Every day during the first week of school, and once a week for the rest of the year, I make time for students to ask me anything. This is a special time where you can ask me questions about school, my life, or anything else you're curious about! After we’ve set our classroom norms—like listening carefully, saying nice things—no mean words, respecting each other, and knowing it’s okay to pass—students who want to can take turns sitting in front of the class for their own "Ask Me Anything." Before we start, I’ll remind everyone of our norms and show examples of the kinds of questions you might ask.
During our class meetings, I encourage volunteers to facilitate their own "Ask Me Anything" sessions. These sessions help students practice listening carefully, giving and receiving feedback, and speaking in front of their peers.
Before each session, I review our classroom norms:
Listening carefully 👂
Saying nice things—no mean words 😊
Respecting each other 🤝
It’s okay to pass if you’re not ready 👍
Students are encouraged to help facilitate the conversation by:
Keeping track of who is speaking and inviting others to share.
Using our attentive listening sentence frames, especially the "frame of the day."
Watching how much I talk versus how much students talk, to make sure students have lots of time to speak.
Noticing how often each person contributes, so everyone gets a chance to share.
We record these sessions so students can watch them later. This helps them reflect on their public speaking, how comfortable they feel with their classmates, and what questions they might ask when meeting new people.
Attentive Listening Sentence Frames
I have a question for [NAME]. [NAME], [QUESTION]?
I think I have an answer to [NAME]’s question. [NAME], [ANSWER].
I have a comment for [NAME]. [NAME], [COMMENT].
I made a connection with what [NAME] said. [NAME], [CONNECTION].
I want to add on to what [NAME] said. [NAME], [ADDITION].
I would like to respond to what [NAME] said. [NAME], [RESPONSE].
It would help me to reword what [NAME] said. [NAME], what I thought you said was [REWORDING]. Did I get that right?
I would like to know what [NAME] thinks about this issue. [NAME], would you mind sharing your thoughts?
Students use these sentence frames to make sure everyone is heard and respected during our discussions. By the end of the year, students will have developed strong listening and speaking skills, along with greater confidence in sharing their ideas. Reflection: You can see examples of how students reflect on their "Ask Me Anything" sessions here.
My Favorite Ask Me Anything Questions
How many laps did you do in the Walk-a-thon?
During the 2013 Stevenson PACT Walk-a-thon, I walked about 30 laps 🏃, but I had to leave early!
Did you play sports as a kid?
When I was growing up, I took swimming 🏊 and tumbling 🤸♂️ lessons. I also tried karate 🥋, but I only went to one class. I didn’t think it was as much fun. In elementary school, I played soccer ⚽, baseball ⚾, and basketball 🏀. I also played tennis 🎾 for one year in high school.
Do you like to watch "Garfield?"
I haven’t seen the new "Garfield" movies 🎬, but I used to watch the TV show 📺 and I really liked it! I also rented "Garfield" VHS tapes, along with "Goof Troop" and "Rocky and Bullwinkle" videos.
Are you allergic to anything?
I'm not allergic to any foods, plants, or bug bites 🐝, but I am allergic to some medicines 💊.
Do you like animals?
I like animals 🐢, but maybe not as much as I did when I was younger. When I was a kid, my favorite animal was a turtle. Now, when I go to the zoo 🦁, I like to watch the bears, penguins, and tigers the most.
Did you speak English at home when you were growing up?
Yes, I grew up speaking English 🗣️. I took Spanish for two years in middle school and Latin for four years in high school, but I don't really speak them now. I would like to learn how to speak Spanish again.
Have you ever seen a shark?
The closest I’ve been to a shark 🦈 was when I petted a small one at an aquarium 🐟 in St. Louis when I was a kid. Since then, I’ve only seen sharks at aquariums in Chicago and Monterey Bay.
Why did you go to two colleges?
I went to two colleges 🎓 because I have two college degrees. I got my bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis. Then I got my master’s degree in education from Stanford University. I wanted to live in a new place and liked Stanford’s program a lot.
Do you like geckos, lizards, and other reptiles?
Yes, I do! 🦎 I used to want a pet chameleon, but I never got one. I did have three pet turtles 🐢. I named them after the Ninja Turtles! I learned that pets are a lot of responsibility and that wild animals don’t make good pets.
Are you the oldest, youngest, or a middle child in your family?
I’m a middle child 👶👧👩 in my family. I have one younger sister and two older siblings.
What year were you born?
I was born in 1988 and am currently 35 years old 🎂.
Do you have any pets?
I don’t have any pets right now, but my mom still has one of our dogs 🐕. His name is Brody, and he’s a peekapoo, which is a mix between a Pekingese and a poodle.
How many people are in your family?
There are five people 👨👩👧👦 in my immediate family: my wife, my mom, my two sisters, and my brother. One of my sisters is married and has two kids, so my family is getting bigger!
What is your favorite football team?
