In the fall of 1991, I began as a Social Studies student teacher at Redford High School in Detroit, Michigan. On my first day, my mentor teacher offered a piece of advice that seemed essential at the time: “Don’t crack a smile until Thanksgiving; it undermines your authority.” Back then, this felt like sound wisdom—I was there to deliver information and make sure students took me seriously. Building emotional connections with them felt like it would take precious time away from academic instruction. It seemed logical, right? The more time spent on connection, the less time there is for learning history.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Over the past 20 years, our understanding of how we learn has evolved dramatically, and neuroscience has made one thing clear: emotions fuel learning. The people we learn with, and how connected we feel to them, have a profound impact on academic success. This is why, at Saklan, we prioritize building relationships with students and making sure they feel like they truly belong. It’s not just about helping them grow into well-rounded individuals; it also leads to better academic outcomes.
Research shows that learners need an emotional connection to the content itself, too. That’s where Project Based Learning (PBL) shines. PBL taps into students’ experiences, motivations, and natural curiosity, creating meaningful, emotionally-charged learning experiences that foster deeper understanding and translate into real academic achievement.
At Saklan, we’ve always understood the power of emotion. We focus on connecting emotionally with students (“Love in Learning”) and helping them connect emotionally to the material (“Love of Learning”). We do this because it works, but more importantly, because it speaks to the learner inside all of us.
Warmly,
David
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