A note from All Kinds of Minds' CEO, Mary-Dean Barringer

A few years ago, I asked my friend Evanne Berry, then 16, “What do you want in a teacher?” Her answer was powerfully simple. “I want a teacher who knows the real me - not just from class. I’m the girl that’s great at varsity soccer, loves theater and wonders why I stink at math”.

I believe every student wants the same thing, a teacher that will come to know them.

Teachers mirror that need. I still recall the excitement and optimism I felt beginning each school year when I opened my classroom door to the parade of faces that would make up my new school family. September is the time when teachers feel permission to get to know their students as “kids”—long before the anxiety of test performance sets in.

Educators have always known that students who feel connected to their school experience more often find success. The small investments of creating connections with students on a personal level have huge payoffs in promoting their academic success.

Through three simple steps, you can make the commitment to know your students. First, make a point to know their full name, and what they like to be called. Next, spend at least one minute per week of focused, devoted time with each student. Finally - and perhaps most enlightening – invite parents to provide an introduction to their children. Ask them to tell you three things they love about their son or daughter—what their interests are, and the subject in which they can claim expertise.

At All Kinds of Minds, we find it essential to distinguish a student’s strengths and affinities. This newsletter will link you to resources and ideas and will allow you to share personal strategies of how to connect with your students and create the relationships that will foster a successful, rewarding learning environment.