#10 Building a strong classroom community

I think one of the most important things that is needed in every great classroom is a strong community.  If a child doesn't feel welcomed, appreciated, valued, and cared for in their classroom, then there will be a struggle for that child to grow academically or socially.  Looking back at the students I just had, I would say we had a strong classroom community.  Of course the last few weeks of school, I felt like I was constantly saying, "Is that a tattle or a report?" or "Is that a big deal or a little deal?" after every little conflict arose in the classroom.  I feel like it happens every year, come the middle of May some of these students have spent so much time together they fight like siblings! That being said, I feel like this years group truly cared for each other, treated each other kindly, and helped one another.  There is nothing that makes a teachers heart happier then when she see's one of her students hugging a student who is crying or saying "its ok you can play with me", or offering to help a student pick up their bin that has spilled all over the floor.  To me my job as a teacher is not only to teach these students academic skills but social skills, and how to be an overall good citizen.  That being said, I will not ever compromise the time I spend building my classroom community.  Such as our daily morning meeting routines, or taking time throughout the week to learn about our character trait for the month, or something as simple as spending five extra minutes diffusing a dispute between students on the playground during recess.  As I begin to plan for next year and think ahead to all the grand plans I have, I want to continue to learn more about how to build an even stronger community.  In the book, Becoming a Reflective Teacher they gave a suggestion of creating a classroom meeting which is specific time in your week or even every other week for 10 minutes where you and students discuss issues that arise in the classroom.  Issues for the discussion can be raised verbally by a student or written and placed in a suggestion box.  I think this would be a great time to focus on our character trait of the month, and to have students to a little role playing or create scenarios around a specific topic or issue.  I am hoping to try this next year, as I think it will be another way to create a strong community in my classroom and maintaining high expectations for my students.