On a scale of medieval merpeople, how are you feeling today? What is your favorite snack and why? If spiders wore pants, how would they wear them? In a survey conducted by The Urban Legend, nearly 90% of 67 respondents reported that one or more of their classes this term begin with some form of a check-in. In the same survey, 47.8% of respondents shared that they also participate in check-ins at meetings for clubs, affinity spaces and other group activities.

Many teachers begin classes with check-ins to gauge energy levels or create a more comfortable environment in the classroom. “In my classroom, we do check-ins every morning, for every class. … It’s very rare that I’ll skip a check-in on any day,” history teacher Kaylah Breiz said. “Sometimes it’s a wellness check where we’re being very intentional about how we’re checking in, [and] sometimes it’s a more fun check-in.”

While teachers often facilitate check-ins in the classroom, the responsibility tends to fall to student leaders in clubs and affinity spaces. Asian Pacific Islander (API) affinity space co-leader Lucy Fraga ’27 said, “We write check-ins for API. … It’s about building friendships or relationships in a space — you get to learn more about other people in a way that feels kind of unrelated to Urban.”

Affinity space leaders also use prompts to introduce discussion topics or set the tone for a meeting. “[Check-ins] create a more relaxed environment, especially if we’re gonna have a more difficult or serious discussion topic that day,” Multiracial/Multiethnic (MESH) affinity space co-leader Charlotte Fassnacht ’26 said. “It also just allows for people in the space to get to know each other a little better. In an affinity space, you can be serious, but it’s also a place where you find community and relax and have fun.” 

Many view check-ins as a means of community building. “[Checking in] allows people to get to know each other as whole humans, whether that be what’s going on in their life, their hobbies or their sense of humor. I think that creation of community is important to a classroom space, especially, because it also creates trust and respect,” Breiz said. “I always tell [students], ‘I’m not expecting y’all to come out of this class as besties, but I expect y’all to get to know each other, to care for each other, to be really mindful of each other and to respect each other.’” 

Math teacher Randy Li spoke to check-ins’ ability to level the playing field when it comes to participation in class. “[With check-ins], nobody is an expert. Everyone’s opinion clearly has equal weight,” Li said. “Especially in a math classroom, sometimes there’s perceived status between [students], so being able to share freely and remember, … ‘I have something to say that’s equally valuable’ is a good experience for people to have.”

Check-in prompts can range anywhere from relatively straightforward to strange and hyper-specific. “I always try and make my check-ins really weird and fun,” Fassnacht said. “They’re really boring if [people don’t] try to have fun with it. It’ll just be like, ‘What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?’ And then, you know, no one really cares.”

While some gravitate to check-in prompts that are creative or lighthearted, others prefer to assess the student attitudes more directly. 

“The way that I use check-ins is to get a temperature check on how the folks are in the room. Based on the activities that we’re gonna do, I can use that in this assessment to figure out how I need to spin things with the rest of our time together,” said Jason Ernest Feldman, dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. “I see value in check-ins [that are] meant to build community in a way that has nothing to do with the content. But when I’m using my time for check-ins, I want it to be more intentional.”

Regardless of the prompt, check-ins allow students to communicate their needs in a given moment. “When you come into class, your teachers obviously expect you to be prepared to learn, but there are some things in your life that you can’t control that would maybe hinder your learning,” Fassnacht said. “[Check-ins] give you the opportunity to be like, ‘I still want to be present in class, but I’m feeling really tired today,’ or ‘I had a really hard night.’ And I think that’s really helpful.”

Whether it is through answering would-you-rather questions or choosing a favorite unit of measurement, check-ins can provide a unique opportunity to foster connection in any space. 

“What a good check-in does is kind of universal, which is that it allows people to settle into a space together and to create a thread of communication,” English teacher Courtney Rein said. “[Check-ins are] an acknowledgement that each of you coming into the classroom, including the teacher, is a human being with likes and dislikes and habits and knowledge and imaginations that are different from one another. That is the place that we want to honor and the place we want to start from.”