The start of a new semester is an emotional experience. As a former kindergarten teacher, I vividly remember spending much of the first day of school making students feel welcome and comforting them while they cried. Whether you are teaching five-year-olds or 25-year-olds, the need to build community, to form authentic relationships with students, and to create a space where they can form meaningful relationships with each other is paramount to learning (Blazer, 2021).
