Building A Classroom Culture

When it's time to go back to school we all get that deep down nervous feeling inside.  Who are our kids? Will they love us as much as we love them? Then we start thinking about one million different things that we have to do to make the perfect classroom.  What we really need to start with are lessons and conversations that build a classroom culture.  It's important to pick a few at a time and master them before moving on.  Don't feel pressured to start teaching standards on day one.  In fact, you will get more learning achieved in the long run if you build a classroom culture of respect and caring first.

Consider starting with respect first.  I spend the first few minutes of meeting students showing them how much I respect them.  I get down on their level, shake their hand, make eye contact, smile warmly and show them how much I care and respect the fact that they just walked into my classroom.    After showing students how much I respect them, I talk to them about respecting each other and me.  Showing respect for teachers and other adults is such an important skill for success. I also show respect for my students by saying "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse Me", and other manners when speaking with them. This allows me to then request and expect the same from them. When a student is speaking with me and uses an unacceptable tone or phrase, I will say "Excuse me. Would you like to try again?" This gives them the opportunity to remind themselves of how to show respect. I also respect their feelings and don't embarrass them in front of their peers. My hope is through my modeling respectful behaviors they will copy those behaviors when dealing with each other and adults. Through our previous lessons we have discussed how to be respectful when listening to adults and I continue to review those behaviors daily. 

As our students arrive in their new classrooms they begin looking for their friends. Sometimes they may only know one or two students in the room which means they will make lots of new friends in the next few weeks. Being a good friend is sometimes difficult. Sharing, taking turns, respecting opinions and space, and so much more. I read the book " Kindness is Cooler Mrs. Ruler " to my students. We discuss what actions they can do to show kindness to people. In the book they write their actions on hearts and pin them around the room and we try this activity in our room. I also read "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?". I will read different scenarios and we act out or discuss what they would do. We have slips available in a designated area where the students can fill a student's bucket by writing a compliment and then put it on their desk or in their "bucket" located on a bulletin board display. Students love giving and receiving compliments. They are encouraged to be good friends through their actions and the recognition of their actions. 

Getting students to care about the quality of their work is tough. I have found that my students just want to complete the work quickly without any concern to neatness or accuracy. Grades do not seem to motivate them. So what do we do to encourage students to make an effort? After giving directions for an assignment I ask the students what they think the criteria for a certain grade should be. We discuss each item, create a rubric, and then post it where the students can refer to the rubric. This gives students a sense of ownership and a feeling of being in charge of their work.  Once the criteria is set, students know the expectations and complete the work accordingly. Another strategy to try is sharing the work of a student meeting the expectations. Students can then see what their classmates are doing and strive to gain that recognition also. Posting work on boards for all to view is always a good way to show your students' hard work. Students always like being bragged on. 

If you are in need of materials for building a classroom culture, check out the link below by clicking the picture.