According to Carol Tomlinson, educator, author, and speaker, there is a helpful framework to consider when it comes to creating and fostering a sense of community within your classroom. She suggests that the four key efforts to keep in mind include: a.) establishing a respectful tone, b.) establishing bonds with and among students, c.) creating a community that values all students, and d.) helping students resolve conflicts. With this in mind, I’ve been reflecting on the sense of community I’ve been actively trying to create with the students I work with on a daily basis. In thinking about the various groups I work with and the array of situations I regularly encounter, I’m left with a somewhat surprising sense of success, realizing I’ve unknowingly been following this framework all along.
Before getting into a reflection regarding my own practices, I should probably explain my current teaching position. My official title is “7th Grade Teacher Leader,” though I’ll admit this feels slightly dishonest since I am neither leading nor teaching full time. A more accurate title might be “Team Mom” or “Community Building Coordinator” or “Student/Family Liaison.” And before you get a false sense that I’m complaining, let me assure I’m not- I LOVE MY JOB! While I do co-teach and plan with my team members, as well as with the 6th grade humanities department, I also have the privilege of working one on one with students, with small groups, and as the ALP coordinator for 7th grade. I manage parent communication and student extension projects. I also have an advisory group that I work will three times a week in addition to electives courses that I teach twice a week. All in all, this position requires that I work with various groups of students in diverse settings, so although I don’t have a room to build community within, I’ve been working to build community wherever I happen to be at our small school. Getting back to the framework, however, and how I view my own practice, I will start by saying respect encourages respect. The idea that you would want to start any effort to build community by establishing a tone of respect is foundational. Respect is essential for healthy relationships and positive group dynamics. Personally, I put great emphasis on communicating in a respectful tone at all times. I refer to my students as “Ladies and Gentlemen” or “Friends;” I use language of appreciation and gratitude when students are doing what is asked or are going above and beyond; I greet every student I see first thing in the morning by name and make eye contact with anyone I pass with a “good morning” or “how’s it going?” My hope is that in modeling this type of interaction, our students will develop similar communication skills and feel that they belong to a friendly and respectful community. When it comes to establishing bonds with and among students, this is another area I consciously put significant time and energy into. One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to know my students and identifying the unique attributes that make them who they are as individuals. We do a lot of get-to-know-you activities at the beginning of the year and I facilitate different practices like “daily gratitudes” with my advisory which reveal so much about each student. My 7th grade team is making a concerted effort to have lunch with small groups of students from time to time or take them to the coffee shop in the morning so we can chat. In terms of creating a community that values all students, one of our regular 7th grade practices highlights this idea well. Every few weeks we “circle up” our students in 7A and 7B for community meetings, at which we open with appreciations and then go into an open dialogue about how things are going for students. We take about the good, the bad, and even the ugly, and provide students with a safe space to talk about their feelings and concerns. An important feature of this routine is that we all sit together on the floor in a circle and engage in organic conversation. We as teachers celebrate what is going well with the classes and make recommendations for growth. We make this type of discourse a priority which I believe helps students to see that they are all valued and cared for. This type of conversation tends be fairly equitable, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see students open up to one another the way they do. Lastly, helping students resolve conflict is also a big part of building community for us because we are a project based school, where group work and collaborative interaction is part of the daily experience for our students. On the one hand, giving students space to work through challenging group dynamics is part of our role as facilitators, however, there are occasionally times when we (rather than interjecting) invite the group to come in for lunch to discuss the direction of the project and explain the task delegation process. Often times when we extend such invitations students seem to resolve the issue on their own, but that’s not always the case, and sometimes a bit of guidance can make a world of difference. Overall, I feel that developing a sense of community is invaluable to creating a safe and healthy learning environment. If I could add any feedback to Tomlinson’s framework it would be that genuine, honest, engagement has to be a part of this process at every turn. Students can see through disingenuous acts, so any attempt to “build community” simply because it’s what you’re told to do rather than because it’s what you want to do will only have negative effects on everyone. What’s more, children watch and learn from us despite the overwhelming evidence of the opposite, so we have to always lead by example. Being genuine is important to building community and a helpful addition to this framework.
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