Creating a Sense of Community

Having a sense of community is very important in a classroom. It is kind of a “duh” moment when thinking about it. If kids do not feel comfortable in a classroom then they will not want to learn. The not so “duh” part of having a sense of community in a classroom is knowing how to build it.  This is a topic that we have been discussing a lot about in Secondary Classroom Management, and really what I have came up with is: there are a bunch of ideas and theories to help one build a sense of community in a classroom, but really you just have to find out what works for you. It is pretty much trial and error. But, some of the ideas that I believe will work for me to build a sense of community are: get to know the students outside of the classroom, allow students to have input when creating the classroom rule, use a seating chart, have clear guidelines for the type of language allowed in the classroom, and to be a safe zone. Pretty much I would like my classroom to be a judgment free zone, where all kids feel accepted. I will have a very low tolerance for bullying, and try to show students that it is okay to be different. For me to say I know how to create this type of atmosphere right now would be a lie, but I do have ideas for how to do this. Hopefully one day I will be able to achieve this. 

Classroom Management

The biggest issue that I have encountered related to classroom management is, getting the students to stay focused on their work. Especially with the two boys in my group. Both of them have special needs, and it difficult to keep them focused. What I have found to be helpful is it sit down right next to them and talk to them about their work, and where they want to go with it. Once we have discussed their next few steps, and they have started working again, I leave. I have found that when I sit there too long I myself become a distraction, and all they want to do is talk. But, of course, this would be extremely hard to do in a classroom full of 30 students. I have found that when teachers let students listen to their MP3 players during work time the students stay more focused. Listening to their music allows them not to be distracted by conversations and other things going on around them. This way students are allowed to get in “the zone”. But, of course, there is a down side to this. Not all students have MP3 players. I think that when I am a teacher I would like to have a computer that the student would be able to play music on, through sites like Pandora.  I had a teacher in high school do this, and it worked out really well. Of course there were rules and guidelines as to what kind of music you can play, but the students really enjoyed it. In a way it made the students feel more connected to the classroom.