Simple:
I get to say “Good morning/afternoon, ___, how are you today?” to every
student. I always greet classes with “Good ____, how are you?” but that doesn’t
give everyone a chance to respond because the loud voices drown out the quiet
ones. But asking the question one-on-one means I get to say hello to the
students I can’t always say hello to. It allows us a warm-up chat before the
speaking assessment begins. It’s been my experience that Korean students to get
visibly nervous before speaking tests, so perhaps my asking “How are you
today?” allows the students a gentle chance to focus their minds on speaking in
English as well. “How are you?” is a question they know well, so they can start
off knowing they’re off and running.
“How
are you today?” gets asked for another reason: I want to show the students I
care about them and am curious about what’s on their minds. People tend to perk
up when others are interested in them; taking an interest in students can help
their well-being. School can be a lonely place and I've endeavored to make it a
little better with every lesson I do. It’s easy for the students to get lost in
the crowd and get ignored—indeed, I struggle with names and faces at times, but
thankfully, with the student roster in front of me, I can use the student’s
name, smile, and begin the conversation. I've no way of proving it aside from
first-hand observation, but these quick conversations help set the students up
for success in their speaking assessments.
*See
Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win
Friends and Influence People for more on this subject. It’s a book I’d
recommend for anyone who’d like to better talk with and understand people.
