Now we are "back in the swing of things" completing day 5 of school. I am working actively to recover my memory of student names. Here are some of my strategies:
1. Introduce myself to new students. I am already familiar with their names so it is simply a matter of connecting the names with faces at this point.
2. In between classes, I am in the hallways. As students pass me, it is like a game of mental gymnastics reminding myself silently of their names. When I find one I can't recall, I refer to last year's yearbook to refresh my memory.
3. I try to greet (by name) as many students as I can throughout the day.This allows the students to know I'm making an attempt.
I was incredibly encouraged this week when a new 7th grader overheard me greeting students and said "Wow. You really know a lot of people."
Why would I focus on this and encourage other school administrators to do the same? Using a student's name indicates that I care enough to know who they are. The name is the first step toward a positive relationship with each student and I look forward to truly knowing as many students as possible.
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