The Power of Teacher-Student Relationships: A Conversation with Samia Zaidi

our guest, with an arrow pointing to Samia Zaidi's headshot. next to it, it says her name, and title, "Managing Director of Program, Along"

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education, we sit down with Samia Zaidi, the Managing Director of Program for Along, a free online platform that strengthens teacher-student relationships and highlights student voice in the classroom. During our discussion, Samia explores helpful tactics to create impactful teacher-student relationships, how these dynamics shape school culture, and the empowering influence of student voices.

Check out the full transcript of Samia’s episode and scroll down for resources mentioned in the episode.

Quote from Samia: Asking small simple questions can transition into other types of questions to get at what motivates students and what they care about. It allows students to feel like "somebody at school cares about me."

Good human alert: Along is one of LCG's clients, but this is not a sponsored podcast episode. We love showcasing passionate folks who are making a difference in education.


Resources Mentioned in this Episode:


Elana Leoni, Host

Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.

Samia's headshot

Samia Zaidi, Guest
Samia Zaidi is the Managing Director of Program on Along for Gradient Learning, which is a nonprofit education organization founded and led by educators who are driven to bring communities, schools, and families together in pursuit of meeting the needs of every student. Over her six years with the organization, she worked as a school and district coach for Summit Learning before transitioning to help launch Along. In her current role, she ensures that educators are supported to use Along in their classrooms so each student feels seen and known. Before Gradient Learning, Samia began her career as a 6th grade Math and Science teacher in Oakland. After teaching, Samia worked in education technology and received her MA in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education.


About All Things Marketing and Education

What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.


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