriptors that lean harder on student ownership. The four rating levels stayed the same in both editions. Districts and states adopt, modify, and phase in these frameworks on their own timelines, and some have local evaluation systems built on top of them, so check which edition and which rubric your district has adopted before you use any of this to prepare.
One distinction worth getting straight: 2a is not the same as 2d. Caring, respectful interaction is 2a. Whether students follow the established rules of your classroom is 2d, managing student behavior. In the framework as written, they are separate components, and a room can be quiet, compliant, and procedural without that telling you much about rapport. A room can also be warm and noisy and read well on 2a while 2d needs work. How the two get weighted, evidenced, and scored in practice depends on the evaluation system your district or state has adopted.
#1 - How Do a Teacher's Interactions Set the Tone and Model an Emotionally Healthy Environment?
How the teacher treats students is constantly under the microscope. Students are studying how the teacher treats their peers.
During conflict, the students learn a lot about teachers when difficult students test them. How will the teachers respond?
If a teacher can do it by holding the student accountable and doing it with respect, the students know that the teacher is legitimate, and they are in a safe environment.
Likewise, how the teacher praises students when they do the correct thing is also modeled to the students. Master teachers find examples of positive learning experiences, kindness, tolerance, and empathy to give positive, specific praise.
Teachers working at the Distinguished level model a positive learning environment by putting time not only into relationships, but also into building a sense of agency within their students. Students leave their classrooms at the end of each year knowing that pushing themselves for growth is something inside of them they can control. These students understand that a love of learning starts with them. They own their progress and work ethic. The master teacher talks with students about this throughout the school year and is able to support them in goal setting.
Students also watch as teachers interact with each other. If there is a sense of kindness and respect among the teachers, students know it. Similarly, if students see disrespect between the adults in the school, that disrespect permeates into the classrooms and student interactions. Distinguished teachers understand this and work at relationships with adults in the school as much as with their students.
Teachers who reach Distinguished work at teaching, modeling, and discussing kindness, tolerance, and empathy. They understand the power of recognition of these three traits and give positive, specific praise connected to these characteristics. They spend time in class meetings discussing examples in the classroom, around the school, as well as proactively planting information for future lessons. These teachers do it so well that the students around the school echo their words as they take ownership of their classroom culture and the school's culture.
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#2 - Why Does the Way Students Treat Each Other Shape the Classroom Environment?
An easy observation to make is watching how students communicate with each other: are they kind to each other, or are the interactions riddled with disrespect and ridicule?
All classroom environments have a culture of their own. This culture is created by the teacher, and ultimately by the school leaders.
What the teacher models and permits is directly related to this classroom culture. A teacher who permits students to be disrespectful to each other creates a classroom environment that is toxic. A master teacher understands this and is constantly stopping, taking on these student conversations by modeling more respectful language, and being proactive with teaching mini-lessons when such conflict occurs.
The ability to "teach from your feet and not your seat" shows up clearly in a positive learning environment. A teacher who sits at their desk, plays on their phone, or is not engaged with students while they are in the classroom misses all the interactions going on with their students. There are many missed opportunities.
Master teachers use every minute in the day to connect with students, monitor instruction, and push each student to their potential. A positive teacher-student relationship can support engagement and give a student more reason to keep working.
#3 - How Can a Teacher Create Strong Relationships with Students?
Several characteristics master teachers possess illustrate the ability to create strong student relationships.
Be a Good Communicator
Those that stand out are also inherent to being a good communicator. Master teachers listen, ask questions, and care about the well-being of their students. They understand that strong relationships are built on trust. A school-wide philosophy that builds trust is titled Trust Psychology.
Listen to Students
Listening to students can be difficult as it takes time. As the burden of work and accountability that is placed on teachers increases, the amount of time to listen seems to wane. The ability to listen to students, especially when there is a problem or concern, is key to creating a positive environment. Many times, students just need someone to listen and not comment, and then there are students who are looking for guidance or a response from a trusted adult. The Distinguished teacher knows when to listen to a specific student in order for them to be ready to learn. Sometimes the first five minutes of a small group instructional period is spent listening. Without this time spent listening, the master teacher knows he or she will not be able to get a student or group of students ready to learn.
Ask Questions and Know When to Ask Questions
Asking questions seems like a no-brainer for a teacher to connect with students. Unfortunately, some teachers do not spend the time taking interest in their students and are unable to connect with them. Asking about after-school activities, family, or even a favorite sports team may be a place to start. Distinguished teachers know when to ask questions in order to strengthen the relationship with the student.
