Teach a Like a Pirate: Rapport

Thanks for stopping by for our Book Study of "Teach Like a Pirate" by Dave Burgess.  I hope you have already enjoyed what Andrea and Lisa have already discussed.  
On this stop, we will discuss "Rapport."
This section really makes you think about slowing down the beginning of the year to really get to know your kids.  Burgess reminds us to put off the "educational" and testing parts of the day for the first few days and really get to know your students.  And, let them get to know you.  Some of his ways of doing this were quite comical!  
How do we build rapport in the elementary classroom?  I know many of us do "Get to Know You activities" like Bingo, or M&Ms, or Getting signatures.  And, that definitely helps the kids get to know each other.  But what do we, as educators, do to get to know our students?  I like to spend the first couple of weeks getting to know my kids through reading.  We share books we have read and loved, chat about books we are reading, and at the same time, share common interests.  As I am teaching Readers Workshop guidelines, I spend a few minutes with each child during these first couple of weeks to really get to know them.  I am not looking to see what kind of reader they are (although, sometimes that becomes quite apparent as well).  I am just enjoying chatting with them and learning new things about just them at that time!   Some more questions to think about:  
How do you create a safe and supportive environment?
How do you setup your first three days?
Do you play music to create mood?
I noticed Burgess uses some whole brain teaching, are you familiar with this and/or do you use it in your classroom? (Good Morning routine)
How do you deal with “meanness” in your room? Do you have a no tolerance rule? Do you teach empathy? If so how?
I can't wait to hear all of your great ideas and suggestions!  If you are a blogger and want to link up with your own post about the first three choices, there is a link up below.  If you don't have a blog of your own, feel free to comment with your thoughts and opinions.  

An InLinkz Link-up