On a first name basis...

I just finished my second week at Washington High school and it feels so rewarding to know all 160 students' names. Yes, there are a few that I am still hesitant about, but I am confident that I know 99.5% of the students by their first name. This week has been amazing. I have found a comfort level with my students and have started to relax. My anxiety has started to fade and I am starting to smile. It is amazing how well the students respond to a smiling face. I have seen a drastic difference in a students attention and an increase in engagement when I smile. As I've gotten to know these students better I've noticed that certain classes know each other really well where some only know a few students in their course. This observation has made me want to put an extra effort to get to know the students but also encourage them to do group activities and get to know each other. Because I have felt the class dynamic sway the class attitude. My first and second hour courses are very social with each other and know each other well and they keep a positive attitude in class. These two classes are the most productive. Whereas, the third and fourth hour are anti-social with each other and have a bitter attitude in class. My goal is to find a way to make the students bond and test my theory, if the students will have a better attitude in the classroom if they know one another better. My first activity was "Epic Rock Paper Scissors," and the students loved it! Each student had to find a partner, challenge them at rock-paper-scissors, and then the winner had to challenge another winner and the loser had to become the winner's cheerleader. So by the end of the game there were two students that were challenging each other and had half of the class cheering them on. The winners, Jesse and Terry, walked out of the classroom feeling like champions. This week has been a great experience and I'm currently looking for my next activity!