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.