I enjoyed reading this book to my class. They joked that they were going to write me a letter one day. The book also contains humorous aspects, which are engaging for a class.
It has a great message behind it, and I think students realized that their teachers care about them a lot more than they know.
Next, I had students do the I Wish My Teacher Knew Activity.
Many students shared with me something about themselves such as their favourite sport, a description about their pet or a description of a hobby they enjoy. However, some student took the opportunity to tell me something different, such as "I have a hard time with spelling" or "I get distracted when the class is too loud." I was surprised to also see students share friendship problems that had arisen, which I wasn't aware of. This was a great tool for me to gain insight to my students lives, and a great opportunity for them to share. I learned that some students don't feel comfortable approaching a teacher about an issue, such as friendship, however, are more comfortable writing it down. After, reading my students' reflections, I was able to take action where necessary.
This is a great lesson to learn more about your students, and it gave me the opportunity to help in any way I could. For example, I learned that there are a couple students who have trouble spelling, therefore, I have integrated time during the day where students can practice their spelling words.
I would recommend doing this monthly in the classroom to gain insight on what is happening in students lives, or have out a bucket where students could complete the activity, whenever they felt like they needed to share.
Overall, great lesson.
Carpenter, Nancy. A Letter to My Teacher. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2017.