Above all else, the most important thing you need to do at the start of every school year is get to know your students. Who they are, where they've been, and what they hope to achieve in your class. This survey is a quick and easy way for you to do exactly that! My recommendation - either assign this survey for homework (easy 50-point deliverable that you grade for completion) or take 15-30 minutes of class time to have students fill out the survey while assigning a participation grade for turni