“A few weeks ago, I started something called the ‘I need’ box in my class. It’s a way for my students to ask for help without having to come to me directly. They write down what they need on a card and leave it in the box.
The first week, two boys used the box to tell me about a bullying situation. We were able to take care of it. The next week, I changed things up a little. I started asking every student to put a card in the box every day. They didn’t have to write anything if they didn’t want to, but every student visited the box.
Since then, I’ve gotten a lot of ‘needs’ submitted. Some students asked for supplies, a seat change, special handshakes when entering class, after-school help, bullying support, and even hugs.
What’s even better is that now students are coming to me directly with problems, skipping the box altogether. I’ve been teaching middle school for 15 years, and I can honestly say this is the best thing I’ve ever done to connect with my students early in the school year.”
Credit: Julia Brown
Source: The Keeper of the Cheerios-Blog