There are many ways a teacher can learn about their student's home life and where they come from. It is so important for a teacher to create that deeper bond with students and understand them more than just what they are at school and within their schoolwork. In class we talked about ways that teachers can understand their students deeper and in a more meaningful way. One way we talked about was "being a part of the community." When a teacher takes specific times out of their weeks or months to attend or lead extra curricular activities that students are involved in, they are given a larger chance to find out other things about their students and what they enjoy. Another way teachers can get to know their students more is by simply having confidence in them, and believing they can do things. Many teachers believe that students are blank slates, and it is up to them to teach them everything. This is an incorrect assumption because students come to school already filled with a wide variety of knowledge and ideas to contribute to the classroom. When a teacher understands this, they can dive into their student's previous knowledge and use that to the student's advantage.
I have started to really get to know my students in my 1st grade classroom in ways just like this. I really want to continue on what I have been doing, which is simply talking to my students in down times. It's so fun to hear about the activities they do at home or after school. They always have the silliest stories! If I continue to work through al of my students, and really invest thought and time in our conversations, my students will really begin to open up and respect me and hopefully feel as though they can tell me anything.
I really like the idea of learning about your students' lives and where they come from to establish a relationship with your students. I too agree with the fact that as teachers we need to understand our students, their backgrounds, their interests outside of school, etc. I think that when we think of how we can become a part of the school's community, we think of going to sports events or after school activities. I think this is a great way to stay involved with the school and build relationships with your students. However, this only reaches some of the students who play sports or are involved in after school activities, so I wonder how to make this possible to get to all of your students. I also really like your idea of having confidence in your students. I never thought of this as being something to build relationships in the classroom. This is a really simple way of getting your students to know you care and that you're there for them to help them succeed.
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