It often takes a few weeks before students get a clear sense of their answers to the initial questions.
When do you feel it’s OK to make a mistake, or show that you don’t know something or how to do something?.Who helps you bounce back from setbacks?.When do you feel challenged and supported?.What happens in school that makes you afraid? Frustrated? Defeated?.What is your contribution to the school?.Use these questions throughout the school year, followed by supportive discussions, to continue to get to know your students, build their reflection skills, and positively influence their resiliency. When do you get a chance to be a leader?.When do you feel your voice is respected?.When do you feel you are being listened to?.These settling-in questions can be addressed in similar ways as the start-of-school ones, during the second and third weeks of school. What do you like most about school so far? What would you like to see changed?Īnother approach with these questions is to make a survey and have students provide responses these can be anonymous or not. A more interactive approach is to use a morning meeting format and start the school day by having students discuss their responses to several of these questions in small groups and then share their group’s responses with the class.What strengths do you bring to classrooms? The school?.These start-of-school questions can be written out on index cards-ask children to write their answers on the other side, perhaps doing one per day during the first week of school. Knowing the answers tells us what we need to know to help create positive conditions for learning. The following questions can and should be adapted for youth of all ages because they are as relevant to college students as they are to preschoolers. In his article “ Improving Teacher Empathy to Improve Student Behavior,” psychologist and school-climate expert Robert Brooks explains that teachers increase their empathy by asking themselves, “What words do I want my students to use to describe me?” Understanding who students are on a deep level also helps us be more understanding and supportive. They reflect the conditions necessary for students to learn, be happy, feel relevant, and be resilient. There are some things we should know about all of our students because knowing them will greatly influence our teaching (and parenting). When these point in a positive direction, children gain momentum and positive accomplishment when they don’t, we see downward spirals and increasing distance from college, career, community, and life success. Resilience and motivation come from having a sense of purpose, believing you have value to others, and engaging in acts of service that confirm that value.