We all know the education system from our childhood isn’t near the same as the one today. Gone are the days of big teacher hugs, pats on the back, and most physical displays of affection in a lot of our school settings.Most educators I know are passionate about teaching and deeply care about their students and their well-being. It’s one of the main reasons they teach, to make a difference in the life of a child. But how do you show your students that you care about them, when you can’t EVEN give them a hug when they’re feeling down??Here are 5 easy ways to show your students they are safe, adored and all is well: Give eye contact with a smile. Connections most definitely come through eye contact and what follows. It sends the message of acceptance and love, or disapproval and rejection. Think about the random smiles you receive from those you love. They definitely create that warm and safe feeling inside. The same will happen for your students. Make a point to LOOK your student’s in the eyes and smile. Speak kind words. As educators you most definitely know the difference between your students saying “Yes, Teacher” with a loving tone, or “Yes, Teacher” with a grunt and eye roll. Speak love into your students lives. Be mindful of the way you speak your words and the tone you choose to use. Even a simple “Good Morning Lexi, How was your evening?” in the right tone can create the atmosphere of kindness and love you are looking for in your classroom. Be interested and ask questions. Think about a time when someone has met you several times, yet the questions they ask certainly confirm “You don’t know me”. Get to know your students. Ask them questions about their hobbies, favorite foods, books, sisters, brothers…them! If you need to, keep a journal with answers they have given you so you can reflect on them later. Throughout the year, ask them questions about the topics earlier discussed (How is your dog’s foot after he stepped on that spur? Did your brother throw his broccoli on the ground during dinner AGAIN last night?) Showing a genuine interest in their lives will go extremely far in showing that you truly care. Be present. I feel that as educators it can be one of the most difficult challenges to be present with each child. We are amazing multi-taskers and are usually thinking of 100 other things while we are teaching each class and each student (Uh oh, JOHNNY’s out of his seat again…Did I PASS out the correct worksheet?… Who’s on after school duty?…Did I start the crockpot before I left this morning?) It is so important that our students see and know we are present with them. This means focusing in on staying in the moment when possible. Everyone knows what it is like to be with someone that seems to want to be somewhere else. Give your students the gift of being in the moment. Be Present. Have a special routine. Connections are really amplified through three main areas: eye contact, physical touch and fun. Since most of us can’t go mauling our students every morning with a huge hug and thousands of kisses… we need other appropriate ways to connect through physical touch. There’s nothing like a good ole high-five or the sweet old-fashioned “secret handshakes” of our childhood (we seriously rocked the “Say Say My Playmate” chant in 3rd Grade). Why not come up with a fun “Good Morning Handshake” when your students come in the DOOR or right before you leave. You could really jazz this up with serious knee clapping, finger snapping, spinning around and the whole shebang. Even older students would love to participate in coming up with their own celebration “handshake”.[❤✔]✌