Laura Kroncke's Portfolio

Student Information Sheet 

To build community in the beginning of the year, I had students fill out a student information sheet. I also used their responses to learn about my students. To get students to learn about each other and create a community of learners in my classroom, I had students share out their response to question 11: The person I would most like to meet (dead or alive) because. It was a unique activity to get students to hear about their peers as well as for me to hear the ideas of very different students in my classes.

Another way I built a sense of community and trust with my students over the past school year was through office hours. In my classroom, there are three established days for office hours, but I went above and beyond by scheduling office hours with students on almost every day of the week. Many of the strong relationships I have with students stem from the time I spent with them during office hours. Students come in for makeup work and assistance with content. By opening up the hours I worked with students to every day of the week by appointment, students saw that I cared about helping them and improving their skills. The office hour log sheets that I implemented into my classroom also work well for parent communication because each time the student visits my classroom for help, they must sign it. All attendance for office hours is tracked and serves as evidence for student participation. I worked closely with many of my students during office hours time this year, and I even had two students write letters of recommendation that attest to my dedication to helping students.