Repairing relationships: Studies show considering perspectives of others benefits us all — especially in the classroom

Coming out of the pandemic, students will have spent substantially more time on screens than usual — a predictor of poorer mental health and increased stress, making their teacher-student relationships more challenging. Meanwhile, teachers who are coming off of historically stressful school years will now face heightened expectations for student achievement, while still managing their own pandemic stressors. That means children will need more relational support from their teachers, who may have less energy to provide such support. Fortunately, new understandings about a fundamental building block of relationships have emerged.