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I try to take the time to show a real interest in each of my student's lives by checking in and asking questions specific to things going on in their life.  (How was your trip to the mountains?  Is your dog feeling better?  Did you have fun at karate?  etc.)  We share joys & concerns most days during morning meeting.  I find this is a great way to get to know the children better and find out things that you otherwise wouldn't know.  They often share things that lead to good conversation topics later in the day/week.  I also use literature and point out when I make a connection to someone's life.  (a character's name is the same as a family member, the setting is a place a student has visited, etc.)  I also try to order books for the classroom that I know certain students will enjoy, and I make sure to tell them that.

# data[].attributes.subject
I try to take the time to show a real interest in each of my student's lives by checking in and asking questions specific to things going on in their life.  (How was your trip to the mountains?  Is your dog feeling better?  Did you have fun at karate?  etc.)  We share joys & concerns most days during morning meeting.  I find this is a great way to get to know the children better and find out things that you otherwise wouldn't know.  They often share things that lead to good conversation topics later in the day/week.  I also use literature and point out when I make a connection to someone's life.  (a character's name is the same as a family member, the setting is a place a student has visited, etc.)  I also try to order books for the classroom that I know certain students will enjoy, and I make sure to tell them that.

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-Katherine

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I think with five and six year old children one of our biggest jobs as teachers is to have them speaking and listening. We naturally do this by telling our own stories and inviting them to share theirs. It is often motivated by the books we are reading at the time, both fiction and non-fiction. But, I think Responsive Classroom has us all learning about our students' lives naturally from the morning meeting. Quick shares can tell us a lot about a student's interests. We also do a closing circle where we take more time per child. Each shares an experience (rather than a toy) and we learn SO much about our students' interests and the priorities that have been set in their lives. (And it is amazing how well children this age can listen, as formulate questions- if they want to!)
-Cheryl

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I start off the year sharing about myself outside of school (my husband, my family, my dog, my hobbies, etc.) and continue to build on this at morning meeting share time throughout the year. My students share at this time too and I mentally take notes to ask them about different experiences they share later in the day or week. Especially at the beginning of the year I try to make connections through literature to encourage students to find a love of reading! I share my favorite books and give anecdotes with them so they know why I loved it. Then I recommend books based on interests they have expressed. I also model making connections to my life when reading aloud and sit with different groups at lunch to get to know them better.  I also make sentences for spelling tests connect to my life or theirs for a few smiles and laughs!

Reba

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Building a relationship with your students is key in how they respond and feel. Building this relationship of trust and understanding allows the child to feel that they can take a risk and fail or succeed and know that we will be proud of them for trying. I build a relationship with my students by bringing in a bag of my life and share this during Morning meeting the first weeks of school. They learn about me and my family. I love that we get to sit with them at lunch and talk about their interests. I also share word problems and use real life things that have happened to my family or other things. We also share spelling sentences and use things that happened during the weekend or other things. Morning Meeting is such a special time to connect through joys and concerns as well as playing fun games together. The more you invest in the children, the more likely they are going to invest in instruction and take risks. Authentic caring is worth every second!

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This year's group has been so meaningful to me because they're the ones who were with me the most during my pregnancy and then childbirth. The kids have made their own attachment to my son and it shows! They love to hear stories about the new things he's learned to do and they love making him books or pictures! I don't think I would have ever thought having a baby would have connected me to my first graders as much as it has!
While it's hard at times to make those connections (like, what the heck IS Minecraft anyways?!?!?!), I do enjoy hearing about their lives. We always do Joys and Concerns on Fridays because I genuinely want to know what's going on in their lives, especially with those who are struggling in some aspect. Creating that sense of community allows them to feel comfortable in expressing their needs or wants. I may not always sound excited, but I try really hard.
-Amanda

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I start off the year by bringing in "my favorite things"  - books, seashells, pictures of my family, my Bryan Adams cassette tape (first music my parents let me buy) and my Bee Gees lunch box- They begin to uncover my age, see artifacts from the past (some of them can't believe I still have a tape player), and my love of nature. They love seeing my family. Immediately we begin the year sharing common interests, they ask great questions. Other activities include interest surveys, we have share time. I also love sitting with the kids at lunch and talking, playing games or working with them at quiet time.
Kelly

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I like to find something that the students are interested in and relate to them in my own way. We talk about sports, animals, books, and other interests. Once students learn that they can relate to me they start to build trust. I like to find time to share experiences or interests with students that are not always related to academics. Building a strong relationship with students allows them to be  more open to learning from you. It is one of the most important aspects of teaching!

Caitlin

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I make music with the children all day.  We play, laugh. make up songs about our weekends, talk about our favorite songs on the radio, discuss emotions in music and what role music has in each of our lives.  We make connections through our shared musical experiences.  And I invite the kids to the family-friendly
Kudubai shows. :)

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I believe in the importance of being relatable to the students. A team cannot be one-sided, therefore, they should know about my interests and passions as I ask them to teach me about theirs. We build a mutual respect and understanding for each other and the kids always enjoy learning about the teacher outside of school. Morning meeting has been a great way to start our day with a share from everyone in our second grade community. It is so wonderful to kick-start my day, with some background on how life at home may be going for them. I love designing motivating activities and games that include John Cena (for my WWE fanatic), or Babe Ruth (for my MLB fan)...just to name two. The kiddos always are so excited to see that I had them in mind when designing an activity. RC builds in many of these components from this article. Very grateful to have gone through this training! In addition, becoming a yoga instructor has made me feel more safe and comfortable with sharing my practice with my students in a mindful way. I have seen great improvements in their strength and self-control. It has been rewarding to see them succeed and thrive with this supplemental tool. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge of Spanish with my students. I have now added a Bilingual section to my library due to their overwhelming interest! As teachers, we have such a great responsibility over the influence and impact we make on our students' lives. We can change how they view education for the rest of their lives. What an honor.

# data[].attributes.subject
I believe in the importance of being relatable to the students. A team cannot be one-sided, therefore, they should know about my interests and passions as I ask them to teach me about theirs. We build a mutual respect and understanding for each other and the kids always enjoy learning about the teacher outside of school. Morning meeting has been a great way to start our day with a share from everyone in our second grade community. It is so wonderful to kick-start my day, with some background on how life at home may be going for them. I love designing motivating activities and games that include John Cena (for my WWE fanatic), or Babe Ruth (for my MLB fan)...just to name two. The kiddos always are so excited to see that I had them in mind when designing an activity. RC builds in many of these components from this article. Very grateful to have gone through this training! In addition, becoming a yoga instructor has made me feel more safe and comfortable with sharing my practice with my students in a mindful way. I have seen great improvements in their strength and self-control. It has been rewarding to see them succeed and thrive with this supplemental tool. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge of Spanish with my students. I have now added a Bilingual section to my library due to their overwhelming interest! As teachers, we have such a great responsibility over the influence and impact we make on our students' lives. We can change how they view education for the rest of their lives. What an honor.

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Nadine