Letter of Introduction

I strongly value building learning partnerships with students. One way I did this during my time student teaching was by introducing myself through a letter and asking students to write back to me. Although I worked closely with them during the previous months as support for my mentor, I wanted to learn more about them and allow them to share more about their lives so that I could better serve them as their lead teacher. In the letter I wrote them, I shared my cultural background, my experiences as a student, my interests, and my goals for the semester. Through students’ responses, I learned about their family situations, relationships to reading, the languages they spoke, and their interests in other school subjects. This information guided how I planned the semester, ensuring that I met everyone’s needs academically and socially -- for example, connecting students with the school counselor or other school supports. 

Supporting students means involving families, so I also wrote a letter to parents to introduce myself and inform them that I would take over. I sent home a copy in Spanish and English to suit the language diversity in my classroom.