One of the most important things I think I do is learn the names of all my students. Even when students' names are hard to pronounce, I make the effort to say it correctly because a person's name is the sweetest sound to them. At the beginning of a new class I promise them that I will learn their all their names and I keep that promise. I make plenty of mistakes along the way and I always apologize, let students laugh at me, and keep trying. Eventually I get it right and often the whole class will cheer when I do. One of the reasons learning students' names is important is the obvious reason that each student will know you care about them. But what is also important to realize is that the process of me learning about them allows them to see how the process of learning occurs for me. It allows me to show them that it's okay to make mistakes and it makes me "human" (without having to involve them in my personal life). It sets the stage for them to be okay with making mistakes and for a safe learning environment. My goal in teaching a class is not only to relay the subject matter of the course. It's also develop and nuture a group dynamic that accelerates learning. By being able to immediate say a student's name I can subtly build trust or quell a disruption. Names are valuable. It's the most important word to the person who owns it and it has a lot of meaning for the student. So why wouldn't I want to have that connection? A student's name is just one more access point to their brain; one more way to teach them what I want them to remember, and one less obstacle that might get in the way of their success.