Creating Community

I've been teaching for 10 years....yes, 10.  In those years, if I've dealt with any one big problem, it's been relationships.  If they're good, they're good.  If they're bad, they're REALLY bad!  Kids thrive on the relationships around them!  They do, however, have a hard time creating positive, meaningful relationships with each other in the classroom, and it is our job, as educators, to show and model what they should look like.

I'm sharing a list of 5 ways to cultivate community in your classroom.  This is not intended to be a quick fix, but instead a group of strategies for you to employ as you bring your classroom together.


1.  Group 'Em Up
Not only will it help your sanity, but arrange your kids into groups they wouldn't naturally select on their own.  Sitting with new people encourages them to talk to others that they normally wouldn't on a day-to-day basis.  They just may find that they have more in common with someone than they expected!  Pulling them out of the norm really mixes things up!


2.  Let Them Struggle...Together

Let's face it, you learn more when you are faced with a challenging task where the answer is not found quickly or easily.  When students constantly work together to complete complex problems, they find a sense of camaraderie.  They look for the positive traits in each other to utilize them within the task.  You'd be surprised how quickly students can get over their differences in order to become a problem solver within a group.


3.  Set An Example
Kids are going to fuss and fight.  It happens every where and at every age.  Instead of offering the quick, "Stay away from each other on the playground!", be a mediator.  Have them talk it out and come to an agreeable solution.  Show them positive ways to work things out.  Disagreements that are left unresolved only kill your community!


4.  Teach Manners
When my students work together, I try to always model what good manners look like.  After they finish, they must tell their partner, "Thank you for working with me." and either shake their hand, offer a pat on the back, a fist bump....something!  I emphasize eye contact.  I discuss mutual respect.  We talk about the fact that sometimes, in life, you have to work with people who drive you bananas, but you have to respect them anyway.  This practice has made a huge impact on my classroom.  We have totally lost the bad attitudes about working with someone other than our BFF.


5.  Be a Part of the Community Too

This tip probably offers the biggest impact!  Connect with your kids!  Show them you care!  Talk about your life outside of school so that they can see you're a person too.  Indoor recess?  Play with them!  Sit in the floor.  Each lunch with them (definitely not everyday though, let's not get carried away!)  Think of yourself as a team leader instead of just their teacher.  You can remain a figure of authority while still opening yourself to their world.


So go!  Go on and teach your kids how to be genuinely good people.  That's a lesson they'll remember for the rest of their lives.