The Balanced School Day and Teacher-Student Connections: Canadian Classroom Teachers’ Perspectives

Positive teacher-student relationships can be a critical component for school success (Nasir, Jones, and McLaughlin, 2011; Davis, 2001; Hamre and Pianta, 2006; Reimer, 2020a, 2020b). This (2018) study invited Canadian elementary teachers (n=8) into a focus group and asked them how they successfully connected with students in their classrooms. Participants shared many strategies on how they connected with their students and their families (Reimer, 2020a, 2020b). On one occasion, participants noted that the establishment of consistent routines in the classroom played an essential role in connecting with students. While all teachers independently brought in many types of routines into their classrooms, some shared how the introduction of a school-wide “Balanced School Day” assisted them in finding an optimal ‘rhythm’ (Wilson, 2011) to their day.