Building a Positive Classroom Climate

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August 25, 2014, this day represents the first day of school at Meridian Public Charter School. On this day, my instructional assistant and I will greet and meet the young minds we will help mold for the next ten months. We look at these children as scholars who are capable of becoming and doing the unimaginable and soaring beyond their expectations. But in order for my children to soar, I….no I’m sorry WE have to create an environment that is conducive to learning and most importantly a place where our children feel SAFE. I love the sign above that was created by a teacher and pinned on Pinterest (my favorite internet spot!!!). When children walk into your room this August/September you want them to internalize each YOU statement above and internalize.

For the first two weeks of school, I dedicate that time to get to know my students and for my students to get to know each other. The focus is not on academics but building a rapport with one another. We have plenty of time to focus on the academic side, but first we need to build the foundation.

Day one, I typically start the day off by telling the children about my background and my likes and dislikes. I have very noticeable scar on my face and children are quite curious to what happened to me and how I got my scar. Some have been curious and wanted to feel my scar or tell me I’m still “pretty with my scar (they’re so cute). I open up about my childhood accident to show them who I am and how it OK to be vulnerable and share things that may be hard or sad. I’ve notice over the years that once I open myself up, they feel more at ease to open up. One year I had a child in my class with a similar scar on his legs and his mother thanked me for opening up because all Gustavo could talk about was how “he and Ms. Lewis were alike” and he wasn’t so different. After I share all children are encouraged to share things about themselves.

Our next big challenge is coming up class rules. All children play a major role in coming up with the rules. We discuss at length different scenarios and what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. We even discuss consequences. Before the rules go up, they must be agreed upon and everyone signs off on the rules. After everyone signs the agreed upon rules, a copy is given to each to take home and another copy is posted in the classroom. Our foundation has now been laid!

For the next few we do various “getting to know you” activities. These activities include “All About Me” collages, family trees, team building projects and the “Third Day of 3^rd Grade” celebration when children are encouraged to bring in something they love to share with the class and then we celebrate! During this time the mood is relaxed and children start to build relationships, with not only the other students but with the teachers as well. And this is just the start of building a positive classroom environment…