Do You Know Who Your Real Student Is?

Have you ever wondered if teachers really know who their students are outside the classroom? 

Every student has a life outside of school. They might live with a caring family or in an environment that is unsafe or challenging. Their family could be nuclear or joint. Could they have come from a war-torn country having  seen devastation and disaster? Or could they have parents who are professionals working for Fortune 500 companies? What if they speak a different language outside of school and celebrate different traditional or religious holidays? They  bring funds of knowledge into the school and the classroom. 

It is imperative for every  teacher to be curious and to know about their students’ home life, their socio-emotional development, and their interactions with their peers. How is that possible when the time is limited for each learning block? Well, in order to know the real child behind every student, a teacher can talk to one or two children per day. There is no doubt that sharing  stories can be a powerful way to build trust and understanding between the teacher and the students. Parents are the best resources to communicate with and obtain information that would help a teacher to learn about each of the student’s personality, learning style, and home environment.