Over the summer, my co-worker mentioned doing a weekly check-in with students. You’ve probably read and seen the articles and posts raving about teachers who check-in with their students weekly, trying to identify the students who are in need of a little more love and maybe some help. I thought the idea sounded like something reserved for super teachers who had developed deep relationships with students. After only the second week of school… Who knew that with four questions, a Google Form, and a Friday, I would be able to know so much more about what was happening in students’ lives?!
My co-worker kindly shared this Google Form with me- yay for sharing! I was able to quietly address student behavior on the playground that was going unnoticed, I was able to help students change seats or move around the room to see the tv better, I knew of students who were mourning the loss of a fish at home, or struggling with wanting to go home for the weekend. It only took 5-10 minutes and I had all of this data.
Here were the questions:
The amount I learned from those 61 responses showed me SO SO much about what was going on in my classroom. Students deserve for their teachers to spend time checking on them. This is an awesome, proactive way to learn about what is going on in a student’s life. I wish I would have done this sooner. I know I have saved a lot of class time by being proactive and I have an easy way to hear my students’ voices.
Education with Meaning 