What Eric Jensen Says About Getting to Know Your Students to Increase Engagement

In Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind, Eric Jensen strongly emphasizes the importance of getting to know your students personally. He argues that relationships are foundational for student engagement, especially for students from low-income backgrounds. According to Jensen, when teachers take time to build trust and genuinely understand their students’ lives, interests, strengths, and challenges, it creates a safe and supportive environment where students are far more likely to participate, take risks, and stay motivated.

He points out that students living in poverty often experience higher levels of stress and instability, which can make trusting adults harder. Therefore, intentional, consistent efforts to connect — such as learning students' names quickly, knowing their interests, celebrating their successes, and showing authentic care — are crucial. Jensen sees relationship-building not as an "extra," but as a core instructional strategy for boosting engagement and achievement.

Here are a few key quotes from Eric Jensen’s Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind that relate specifically to the importance of getting to know your students:

1.

"Positive relationships are the single greatest predictor of student engagement at school."
(Chapter 2: Engage for Positive Climate)

2.

"If you want students to work hard for you, you must first forge positive relationships with them. They need to feel respected, safe, valued, and loved."

3.

"Students from poverty are especially sensitive to the quality of relationships in their lives; their brains are wired to detect social threats quickly."

4.

"The emotional connections you make with students serve as the 'on switch' for learning and engagement."

5.

"Get to know students’ interests, aspirations, and backgrounds. Use that knowledge to make learning relevant and to show you care."