Getting to Know Your Students

RESPONSE: Classroom Environment

Regardless of COVID19, life goes on...teachers prepare lessons and students look forward to school starting, in one form or another. I have six grandchildren and they will be going back to six different schools and five different school systems. Three are private schools and three are public. Two are in gifted classes, one is designated special education and the other three are in regular education classes. Two are juniors in high school; two are freshman and two are in middle school. I am explaining all of this so you know where my heart is as schools reopen. Some will be distance learning, but at least three will go back to "normal" school days. I hope they become engaged and enthusiastic about school this year. Then, I know they will learn as well.

I think that the first month of school is the most crucial in laying the groundwork for engagement and enthusiasm for the remainder of the year. There were years, when I was teaching, that I didn't lay the groundwork because of a variety of reasons. Maybe students were pulled for testing or I was paired with other teachers and content was a priority. Whatever happened, I jumped into curriculum too quickly without adequately getting to know my students or giving them a chance to know me. Inevitably, we just never jelled. When I did take the time to help students know and appreciate each other and become accustomed to why and how I structured the classroom and lessons, by January, the class could manage itself, and by June, we had all developed strong bonds with each other.

I am hoping that, in spite of the pandemic, and in spite of missing much of the last school year, you will take the time to get to know your students and what their hopes and dreams are for the coming year in your class. If you haven't visited the National Writing Project website and/or joined them on Facebook. take some time to look at the beginning-of-the-year ideas they suggest. Many will help you build classroom community.

One of my favorite ideas in getting to know students has been the use of surveys. I start out on day 1 with a 4x6 notecard on which I have students put their name, address, phone #, etc. - whatever I need to know in order to quickly contact them. (If you are doing distance learning, online, have students text/email you this information after they complete it in class.) Then, I ask for the best way for me to contact their parents. I explain that I like to send notes or call parents to tell them about the good work they are doing in class. My next question has to do with their name - What name do you want to go by in class? I ask which they prefer, group work or individual work? Do they prefer a noisy classroom or a quiet one? I also ask them to tell me something they want me to know about themselves.

This usually fills the card. Depending on time, we do some voluntary sharing or pair/share with whatever students are comfortable sharing; I collect the cards and let them know that I will post results of the survey questions the following day. Students love seeing that they are not alone in wanting either group work or individual time...that some people prefer noisy to quiet classrooms. I assure them that we will do both kinds of work during the year.

Other surveys I use in the following days are from Nancy Atwell and Linda Rief. Each of these women have wonderful reading and writing surveys that give you a picture of your student that tests can't. Again, getting to know your students well is the key.

Please share some of your introductory ideas as we start this new school year.  Watch for more posts on this topic!