"I hold true to the belief that to be able to teach my students well, I need to know them well. Believing this is a whole lot easier than actually doing it, especially when teaching 75 or more students a day." 
-Cris Tovani, So What Do They Really Know?

One issue that Tovani covers prolifically in her work is how to approach knowing your students well. If a teacher is knowledgeable of students' interests, likes, dislikes, fears, and successes, their classes will become more dynamic and engaging almost immediately. Even if teachers use all the best practices in the world, if students are not engaged, meaningful learning will not occur. Teachers need access to the right tools and strategies to achieve student engagement, and 2 key strategies Tovani suggests are Conversation Calendars and Student Surveys.