How to Truly Connect with Students (and Why It Matters)
Description
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Do you have kids you struggle to reach? I do! Do you have kids who you think are acting out just for the attention? Me too! How do you connect with students when you're struggling to fit it all in? It can be done. That is the topic of today's show.
<figure class="alignright size-large is-resized">

Back when I first started teaching, I thought the key to success was the perfect lesson plan. Over time, I realized something deeper. Kids need connection to learn. You truly have to relate to educate, as I often say.
In this episode, Dr. Lucy Lambert-Guesnard, a 50-year veteran educator, shares stories and strategies to help us reach every child—especially the ones who seem unreachable. Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with wisdom you can use right now in your classroom.
Table of contents
✨ Sponsored by Solution Tree
For over 25 years, Solution Tree has partnered with schools and districts to deliver research-driven professional development that helps teachers turn their passion into real progress for their students. See the results they’ve helped schools achieve at SolutionTree.com/10MinuteTeacher.
🎧 Listen to the Episode
10 Minute Teacher Podcast – YouTube
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">

Watch this video on YouTube.Subscribe to the Cool Cat Teacher Channel on YouTube
<figcaption></figcaption></figure>
10 Minute Teacher Podcast – Audio
<iframe title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/36404420/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/2d568f/time-start/00:00:00 /playlist-height/200/direction/backward/font-color/FFFFFF" height="192" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" style="border: none;"></iframe>
Subscribe to the Show
Key Takeaways
How do we build trust before we teach?
<figure class="alignright size-medium"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="300" src="https://www.coolcatteacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/how-to-connectwith-students-1-300x300.png" alt="Quote graphic featuring the words “You can’t teach the value of X until students know they’re valued” by Dr. Lucy Lambert-Guesnard, from Episode 897 of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast. Set in bold typography on a light background with podcast branding." class="wp-image-33720" srcset="https://www.coolcatteacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/how-to-connectwith-students-1-300x300.png 300w, https://www.coolcatteacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/how-to-connectwith-students-1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://www.coolcatteacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/how-to-connectwith-students-1-150x150.png 150w, https://www.coolcatteacher