Building a Positive Classroom Climate with Question of the Day

It was towards the end of my fourth year of teaching and I just felt like I wasn’t connecting with my students anymore.  “Maybe I’m not such a hip young teacher anymore?!” I thought. The gap between us was just too far and I was no longer relatable.

I knew I had to change something but I wasn’t quite sure what…or how? 

That’s when I saw it. 

On Instagram, I watched a post from @thetownieteacher, Michaela Fisher, about this activity she developed called “Question of the Day” to help build a strong class community and develop student rapport. She had students answer a short question about themselves at the beginning of class.  I knew it was something I had to try. 

Flashforward to now, over a year later, during a pandemic that made distance learning the new gold star of teaching. 

Incorporating the Question of the Day activity was by far the best thing I did for myself and for my students. I looked forward to it every class!  I was blessed with a special group of students who shared a lot about themselves during our opening activity and continued to post even during a pandemic. 

Yes, sometimes we got a little off track and went off on a tangent or small story but that’s okay!  

In ten years my students probably won’t remember many of the things I said or all the things I taught them but I certainly hope they remember the way they felt being in my classroom. 

 


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