“One of the ways Lewis builds community in her classroom…” pg. 44.
Over the years I have spend countless hours preparing my classroom to meet the learning needs of my students…from developing the curriculum to the preparation of bulletin boards. However, once the room was full of students with different personalities, strengths, and needs my job as a teacher seemed to really begin. Each student brings their own unique diversity to the classroom. Building a sense of community, caring for each other, and being able to work cooperatively is very important to establish at the beginning of every school year. At the beginning of every school year, I usually take my students on a day trip to Camp Arrowhead. The focus of the trip was on getting to know you games, role-plays for appropriate behavior, team building, communication, trust, and problem solving. This trip helped promote not only life-long skills, it also gave my students a strong foundation of classroom community.
In addition, I also found it very important to not have the “time of day” dictate when I was finished with my school responsibilities. Working from 7:30 – 2:30, was not the norm for me. Informal sessions with kids after school, involvement with chaperoning after school events, and simply being visible before and after school made students aware that I was dedicated and willing to work with them at “unscheduled” times.
The Dreamkeepers "Education, like electricity, needs a conduit, a teacher, through which to transmit its power- i.e., the discovery and continuity of information, knowledge, wisdom, experience, and culture. Through the stories and experiences of eight successful teacher-transmitters, The DreamKeepers keeps hope alive for educating young African Americans."
I don't think any teacher ever finishes on time... unfortunately you don't get paid for that extra time that you spend preparing, copying, tutoring and so much more. This activity sounds like so much fun... I wish I could have been a part of it. Do you think this brought you closer to your students or that it was a good transition from summer back into school mode?
ReplyDeleteI think it makes a BIG difference when you now your students. All those extra hours and events you do pay off in the classroom. When you are visible to the students in more then just the classroom, it’s much easier to build those relationships. Seeing their teachers at their concerts and games mean a lot to students. My high school principal used to stand outside every morning, no matter the weather, and greet students by name. He used to come down to the cafeteria and talk with us to see how our studies were going. We all knew him and he knew us, and as a result, when there were problems we trusted him.
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