To get to know my students, I designate five minutes at the start of every class to engage in casual conversation with them. I ask about their extracurricular activities they may be involved in, or simply how the weekend was. At the beginning of the school year I have them fill out a "getting to know you" form that helps me understand a little bit about their background. The getting to know you form responses help me understand a certain level of their personal character based on their responses. I encourage students to understand one another and appreciate each others' differences and similarities so they can gain knowledge from their strengths and weaknesses.