Letters | Youth resilience starts with strong teacher-student connections
Readers discuss why children’s negative emotions should not be dismissed, and family-friendly measures for Hong Kong
However, as Hong Kong schools embrace this resilience agenda, we must remember that relationships come first. Research shows that social and emotional learning programmes are more effective when built upon supportive teacher-student relationships. Before encouraging students to bounce back from adversity, educators must first help them feel psychologically safe enough to acknowledge and process their emotions.
Consider a Primary Four student who frequently disrupts class and is met with “You’re being naughty again” or “You need to control yourself better”. These reactions reflect what are called the four Ds of disconnection (diagnosis, denial of responsibility, demand and deserve). But if a teacher is able to take a needs-based approach and say, “I notice you seem restless. Are you feeling frustrated? What do you need right now?” the child may open up about their worries about their parents’ arguments at home and be less disruptive.
Language in the classroom is not neutral; it can either connect or disconnect. This example illustrates the “Maslow before Bloom” principle: students’ psychological needs for safety, belonging and connection must be met before higher-order learning can flourish. When children’s negative emotions are dismissed, resilience risks being mistaken for emotional suppression rather than genuine recovery.
Recent findings confirm that supportive teacher-student relationships significantly predict reduced anxiety and improved mental health. Self-efficacy – rooted in relational trust – consistently emerges as one of the strongest predictors of student well-being.