So what: I am working on learning more about my students' interests. I learn something new about each of them each day. One instance comes instantly to mind. It took about 2.5 seconds for the students to realize that I was a student at USF, once that happened I fielded a lot of questions about being in college. One student, Chuck*, was very determined to talk about USF's football. I learned that he wanted to play football for USF when he grew up. After the USF v FSU game (where we were annihilated) Chuck and I were ready to foux console each other about the loss. I also follow my CT and I greet each student by name every morning. Sometimes it catches them off guard, like I was the first person to speak to them all day. I also take another step and I hold the door open during dismissal and say good bye to each of them individually.
Now what: These seemingly small acts throughout the day set the foundation for a quality classroom community. It encourages the students to learn about each other, greet each other, and say good-bye to each other. These small acts have a ripple effect that extends through all of our community. This is a practice that I will definitely take into my future classroom.