I my last few years I have spent a lot of time reading lots of different strategies from lots of different places in the world. Something I have noticed is there is a growing number of strategies for sale for school/educators to bolster the classroom structure. $$$'s flow out of schools to these Strategy Builder's for their knowledge about how relationships work.

I want to share what I have learnt,

• People don't like being let down.

•The more you get let down the less you trust.

•Trust is a "need" in the classroom.

•Trust is earned.

•Earning trust takes time

•I have many more tasks every year due to these strategies therefore the less time I have to earn trust.

I see a pattern, far be it for me a simple teacher to say "let's get back to basics" but at some point maybe we need to.

Advice for young teachers is build that trust. Advice for Senior teachers continue to work on that trust. Advice for administrators the biggest gift you can give your teachers is time and the trust that they will use it well! Remember your teachers are kids at heart and they want your trust too!

As I again ponder another day of educating in the 21st century, I wonder and critique what could be done better or more efficiently.

Relationships all went well today with the 113 students over four lessons differing in age from 11- 18. I had one student of 17 explode and tell me where to go with some beautiful language which makes me think, wow what did I do wrong? My whole day was a failure because that shouldn't have happened in MY class. While missing the 81 students who said thanks and the 31 students who actually learned how to manage there tasks more autonomously due to the specific teaching of skills done in all my lessons. But the later, they are just things all teachers do, I hear myself say so that I refocus on the one student who told me to -----off!

So I ring home, no one answers that weird so I ask around, nobody seems to know but they all have noticed the behaviours I'm talking about. So I stroll down to the office and say do you know anything about "Student" "Oh yes" they say, "his dad has gone on a holiday for three weeks his brother is looking after him!"

21st Century Education would mean that all teachers know this! All teachers can emotionally support this child! No support at home means much support at school. To classroom educators knowledge is power! Social emotional needs of our kids matter!