Love and Logic philosophy talks about building an emotional bank account. Before we can withdraw, we must build up the metaphorical account of positive interactions. The practical advice that follows from it is to build up a lot of positive interactions before you spend one on a correction, and to build up more of them for the students who are hardest to reach.
Don't be Fake
Students can see right through adults who are fake…teachers that say they care, but their actions do not emulate their words. This hurts the ability for a teacher to build trust with the student. Students want an adult who is going to do what they say they are going to do, is caring, and takes an interest in their lives.
#4 - What Does Body Language Reveal About Student and Teacher Relationships?
Actions speak louder than words.
Master teachers understand they need to study the body language of their students. They are proactive by asking questions and using a coaching model to better understand students. For example, if a classroom teacher learns that a student is rude to the lunch lady, they are questioning and making sure that the student fixes the relationship with her. They do not let comments or rudeness slide and are making sure the culture of the school is maintained through strong relationships. Though this rude gesture was not done in the classroom, the master teacher does not treat it as somebody else's problem. Who is formally responsible for a student at a given moment depends on school roles, assignments, and supervision policies, but the classroom teacher is usually the adult with the relationship to address it.
The master teacher is aware and is self-reflective of their own body language. They match their body language with how they feel, yet they are always spinning and reframing conversations to cultivate a growth mindset (see Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset).
The teacher understands that what they model, especially during conflict, is what they will see their students use to solve problems. Calm, respectful body language can help reinforce a positive classroom environment.
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#5 - How Can Teachers Build Agency So Students Support Their Own Learning?
Master teachers know that they alone cannot guarantee student achievement. They need support from many different entities, but most importantly the students themselves. These teachers build agency within their students. It is best defined and described by the website, gettingsmart.com, as
…the capacity and propensity to take purposeful initiative-the opposite of helplessness. Young people with high levels of agency do not respond passively to their circumstances; they tend to seek meaning and act with purpose to achieve the conditions they desire in their own and others' lives.
A great article from this website, 10 Tips for Developing Student Agency, by Tom Vander Ark (Dec. 22, 2015), states that teachers can do the following to build agency,
- Be attentive and sensitive and keep high standards.
- Encourage and respect students' perspectives.
- Strive to make lessons stimulating and relevant.
- Regularly summarize for students what they have learned.
- Take steps to detect and respond to confusion.
- Strive to develop clearer explanations.
- Give feedback that provides scaffolding that builds on students' own understandings.
- Press students to think deeply.
- Require students to persevere.
- Strive to keep a positive learning classroom culture.
Students can support their own learning by keeping a growth mindset, as well as reframing perspectives of other students in their classroom. Teaching students to find the workable angle in a frustrating situation is the instructional goal here. If they can do it on their own, they can help others do it too.
Many times, students do not know what to say when a peer is constantly negative or tears someone else down. Master teachers understand they must model language for students and give them strategies they can use to help other students take a different perspective. They can move a peer's perspective to empathize, or maybe even let a peer know that silence has power, too!
#6 - Do All Students Feel Valued, Safe, and Comfortable Enough to Take Intellectual Risks?
During an observation, an observer can determine the classroom climate quickly. Are students able to take risks in the classroom? If so, an observer should see students comfortable enough to ask any type of question, make a comment, or express themselves in other ways without ridicule or putdowns from the teacher or other students.
A master teacher puts real effort into listening. They listen to student comments, answers, and responses to the whole class in order to uphold respect and dignity. They model language when a question or comment is made that is bias, disrespectful, or hurtful. They model corrective language like the following statements: "You could ask the same question by stating…" or, "Another way you can say that is…" In this fashion, teachers can continually teach tolerance, empathy, and kindness. These teachers understand that through positive, specific praise of student communication, more respectful learning conversations will occur. They understand that you "get what you pay attention to."
In the same fashion, teachers extensively listen to the conversations between students in their classrooms. They are listening for respectful words and positive tone, while watching body language. When the teacher hears something that is questionable, they jump right in with prompting questions, modeling alternative language, and coaching. They are proactive every day by modeling and practicing language for students to use when they do disagree. They do not ignore or let comments slide, nor do they allow sarcasm to build. Master teachers know that all students should be able to communicate freely, even when they disagree. How students communicate when they disagree illustrates how safe the classroom environment truly is for all students.
Where You Land on the 2a Rubric
The six questions above are the reflection. The rubric is the scoring. Danielson rates each component at four levels, from Unsatisfactory through Basic, Proficient, and Distinguished, and the jump most teachers are chasing is the last one. Broadly, the Proficient descriptors put more of the work on the teacher and the Distinguished descriptors describe more of it happening among the students. That is useful shorthand for reflection, not a scoring rule.
