Whether talking in-person or virtually, even small conversations play an important role in creating the connections students need. But it can be challenging to carve out time in our busy schedules to focus on building these relationships.

As educators, we must make the time to ensure that every student feels seen and heard. All of us need a support system, and this is especially important for students in their teenage years. Yet, many felt alone over the past couple of years because of pandemic-induced isolation. That isn’t OK, and studies have already shown the traumatic impact the loneliness epidemic is having on students across the country.

At Classical Academy High School near San Diego, we’ve spent the past few years ensuring that every student has an educator in their corner. It’s become clear that using technology with a purpose is impactful and provides students more access to their teachers.

The current generation of students has grown up connecting with friends via video games and texting tools. That’s why we strive to meet them where they are at by giving them the ability to speak with us in the ways that work best for them.

We give our students the ability to connect with us through reflection tools like Along, an online teacher-connection builder. We provide them weekly one-on-one mentoring with a trusted adult at school through the Summit Learning program. We’ve even given them the ability to speak with us through video games, and the results have been amazing. Not only are we connecting more with our students, we’re seeing them drive the conversations!