Let me tell you about Ashleigh. Ashleigh was a sophomore in my Spanish 1 class. Her class was HUGE! There were 40 students. (Sadly, 40 students is nothing in Arizona!) Many were juniors and seniors. Few were freshmen. About a month into class, I introduced Special Person Interviews. (I'll circle back to this in a bit). I chose Ashleigh and she came to the front of the room. It was routine. I asked her questions, she answered. The students took notes on what she said. Nothing happened. Until later that week... It was the end of class. I didn't plan very well and we had some extra time. When that happens, I turn on some Spanish music and we jam! So that's what I did! I turned on some music. The kids were tapping their toes. But then one girl said, this song reminds me of Bruno Mars. Another says "Ashleigh, you said Bruno Mars was your favorite. What song does it remind you of?" Ashleigh named the song. Another says he doesn't know that song. And that's when it happened. Shy, shy, shy Ashleigh bursts into song. You guys. She started belting out When I was your man like she's been a pop singer for years. She had an amazing voice. One we rarely heard. ALL of my students starting singing backup for her and we had this Bruno Mars concert where Ashleigh was the star. IT WAS AMAZING! Ashleigh was a star that day. We talked about it all year. In fact, we still talk about it and I don't even teach at that school anymore. (My son is still friends with those students). Ashleigh didn't sing in Spanish. But I didn't care. What happened that day was incredible because shy, sweet Ashleigh felt comfortable to be herself in my classroom in front of 39 other students who were mostly older than her. That was the day that my class became a community, a family. From that day forward, those students became friends who helped one another (and not just in my classroom). When your class becomes a community, they feel empowered and valued and every student thrives. If you haven't done a Special Person Interview or Star Student, try it. I do a couple of interviews in class each week. The students take notes on what their classmates say. We turn these notes into a paragraph about each classmate. Then we create a yearbook to remember our time together. I have a slideshow with questions as well as instructions HERE. You'll be glad you tried it and if you already do special person interviews, let me know your experience with it below in the comments!
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