Teachers would encourage students to work in a way that works for them, as long as the work is getting done and they are doing their best. Teachers showed appreciation for students that have a strong work ethic and can follow instructions. Teachers would encourage student interaction with classmates and the course material to engage them with the course and environment. A very important phrase many of my teachers used was “We want to set students up for success.” They stayed true to this and always did their best to help students. Most of my teachers would periodically check in with students to see if they are understanding the course material and to see if they were stressed out or dealing with too much work.

Teachers built a sense of community in the classroom by interacting with the students and getting to know them. They would try to get quieter students to speak and get all of the students to learn a little bit about one another. One thing I loved about starting a new year was playing quick games like two truths, one lie to get to know people. Most of my teachers were very understanding people and would try to establish that although every student is unique, everyone is human. I cannot think of a single teacher I had that did not welcome students with open arms and encourage them to make friends and be themselves. Most teachers are incredibly encouraging to all students. They encourage students to be the best person they can be and to just be themselves. Throughout high school, teachers would encourage students to join clubs to find people who share similar interests and to make new friends. Teachers always wanted students to feel comfortable and free to express themselves at the school.

Teachers can build hospitable and invitational educational environments by establishing that everyone is unique and human and should be respected. Something I loved about my favorite teachers is they had more personality than just being an educator. They would joke around with students, have fun in class, and although they would probably never admit it, they clearly loved to have fun and crack jokes with the students. Doing simple things like interacting with the students and getting to know them a bit builds a bond that makes students feel like they receive an equal amount of respect that they give to the teacher.