How New Teachers Can Encourage Student Agency

Do you like to rescue? I’ll admit it—I do. It brings me tremendous joy to help others, especially when I can clearly see what they could be doing differently.

As a new teacher, I was the queen of rescuing. Looking back, I realize that imposter syndrome played a big role—I was young, my degree was in psychology (not education), and in my mind, if I wasn’t helpful enough, learners would think I didn’t belong.

Eventually, I realized that stepping in to “fix” things is not uncommon among educators (and caregivers). With the best of intentions, we tend to overexplain before learners have a chance to think or offer solutions before they’ve explored their own. True empowerment grows from trust, autonomy, and productive struggle—not constant guidance.

But stepping back doesn’t mean stepping away—it means shifting how we support, moving from rescuing to empowering. And what if that’s the most compassionate thing we can do for learners?

Compassionate Learning Design

Empathy is feeling with learners—understanding their experiences and perspectives. Compassion takes empathy one step further by translating those feelings into action.

Compassionate learning design isn’t about doing more—it’s about actively removing barriers and making space for agency.

I’ll explain three practical ways that new teachers can do this.

1. Transform Our Presence to Empower Learners

As teachers, we often feel pressure to constantly be “on”—answering every question, solving every problem. It’s tempting to jump in the moment we see a learner struggle—especially when we know that we can help. But sometimes, the most compassionate and impactful thing we can do is wait—to pause, not pounce.

Pause before prompting. Increasing our wait time and giving learners a moment to think before we intervene builds independence. When we get the urge to swoop in, we can count to five in our head or say something like “Take your time—I’m here when you need me.” That pause gives learners space to think and try first.

Plan support upstream. Instead of taking over when things go off the rails, we can anticipate potential barriers and minimize them. Offering flexible options to make content more accessible—like visuals, models, or sentence frames—can prevent frustration and help learners keep moving forward.

Reframe our language. Asking rather than telling encourages learners to take the lead. We can swap directive language like “Do this next” for curiosity-driven prompts such as “What’s your plan for solving this?” or “What have you already tried?” 

Being compassionate in our design doesn’t mean doing everything—it means being present and acting with intention. When we design with care and step in strategically, we create space for learners to take charge and grow.

2. Create Meaningful Contributor Roles

When learners feel like their voice matters, they show up differently—and when they document their thinking along the way, they become active participants with something meaningful to contribute.

Invite them to document their thinking. Encourage learners to capture ideas, questions, and reflections as they go through a lesson—it builds ownership and awareness. This might look like sketching out thought processes on whiteboards, jotting questions in a learning journal, or using sticky notes to mark where they got stuck (or unstuck).

Normalize reflection on struggles and breakthroughs. Asking “What was tricky?” or “What helped you get unstuck?” helps build metacognitive skills. Exit tickets, reflection corners, or even pair-share are routines that spotlight effort and problem-solving—not just correct answers.

Turn the learning process into shared resources. Whether it’s a sticky note on a strategy wall or a video explainer for peers, learners can create teaching aids that help others. Doing this reinforces a culture of contribution; learners deepen their understanding and  support their peers.

Compassionate learning environments invite learners to move from passive consumers to essential contributors—bringing voice, reflection, and agency into the heart of the learning process.

3. Reimagine Assessment Practices

A compassionate approach to assessment is to move from using only teacher evaluation to employing peer feedback loops and self-assessment that empower learners to gauge their own progress. This builds awareness, confidence, and responsibility for their own growth. 

Balance structure with autonomy. We start with clear goals, then invite learners to show what they know and are able to do in ways that fit them—through illustrations, voice recordings, slide decks, or hands-on demonstrations.

Make space for self- and peer feedback. Gradual release of responsibility is key. Simple, safe routines—like a “glow and grow” checklist or a sentence starter such as “One thing I noticed…”—help learners build a feedback mindset without feeling exposed. If you haven’t already seen Austin’s Butterfly, it’s a great model for teaching how to give specific, authentic, and actionable feedback.

Encourage and praise documentation of learning. When learners track their progress using journals, portfolios, or learning logs, they begin to see how far they’ve come and where they want to go. The process becomes visible—and valuable.

When we broaden our view of assessment, we make more room for agency. Learners still meet goals—but they also understand themselves better as thinkers, creators, and contributors.

Stepping Back So They Can Step Up

For us as new educators, our instinct to help is one of our greatest strengths—and sometimes our greatest limitation. When we transform our presence in the classroom, create meaningful contributor roles, and reimagine assessment practices, we don’t just make space for learners to develop skills; we honor their capacity to surprise us with their insights, resilience, and creativity.

The next time we feel the urge to rescue, pause and consider, “What might happen if I step back right now?” True compassion in teaching isn’t about solving every problem—it’s believing in learners enough to give them opportunities to solve their own.

What will you step back from this week so that your learners can step up?