For many students, not just those who live in poverty or suffer from trauma, school is a place of routine, stability, and even safety. As excited as you are to be back at school, your students need to see that you welcome them with warmth and most importantly, that you truly value each and every child. Time spent building community is time extremely well spent. You can create a sense of community with these four classroom management tips.
- Introduce a morning meeting. You can create a sense of community by consistently holding a morning meeting. Have your students design a poster or anchor chart to display in the classroom. Dedicate the first 30 minutes of each day to this important social-emotional learning and building relationships.
- Establish rules together. At the beginning of the year, discuss and come to an agreement on classroom rules and expectations. Students can and should be reminded of the classroom rules/procedures and practice them daily. Discuss how and why these rules help students stay safe, learn respect, and how the rules help them learn and care about others. You can provide positive affirmations when students follow the classroom rules.
- Greet each student as they enter the room, every day. Some teachers stand at the door, some play music, while others write a daily quote on the board. Whatever you decide, do your best to get the day started in a way that tells your students you care. These small gestures let each student feel acknowledged and start the day out on a positive note.
- Focus on relationships from day one. From the very first day, provide students with opportunities to share their voices and experiences with one another. When we know our students, and our students know each other, we feel safe, supported, and respected. The stronger our community, the fewer conflicts we have. When problems do arise, this strong foundation carries us through and helps us find real solutions.
Community is vital in creating a successful classroom, but it doesn’t just happen. A teacher needs to plan, prepare, and implement procedures and expectations (with the help of students), to consistently make creating a community of learners a priority.
