The more you invest in your students, the more likely your students are to invest themselves in your class. We saw this principle play out repeatedly in student and alumni comments when we conducted the school visits for What the Best Law Teachers Do. Having witnessed these benefits myself, I have adopted two practices I first learned from Nancy Levit of UMKC. In this post, I will share those two practices and, instead of sharing my perceptions, I will share comments from my students about their perceptions of these practices.

Responding to Student Index Cards. Like many law professors, I have long asked students to fill out index cards with their names, the pronunciation of their names, why they are in law school, and one other interesting fact about them they would like me to know. (I also ask them what teaching techniques work for them.) What I learned from Professor Levit is to respond, individually, to each student’s index card. This semester, when I am teaching 160+ students, that task was a daunting one. But I did it anyway. And I am glad I did.

Here are two comments from my students about this practice:

Responding individually to index cards really showed me Professor Schwartz cared. It was never framed as an expectation or a challenge that he would do, but [it] set the tone for who our professor is. It showed me that our professor has read and listened to our feedback . . . The response wasn’t only about the content in the message back, but the expectations we should have of our professor . . .

As a student, receiving a personable response from a professor that engaged with what I as a student wrote down on the card made me feel seen. It made me feel like I was not just seen as another body to fill the seats of the classroom but that the Professor wanted to get to know me as a human . . . It really meant a lot and honestly was not something I was expecting–out of the ordinary in a great way!

To be fair, I should also note that a colleague, who tried this out for the first time this fall, saw me in the hall and said something like, “I hate you.”  She explained that she had tried the practice out, found it to take quite a bit of time, but, because the student response was so positive, felt compelled to continue it. 

Learning Students’ Names (including The Correct Pronunciations).  As noted above, I ask my students to share the proper pronunciation of their names on their index cards. With names that are challenging for me, I chat with the student before or after class during the first week to make sure I understand their preferred pronunciation. I also ask my students to use name tents for the first two weeks. I also make flash cards with their names on one side of the card and their pictures on the other side. I then bet the students brownies I can correctly state all their names and do so at the start of class.

Here are some comments from my students about learning their names:

The joy of students having their names remembered and pronounced correctly is proof of how important something as simple as remembering a name [and] face is.

[L]earning all of the incoming cohort’s names so early in the semester inspired a warmer, more welcoming classroom that encouraged collaboration and engagement. 

Memorizing my name has never been an expectation that I have had in any of my classes. My name is difficult on paper and often trips people up. Having a professor being so determined on getting it right is a new and welcomed experience. It made me feel like I mattered in the class, that I was a student and not just a face in the classroom. Having a difficult name often made me feel like I wasn’t a part of the class if the professor wouldn’t call on me . . .  

To be honest, sometimes I forget a name. I apologize and explain that my errors stem not from a failure to know them but, rather, from a failure of memory when I have 160 students. They have been forgiving because they appreciate the effort. In fact, the combination of me knowing their names and responding personally to their index cards seems to have the effect that they forgive all my errors. And I make plenty of errors.