12 Questions To Ask Your Students On The First Day Of School

1. What do you love? What are you most proud of?

2. When are you at your best as a person? Student? Friend? Brother/sister?

3. How do you respond–emotionally, practically, etc.–when you’re challenged?

4. What do you need from me to be successful this year?

5. What does it mean to ‘understand’ something?

6. What should school ‘do’ for you?
7. What should you do with the things you know?

8. Are you a picky reader? What are your strengths as a reader (or ‘scientist’ or musician or mathematician, etc)?

9. Who are your heroes and why?

10. What do you want to learn about this year? What are you curious about? What can a person do with curiosity?

11. When are you most creative? Why do you think that might be?

12. What do you want me to know about you? What should I be asking you but I’m not?