The quality of relationships between the teachers and their students is imperative. As Carol Ann Tomlinson states in The Differentiated Classroom, "Teachers in healthy classrooms work continually to 'tame' their students: to see who they really are, what makes them unique in the world...Teachers in healthy classrooms also take the risk of allowing their students to know them as people. They take the risk of being 'tamed' themselves." Indeed, without knowing that the teacher is invested in their success and willing to journey through the often times confusing and frustrating practices involved with learning, students will either opt or tune out. Sadly, both often occur. Therefore, fostering a responsive, equally invested relationship with students enables the lessons to be relevant. It also constructs emotional scaffolding, making the risk of true learning both less intimidating and easier to initiate. During such a turbulent time as early adolescence, when emotions are intensely confusing and brimming over, knowing someone is willing to go "up to bat" for you means so much. Thus, middle grades are in need of these types of symbiotic and supportive emotional connections.

The role of teams, therefore, is crucial. Not only do team structures amongst colleagues in the middle grades environment enable cross-curricular mutuality, they also offer critical examples to students themselves as to the importance of working with others. Indeed, throughout one's entire educational experience, group work is emphasized (as it should be). How do we expect them to work in groups without some sort of healthy model being presented to them through our own communal actions as an educational department? Sure, there is such a thing as the "too many cooks" phenomenon, yet when opinion is balanced, cooperation is collective and methodologies are moveable, more team work means more connection between disciplines and a significant uptick in responsiveness. Perhaps Devborah Kasak and Ericka Uskali put it best in This We Believe in Action when they wrote, "...flexible use of time, staff, space, and instructional grouping sets up relationships whereby students learn and teachers teach in a more responsive, effective manner".

Teamwork is not merely conducting meetings, however. It is true cooperation in every way. It is everyone's voice not only being heard, but being understood and valued. It is honesty, patience, compromise, unity and empathy. It is advocating for one another and advocating for each student. Advocating for individual students is an honor, yet also is a huge responsibility. However, it connects directly to the evidence that supports that students perform their best when they feel they have an advocate. As Ross M. Burkhardt and J. Thomas Kane write in This We Believe in Action, "[The] notion [of] students being known and knowing that they are known by the adults in the building is at the heart of advocacy". This cannot be done without attending to the needs of the individual students, whether academic or emotional. Groups must be kept small, so no student gets lost in the shuffle. Students' needs must be openly discussed with the students themselves, in addition to collaboratively with those on one's educational team. A student with a say in their learning is more apt to take ownership of it, and without ownership, little progress will be made.

Throughout my experience working in after school programs, I have seen first hand how important it is to build meaningful, supportive relationships with students. The educational environment is a true partnership. Both the educator and the student are in on the journey together. In fact, as an educator, I'm less excited to teach than I am to learn. Sure, I have a great passion for my subjects and I look forward to sharing the skills and knowledge these topics entail with my students. I must confess, though...the prospect of me learning from my students is more exciting to me. The amount you teach is only worth what you're willing to learn from your students.