Name Calling!

Creating a Wordle is so easy and fun!

In my humble opinion, the most powerful word in any classroom is a student's name.  I'm not talking about using it to redirect misbehavior or to call on a student to answer a question (although those circumstances are necessary).  In my experience, using a child's name in a positive tone of voice reflects love and care which can lead to a deeper level of respect in that relationship.  I try to use a student's name in the middle of our conversation, and the big smile I see lets me know how warm and fuzzy she/he feels.  It just goes to show what Dale Carnegie says about names is true: "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language." It reminds me of Proverbs 16:24: "Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  So, be a name caller!

Quick ideas to encourage name calling:

• Kids can draw and color a self-portrait at the bottom of this poem, "Everybody Has a Name."  
  
• The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is a wonderful book to read to your class at the beginning of the school year!
• Check out Scholastic's Fabulous First-Day Ideas.
• Go to TeacherVision to grab some tips for learning students' names quickly.
• Have your kids create a Wordle using their names.  (I made a sample Wordle using my dog's name above.)