Getting to Know Your Students

I think getting to know your students is a very important part of becoming a successful teacher. Knowing student likes and dislikes can help teachers reach students who are struggling or need to be challenged. Teachers can recommend certain books or genres to pique student interest. Our activities during class also helped me to realize that getting to know your students is important in creating a solid community where everyone feels connected regardless of difference. The “Where I’m From” poems helped me understand how students’ backgrounds are a dynamic force in the classroom. Every student has a culture and past that influences their interactions and interpretations in school. However, teachers need to know more about their students than just their preferences to fully appreciate cultural diversity in the classroom. Providing students with opportunities to discuss their reading and elaborate from their own experiences is one way to get to know students. Although many students are shy and don’t like to discuss personal experiences in front of others. For these students, reading journals might help to guide students to make connections and provide the teacher with background information. Also knowing what students do outside your class/subject-area helps. I’m in a sixth grade class at Pleasant View Magnet School for Performing Arts and since I’ve been watching electives (i.e. dance, visual arts, etc.) I’ve come to see a whole new side to my students. It gives me a greater appreciation for their interests and potential to see them outside a “traditional” classroom. I think using these interests can be used successfully to incorporate diverse elements in reading instruction and in helping engage students in your class.