Read about the “Buddy Bench,” a tool that caters to shy students. Communication techniques and methods, such as the buddy tool, help students grow into themselves and lets them know that there are communication methods that are helpful and that fit who they are as a person. I’m sure the Buddy Bench will help a quiet kid become friends with someone they would have never spoken to on their own (and vice versa). It boils down to self-esteem and awareness. Students are being taught how to acknowledge and look out for other classmates.

In the long run, it’s techniques like this one that make children more comfortable in a learning community.