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.