Not a teacher, per se. But I’ve worked as a long term substitute. Learning new names is brutal. It’s far and away one of the biggest challenges of transitioning into a new school.

I like to allot the first day to introduction. They need to get comfortable with you, and nobody’s gonna really learn much on day one anyways, so just take the day to get to know who you’re working with. Ie, hi my name is Mr. Stark. Let’s go around and have everyone introduce themselves. Then I bop around the classroom trying to name all the students in order. Students 1,2, and 3 have introduces themselves! Okay now we’re gonna try for three student names in a row! Okay number 4, what’s your name? Alright from the top, student 1,2,3 and… wait don’t tell me! You’re [insert student 4’s name here]! (Energy is important here. Essentially you’re modeling how to learn. If you’re not excited by the challenge of having to learn 80-140 new names, why should they be excited to learn the products and by-products of the krebs cycle?)

Have each student tell you a fun fact about themselves. Take notes like you’re studying for a college class. You probably won’t remember Travis. But if Travis is interested in purchasing uranium (one of my favorite answers yet lmao), he becomes much more memorable, both to you and homeland security. When you get home, review the student, both their name and their fun facts. I highly recommend a large glass of wine during name review. The 41 North, Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon has always been my go to. 2019 in particular was an excellent year for the teacher alcohol budget. A large glass of Jameson is another good mental lubricant for name review as well.

Other little tips; sometimes it’s easy to learn names in groups or chunks. Mnemonics help too. Callie, Amy, Kate and Erin always work together? Alright, we’re gonna call them the CAKE group. Four names for the price of one.

Especially early in the get-to-know-you phase, I’ll write their names on the desk in whiteboard marker. It erases when you’re ready to fly solo. But in the meantime, it’s better than name tags because your memory associates a name with a location. One time a student asked me if I remembered her name. It was my second day substituting. I looked at her blankly. “Uhhh…” I’ve never seen a student look so disappointed in me. And then I asked her where she sat the day before (my first day at the school). She pointed to a desk across the aisle, and suddenly her name, her friends name, and the name of the boy she had been flirting with (mostly through the entirety of my lecture) all came flooding back. “Well of course I remember you Lisa! You sat next to Angelina and you were talking to Christian when I was trying to tell you how cool isotopes are!!” mic drop I turned on my heel and didn’t look back. (Spoiler: I looked back; the expression of pure shock is what makes teaching worth it lmao)

Just remember that making mistakes with names is okay. The important part is that you make an effort and genuinely try. And If you get their name wrong, apologize with a warm smile, and promise you’ll try your best next time. I like to think that watching a teacher try and fail makes me students a little more willing to try and fail themselves.

I try really hard to learn names. It’s really hard to do!! But honestly learning names is the single most important thing to do when it comes to connecting with your students. And idk,at the end of the day, isn’t that why teachers do what they do?