PowerUp C: Caring, Trusting Relationships
What can we do to make sure that school is a place where young people experience a deep sense of belonging—where they trust, feel trusted, and develop deep relationships?
In this PowerUp, we’ll explore those questions through excerpts from “The First Class,” a documentary that follows the founding class at Crosstown High, an XQ high school in Memphis, Tennessee. You’ll look for evidence of what an inclusive, asset-based culture can look like. You’ll consider why relationship-building and trust—between students and adults, and among students—are essential for adolescent learning and development, and for creating a community where everyone can take risks, learn, and grow as a result.
A PowerUp is a concise, just-in-time learning module designed to address a specific topic or practical skill, typically lasting between 1-2 hours, and is offered individually or in bundles to support professional educators with immediate, actionable content.
| Designed For | Teachers and educators |
| Topics | Classroom management; K-12; Learner-centered education; Wellness |
| Platform | Bluebird |
| Source | XQ |
Learning outcomes
- Develop understanding of what caring, trusting relationships look like and feel like in practice.
- Observe and unpack examples and illustrations of an inclusive, asset-based culture, of the types of positive relationships adults can cultivate with adolescents, and of how critical trust and safety are for personal and academic growth.
- Consider strategies for cultivating deep, caring, trusting and transformative relationships with young people, and for establishing a culture school-wide that fosters belonging.
