Three weeks into the school year, here in Georgia, and I’m hearing
teachers frustrated by student behavior. Some seem to have given up and believe they have “that” class. You know, the class that is the perfect combination of needs and impulsivity that only happens when the sun and moon line up perfectly.
Wait! Didn’t that just happen? I think I remember hearing something about the Great American Eclipse, August 21st. That might just explain the epidemic of “that” class stories! I know, “It didn’t used to be this way. Kids today are so disrespectful. Why don’t their parents hold them accountable?” We can talk about the decline in our society until we are blue in the face. The reality is, these are the kids in our classes and they need us.
Kids have to feel your love before they will trust you. No trust. No respect. Our students have to have ownership in their classrooms. This is especially true for kids who have suffered a trauma or have challenging home lives. An effective way to build classroom community is Class Meetings.
Wait! Don’t say it! Yes, it’s a time commitment, but every minute spent in an effective class meeting offers hours of instructional time in return. It may take some time to decide how meetings work in your individual class. I include a short lesson/discussion and an activity, and try to keep it under 15 minutes. Do yourself a favor and check out Responsive Classroom’s Morning Meeting book. There’s good stuff in there. Until then, here are my take aways.
Meeting 1: Welcome to the BEST Class!
We gather into a circle. I tell them that this will be our meeting place for class meetings. I don’t go over rules, etc. I want to get to know the kids first. I ask if they want to know a secret. Of course, they get downright giddy at the idea of a secret. We double, pinky promise (and we actually pinky swear with each other) to keep it a secret. Of course, we can tell parents! We would never keep secrets from our parents! The more dramatic I am, the better! I explain that if other students and teachers found out, their feelings would be hurt. Are you ready for my secret? Here you go: Our principal hand selected each and every student in this room to be in my class. She chose the very best students to be in my class! Try this, their eyes light
up! Eventually, my principal comes in to say hello. I use this opportunity to assure her the kids already know the secret and have promised not to tell. The first time, she had no idea what I was talking about, but I’m lucky that she always goes along with my shenanigans!
Activity: Getting to Know You
The teacher calls out a statement: I have a younger brother! All the kids with a younger brother stand up & switch places.
First Day Homework
Students take home a brown lunch sack and asked to fill it with 3 things to help us learn about them. There are cute little tags you can print from TPT or the kids can write the directions on their bag.