Getting to know my students

I think between the readings we did for class and the discussions we had in class last Wednesday, I have a much better idea about how to get to know my students. For starters, before I even started the first day of school, especially if I was moving into a new community or state that I was unfamiliar with, I would want to take a walk around. I'd want to get a general feeling for the community. If there's a downtown district with little shops, maybe I'd go in and ask some of the owners what children usually like to do for fun around the area. I also liked the idea of going over to the library and seeing what is available and what isn't available for the students to read. After taking a walk around the town, I'd want to see what my kids look like on paper. I'd research the demographics of the school and community including racial, socioeconomic, and ESL population. Before reading the "Putting Literacy Learning in Context" article, I had some idea about the impact of poverty in shaping the conditions and attitudes of students, but I had never imagined the effects of extreme poverty. Therefore, I would see what population of my classroom was impoverished so I can be prepared to supplement readings or resources for them throughout the year, if necessary.

Also, because I want to teach ESL, I would see which countries my students recently came from. I would then do some additional research on those countries, along with any recent political unrest, especially if my students are refugees. I recently read in another class I'm taking about the prevalence of slavery around the world, and based on where my students come from they may have experienced this first hand or they may have seen others taken away. These experiences would greatly affect the attitudes of my students, and I would need to be aware of them.

If possible, I would then send out an e-mail to the students' parents to introduce myself, and explain some of my goals for the class this coming year. If I couldn't send an e-mail, I would make sure to send a letter to the house. Then, on the first day of school, we would do introduction activities, along with setting guidelines for classroom behavior. I really liked the idea about making each student the weekly star. So I would definitely do that in my classroom as well. I would also have students fill out a mini-survey for me that I would hand out on the first day, so I could get a feel for who that student is more in depth before their "star week." I think most importantly, however, to get to know my students, is to just listen. Many children will tell you pretty much their life stories or at least important hints if you only are open to sit down, take the time, and listen. So, on a final note, I would always be open and inviting for students to come and talk to me.