Interviewing a Former Student
“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”
This last year, while I was working on my credential and student teaching, I had the opportunity to work in first- and fifth-grade classrooms. I certainly knew how I wanted my students to view me, and I sure did my best to make my students feel loved, respected and welcomed. But, I would still wonder how my students perceived me.
Recently, I had a chance to talk to one of my former first-grade students and I took the opportunity to conduct a short interview with him. I thought of some questions I could ask him. I wanted these questions to provide me with an insight as to how he saw me, which I thought would also be a good reference of how other students perceived me.
Take a look at the Q&A session with 7-year-old T.C.:
What is your favorite subject? Why?
My favorite subject is math because … uhmm … I think because you taught it.What do you like most about school?
That I got to see my friends a lot.Do you like learning Spanish? Why?
I like learning Spanish because I like to learn a new language.In what ways do you think learning Spanish helps you?
I think it’ll help me when I go to Mexico someday or, like, if somebody didn't know English, I could communicate with them if they needed help and make more friends.How would you describe me as a teacher?
You are trusted, kind, and funny.What is one of your favorite memories from when we were together in the classroom?
My favorite memory was when you left, but then I got to see you again. Another favorite memory was when you laughed with us and told us jokes when you were teaching.What was something I did in the classroom that made you feel safe and welcomed?
You comforted me when you encouraged us by telling us “you can do it!” Also because you would smile, and I knew you were open: You were okay for kids to be with you. You were nice. When I had a problem I came to you because I trusted you. I just felt it [that he could trust me].What did I do that supported you and helped you learn?
You showed us different ways that we could do something.If you could talk to one of my future students, what would you tell them they can expect out of my classroom? What message would you give that student?
That I’ve been with you and that you are a great teacher.
I have to say, conducting a short interview with a former student was a truly rewarding experience that made me smile a lot. I not only learned about how my student saw me, but also about what made my teaching effective to him. I now see interviewing students as a great resource that could inform my teaching, both academically and socially-emotionally.
My interview with T.C. brought special meaning to Maya Angelou’s quote, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” I always knew this to be true. As a matter of fact, I base my teaching philosophy on treating children with love, kindness and respect, above all. As I have mentioned in past blogs, making sure my students feel loved and welcome, and building meaningful relationships with each one of them, is a priority to me. But hearing one of my former students say he knew he could trust me, and say “he just felt” he could do it, gives the quote an added value.
It is true, T.C. did not remember specific moments, but he did remember being able to trust me. He remembered feeling comforted and encouraged by me; he remembered laughing during my lessons; he remembered me being approachable; and he remembered me smiling. ¡Eso es exactamente lo que hubiese querido que recuerde!
T.C. also mentioned him feeling supported because I showed them “different ways that we could do something.” I was really impressed and happy he said that. I always try my best to implement practices from the Universal Design for Learning (Multiple Means of Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression) to offer my students different ways to both learn and to demonstrate their knowledge. Providing students with those opportunities requires a lot of creativity and planning, but I always thought it would benefit the different kinds of learners in my classroom. You can imagine how accomplished I felt when T.C. recognized that aspect of my teaching as the element that supported him the most in his learning.
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to interview T.C. I really did learn a lot about my teaching through him and this experience has given me the idea to make this a common practice. In the future, I want to incorporate short, age-appropriate student surveys that will inform my teaching and help me become a better teacher for my students.
A BIG thank you to T.C.’s parents who allowed me to interview their ray of sunshine!
