Building Community
A quote by
Margaret Mead states “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever
has." I believe that a classroom of
diverse children is the place to teach community cooperation. Connections made in classrooms can be a
powerful part of present and future lives.
I am looking forward to this aspect of teaching. These are some of the opportunities for
community building I will present to the students in my classroom.
Contacting
parents before the first day of school will begin building high levels of
community. I will do this by emailing to them and introducing myself. Included in this email will be two more community
building pages. Page one will be a
get-to-know-you page about the student.
This will be an opportunity for me to become acquainted with the
individual student strengths, preferences, and personalities. Page two will create the opportunity for me
to get to know the parents and their interests that might be shared to deepen
the educational experiences of the entire class.
The get-to-know-you-pages
will be an active building community tool.
These pages will be used throughout the entire year. Spontaneous spotlight time for every student
will celebrate individuality and diversity.
We will discover unique talents, commonalities, and differences. Each student will receive papers from fellow
classmates after they fill in the blank, “This is what I appreciate knowing
about you_________________.”
The third
strategy for community building is organizing table teams. These table teams consist of players from a
variety of sports. New sports and team
positions will be changed throughout the year, promoting increased interaction
and a broader scope of friendship. I
will use soccer as an example. On a
soccer team there are a variety of positions such as forwards, midfields,
guards, goalies, and sweepers. Table teams will be organized into positions
played on a soccer team. The students
that want to play a forward position will all sit at the forward table. This
seating idea will expose the students to a new set of students with which to
associate, promote common interests, encourage physical activity, and possibly
connect them to high school, college, and/or professional people that share the
same interests. These strategies
contribute to community on many levels.
Daily Community
Activity (DCA) is the fourth community building tool. Our DCA’s will consist of
pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States, stating the district,
school, and class motto. An increased
understanding of community size, common interests, and values will create
greater understanding and lift the scope of each child’s vision and their
influence.
The fifth
community I will build will be a learning community. This community will be constructed in class
by the students and me. We will discuss elements of community that create a
positive learning atmosphere. Topics such as respect given to all, risk-free
learning, and appreciation of diverse culture will be aspects of our learning
community. Appreciation of cultural
events in and outside the classroom will be discussed and promoted. Parents of students will participate by
sharing how they contribute to our community through work and personal
interests. Individual and group success will be displayed and appreciated by
all members of our class learning community.
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