I don’t follow football very closely 🏈, but I get excited when teams from places I’ve lived do well, like the San Francisco 49ers or the Oakland Raiders.
What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
I’m not planning to wear a costume this year 🎃. The last time I dressed up, I was Harry Potter. When I was a kid, I dressed up as Fozzie the Bear, Peter Pan, Leonardo from the Ninja Turtles, and the Red Power Ranger.
Have you ever moved?
Yes, I’ve moved a lot! 🏠 I lived in four different houses growing up, and since college, I’ve moved 13 times.
How big was your college?
There were about 14,000 students at Washington University and 16,000 at Stanford 🎓. For comparison, our school has 366 students, so those colleges are about 40 times bigger!
How many books have you read?
I’m not sure 📚, but I think it’s in the thousands if you count all the picture books I read as a kid.
What was high school like?
In high school 🏫, I got to take different classes and learn from different teachers. I was in clubs like student council and Latin club, and I went to football and basketball games with my friends. It was a lot of fun!
What was third grade like?
I don’t remember everything about third grade, but I remember my teacher, Mrs. Harrison. My favorite thing was working on projects. I wrote a book 📖 called "The Birthday Sam Will Never Forget," and I built a model of an adobe house with my dad’s help.
What kind of TV shows did you watch when you were a kid?
When I was a kid, I had a TV in my bedroom 📺, which I don’t recommend. I probably watched more shows than I should have. Sometimes I would leave the TV on while I was doing something else, like building Legos or doing homework. I mostly watched cartoons and funny shows. My favorite TV shows were "Arthur," "Doug," and "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers."
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book as a kid was "The Man Who Didn’t Wash His Dishes" by Phyllis Krasilovsky 📖. It’s about an old man who doesn’t like doing chores, especially washing the dishes. One day, he decides to stop washing them, but then he runs out of clean dishes! He has to eat out of strange things like flower pots and ashtrays, and he ends up with even more to clean up!
What type of music did you listen to as a kid?
As a kid, I liked listening to whatever was on the radio 🎧. I liked rock bands from the 90s like Sugar Ray, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox 20. I also liked buying soundtracks from my favorite movies, like "Space Jam" and "Men in Black". I thought if I liked the movie, I would like the music too, but that wasn’t always true!
Who is your hero?
One of my heroes is President Franklin Roosevelt 🇺🇸. He was president during the Great Depression when many people didn’t have jobs or enough food to eat. He came up with lots of ideas to help people find work and take care of their families. He also led the country during World War II when people all over the world were in danger.
What is your favorite color?
My favorite color has always been blue 🎨, except for a few years when it was orange (I like orange-flavored candy), red (my favorite Power Ranger), and white (my new favorite Power Ranger).
How old are you?
I am 35 years old 🎂.
Do you play video games?
I don’t really play video games anymore 🎮. I went through brief phases where I played "Plants vs. Zombies," "SimCity," and "Pokemon Go", but those are over for now. When I was a kid, I played Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and X-Box. My favorite games were "Pokemon," "Zelda: Ocarina of Time," and "Project Gotham Racing." A few years ago, I even shared a video clip of Zelda with students!
Do you like being an uncle?
Yes, I like being an uncle! 😊 My sister sends me pictures of her kids every couple of months. I’m looking forward to seeing them when I visit my family over winter break ❄️.
Do you like teaching second and third grade?
I really like teaching second and third grade! 🎒 I’ve worked with children from preschool to fourth grade, and second and third graders are my favorite. They usually know how to read, write, and do math, and they like to learn and work with others. I get to have interesting conversations with them and let them work independently. When I first started teaching, I thought I wanted to teach fifth grade, but now I think second and third graders can do almost anything fifth graders can do.
How many years have you been a teacher?
This is my seventh year as a teacher 🏫. Before that, I worked as an assistant teacher at a preschool. I’ve also been a camp counselor, a youth sports coach, and even a teacher for other teachers.
What is your favorite food?
I don’t have one favorite food, but a few of my favorites are clam chowder, crab legs, fried rice, and nachos 🍽️. My favorite desserts are chocolate chip cookies, Dairy Queen ice cream cake, Oreo cheesecake, key lime pie, and pumpkin pie 🍰.
Do you like being a teacher?
Being a teacher is hard work, especially with all the planning I have to do 📚, but I love it because every day I get to introduce people to new ideas. I’m lucky to make a big impact on so many lives!
Who is your best friend?
That’s a tough question! 🤔 I spend the most time talking to my wife, but I’ve known some of my other friends much longer, and we have lots of good (and funny) memories together.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, I wanted to be a cartoonist 🎨 or a stand-up comedian 🎤. Then I wanted to be the President of the United States 🇺🇸 or a doctor. I didn’t think about becoming a teacher until much later.
Do you like cats or dogs better?
I like both, but I think I like dogs just a little bit better 🐶.