It is this second point that I believe is the most important thing a teacher in a high-needs school can do – get to know each and every student that comes in contact with a teacher. If a teacher learns at least a student’s name and one thing about each student with whom that teacher is in contact, she can later use that to her advantage to talk to that student in good times and bad. By asking students how their job interviews, school plays or athletic events went, or (when possible) attending them, the teacher is showing them that she cares about and respects them. A quick “How’s it going?” in the hallway, followed by the willingness to listen to the answer, may make a student’s day.  A student’s respect for the teacher will eventually follow when they see that the teacher is consistent in her actions and words. If every student feels respected by even a handful of people at school, success will follow.

Beth Marchant, who has served as a selector for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships, is a teacher educator at the University of Notre Dame. Here she offers some perspective on getting to know students.

On the first days of the school year, students introduce themselves, but with their personas in full effect — the image they want to project to the world. But at some point, the masks fall. Only then can we get to know one another.

Last year, on my very first day teaching, in my very first period of 7th-graders, I had a student that I immediately decided I needed to keep an eye on. I’d seen this one in the hall, wearing a perfectly shaped hat two sizes too big, with pants as close to sagging as a kid could get away with. With a large and sparkly earring, this student would, a few weeks later, claim the middle name of “Gangsta.” I was, quite frankly, worried.

So when this student was the only volunteer from the sleepy first-period crowd to write ideas from the class on the board, I was pleased — here was a chance to size the youngster up. I am chagrined to admit my surprise at how well the 7th-grader handled the class — extracting ideas, keeping the discussion rolling, and in general, giving every indication of being born to teach.

The next day, the student pulled me aside and told me about an idea to get the class to share thoughts, which I told the kid to run with. The student organized the class into two teams and extracted one statement from each person in just a few minutes. This student is an asset in any crowd, and is ever-sensitive to others.

I suppose the point of this vignette is this: as you get to know students, be sure that you’re getting to know the person, not the persona. Be aware of the mask, but the person behind it will surprise you more often than not.

In retrospect, had I watched a little more closely, I might not have been so worried. Remember the impeccably maintained, backwards-facing, oversized ball cap I mentioned before? It’s an Elmo hat.

PS: To the student described here: If you’re reading this, you know who you are. Thanks for the surprise!

Jeremy Sebens is a 2010 WW Indiana Teaching Fellow and taught at Harshman Magnet Middle School in Indianapolis.