In both of my practicum experiences so far, I knew that learning my students' names was an important step in getting them to trust me and become comfortable with me in the classroom. I wanted my students to know that I genuinely cared for them.  A thing as simple as knowing their names set me apart and helped them see I was invested in them as individuals. 

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In both experiences, I had the students create Introduction Cue Cards.  These cards had:

• Their name

• Some obvious things about them (boy, girl, dark hair, light hair, glasses, ethnicity etc.) 

• Some less obvious, fun facts about them (they are a dancer, they have 3 brothers etc.)

• For both sides of the card, they chose how much or how little they wanted to share with me, there was no requirement.

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The intention behind these cards was to provide me with clear indicators of whom they were based on their appearance.  I was able to attach names quickly because of this. I wanted to place myself in their shoes and empathize with them. They helped me to gain a better understanding of who they were with these cards. I did my best to honour cultural diversity and intercultural understanding by asking the students to share additional facts about themselves, many of which had to do with their values, extracurriculars, families etc.  Finally, I shared my own traits and facts with the students to help gain trust.  By sharing my own and showing integrity, they were able to return the favour. I shared the concept of the danger of a single story and even asked them to tell me things that they thought they could assume about me based on my appearance.  Some of the assumptions were eye-opening as the classroom I was working with was quite diverse in terms of race and ethnicity.  By providing the students with this opportunity I gained their respect which I reciprocated by keeping their cards confidential and for the duration of my time with them.