Principle one
1Know Your Learners
Before content, know the children in front of you — their names, their homes, their loves. A child whose name you remember is a child who will try for you. Naming is the first act of respect and the first spark of motivation.
Learn every name — fast.
Notecards with a tiny clue (“wears glasses”), a seating map, and a name game or two. It can be done by the end of the very first class.
Learn what they love.
A child’s interests turn a generic lesson into their lesson. Warm-ups and icebreakers are how you find out.
Learn every name by the end of the first class. It changes everything.