The table below is a simplified interpretation of the 2013 Domain 2 rubric written to help you think about your own practice. It is not the rubric; it leaves out the Unsatisfactory and Basic levels entirely, and it should not be used to predict a rating. Work from the rubric your district has actually adopted, and from the calibration guidance your evaluators are trained on.
| Element (2013 edition) | Proficient | Distinguished |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher interactions with students | Talk with students is uniformly respectful and appropriate to their ages and cultures. The teacher makes general connections with individual students. | Interactions show warmth and sensitivity to students as individuals. The teacher's responses reflect knowledge of each student's particular situation. |
| Student interactions with other students | Students exhibit respect for the teacher. The teacher successfully responds to disrespectful behavior among students. | Students contribute to high levels of civility on their own and correct each other. All students feel valued and take intellectual risks. |
Read the Distinguished column again and notice where the subject of each sentence sits. Much of it describes what students do. That is the practical argument for treating the modeling work in questions #1 through #6 as something you start in September rather than something you prepare in the week before an observation.
(Charlotte Danielson Model: Domain 2 Component A)
MORE ROCK MY EVALUATION RELATED READINGS:
- Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport (Currently here)
- Establishing a Culture for Learning
- Managing Classroom Procedures
- Organizing the Physical Space in Your Classroom
- Managing Student Behavior
Frequently Asked Questions
What is component 2a in the Danielson Framework?
In the 2013 edition, component 2a is creating an environment of respect and rapport and sits in Domain 2, The Classroom Environment. It has two elements: teacher interactions with students, and student interactions with other students. The 2022 revision retitled it "Cultivating Respectful and Affirming Environments" under a domain now called Learning Environments. Check which edition your district uses.
What's the difference between component 2a and component 2d?
2a is about the quality of interaction, meaning warmth, respect, and how disrespect gets handled. 2d, managing student behavior, is about whether students follow the expectations and rules you've established. The framework treats them as distinct components with different descriptors, so a quiet and compliant classroom does not automatically read as a room with strong rapport. How your district evidences and scores each one depends on the evaluation system it has adopted.
What does an observer look for during a 2a observation?
The rubric points toward things like tone of voice and word choice when you correct a student, whether warmth extends to every student or only some, how students speak to each other during partner and group work, and whether an unkind comment gets addressed. A good deal of the evidence comes from what students do rather than what the teacher does. What your own evaluator records, how long they observe, and how it is weighted are set by your district or state evaluation system, so ask for the protocol rather than assuming.
How do you move from Proficient to Distinguished on 2a?
The 2013 Distinguished descriptors lean toward things students do without prompting, such as taking intellectual risks and holding each other to a civil standard. The practical implication is to stop being the only source of respect in the room: teach the language explicitly, name it when you hear a student use it, and do both well before an observation is scheduled. Consult your district's rubric for what its own Distinguished level asks for.
- Two elements - Component 2a covers teacher-to-student interaction and student-to-student interaction, each described in terms of words and actions.
- 2a is not 2d - Respect and rapport is a distinct component from managing student behavior, so a quiet and compliant room tells you little about rapport on its own.
- Check your edition - The 2022 revision retitled 2a and rewrote its descriptors, and districts adopt and modify these frameworks on their own timelines.
- Distinguished leans on students - The top descriptors describe much of the work happening among students, which argues for starting in September rather than the week before an observation.
- Model the language out loud - Scripts like "Another way you can say that is…" are how students learn to correct each other respectfully.
Domain 2 is where instructional coaches and mentor teachers spend much of their time. Some instructional coaching, mentoring, and leadership roles may require or prefer graduate education or additional credentials. Requirements vary by state and district. The programs listed on this page include options built for teachers already in the classroom full time, with coursework that may apply toward administrative licensure or certification requirements, depending on the state and program.
As a 5th grade teacher, in 2010 Jon won the Presidential Award for Elementary Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). As a principal, his school won the 2012 Blue Ribbon Award. In 2018, he won the National Distinguished Principal Award (NDP). In 2019 he won the National No Kid Hungry Breakfast Hero Award.
Jon is the author of three guides published on teacher.org: An Educator's Guide to Combat Bullying & Bully Prevention; Teacher Evaluation: A Transition Guide to Exemplary Performance; and You are the Wild Card: Infusing Fun Back into Curriculum. He has authored a children's picture book that was released January 2019 titled Benjamin’s Visit to Principal Reads Office…again! (available at www.archwaypublishing.com)
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