September

Building a good relationship with students is one of our most important jobs as educators.  Everyone has heard the quote, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  It is inevitable that each year we will have a handful of students, or more, that will truly need us (loss of a family member, abuse at home, homelessness) as they navigate through an especially tough time in their lives.  The question is whether we will have gained their trust when adversity hits in their lives so they can look to us for guidance.  I believe this makes the beginning of the school year immensely important - first impressions matter.  Icebreakers are great for learning your students' names, interests, and personalities in a relatively short period of time.  For a deeper understanding of  our students we can use getting to know you projects, interest surveys, and/or introduction letters (good idea, Meg) to learn more about who our students are.  Taking that information and following up with them with questions and a sincere interest in their lives is key.