"Unlike many of my other classes, I knew everyone’s name and was able to converse with them at ease.  I went into that class knowing one person and left with many good friends."     —Annie G., student

“Look around,” I tell my students.  “Does anyone here know everyone else in the room?”   No one does.  In all the years I’ve asked this question, only one young woman, a very socially attuned and extroverted person, was able to get close to naming everyone.  For most students in most classes, having strangers in the class is the norm.

“It is my intention that we work as a community in this class.  For us to do that, we will all have to get to know each other.  Do you find that in the rest of your classes you know everyone in the room?”

“No,” says Alexa.  The force with which she says this is surprising - she has a child’s face, and the colorful barrettes in her hair make her seem even younger than she is.  “And what is worse, I often still don’t know everybody’s name at the end of the year.  When we have time to work together, I always work with my friends.  There really isn’t any way to get to know everyone.”

“Well,” I respond, “I think it’s really important that we get to know not only everyone else’s name, but also something about how well you work with them.  We’re going to be forming permanent study groups in a month or so, and when we do, you want to know who you work well with.  Every time we do something in small groups, I’m going to make sure you are grouped randomly.  That means you’ll have a chance to work with everyone in this class and see who you want to be in a study group with.

“In fact, I think knowing everyone’s name is so important that it is my intention to know every one of your names by the end of this week.  In order to do that, I’ve come up with an ingenious plan.  I am going to videotape each of you saying your first and last names, and then I’m going to take that tape home and watch it over and over again.  You’ll be able to test me on it at the end of the week.  And videotaping you has the additional advantage that at the end of the year, I’ll be able to show it to you again and you can get embarrassed all over again.”

There are groans.  One young woman puts her head down and pretends to cover it with some papers, as if to hide.  Another is visibly upset at being photographed.  I don’t like putting shy people on the spot like this -- I was painfully shy in high school, and can empathize,  but this is important enough to break the rule.

“Also, watching this day at the end of the year, you’ll be able to see how people who are strangers to you now have become people you know well, maybe even friends.  They’ll be part of your community.

“The way I see it, if I can learn the names of a hundred students in the next few days, each of you should be able to learn the names of the dozen or so people you don’t already know in this room.  So there will be a seating chart quiz at the end of the second week.”

Their responses tell me that some reassurance  is in order, so I go on.  “Not to worry, we’re going to do activities every day that will help you get to know the people in this class, and not just their names, but who they are.  And as you’re about to find out, a lot of things we do in here, like the seating chart “quiz”, are not for grades, but for feedback.”