Reflection 3 Jalane

Reflection 3 Classroom Community

Building classroom community is more than just putting a few posters up here and there for decoration, it is something much more important.  At Fuller Elementary I have seen many factors that are a large part of their school and classroom community.  Having classroom community means creating an environment that gives students the feeling of belonging and safety.  Creating this environment is important because it allows students to engage their minds in learning and focusing on what you as a teacher are trying to express to them. From the first day that I entered Fuller I have felt like I belonged in the school, even when nobody knew who I was.  As I walked down the halls the first day one thing that really caught my eye was all the colors the schools had.  All the walls are painted with different colors, which I think is a great way to start building community.  As children walk down the halls like I did for the first time it is important that they feel safe and welcomed as well so they will have a better learning experience.  Another thing I noticed about the halls of Fuller was they are covered with student’s schoolwork.  Outside of every classroom the teachers have hung up work the students have completed so that parents, visitors, teachers, etc can see them.  This is a great way to create both classroom and school community because it its bringing what the students do in the classroom and sharing it with the rest of the school, therefore creating a connected community.  One thing that I noticed about Mr. Truemans individual classroom is that although it is not decorated as much as I would like it to be, he has done a great job building a warm, and welcoming environment for his students.  Ever since I stepped foot in his classroom I can tell that he cares about his students and wants them to have the best environment to learn in and that is why he has made such a great learning community for them.  Each day students walk in with smiles on their faces, giving high fives to each other and yelling “whats up Mr. T”.  This to me is so great to see because it is obvious that the students really trust him and have bonded with him because of the environment he has set up for them.  Being in Mr. Truemans classroom to me is the definition of classroom community.  It is warm and welcoming to all students not just his classroom.  Since being at Fuller I have seen students from upper grades, students from down the hall, etc. just stop in to say hey and see what is going on, which shows that he has not only opened his classroom up to his students but he has made it welcoming for all students at Fuller, therefore again connecting classroom community to the overall school community!  Before coming to Fuller elementary I had never seen block scheduling, which is where one teacher works with their “partner” teacher for subjects such as math, science, social studies and language arts.   My teacher teaches his class and the class next-door math and science while his partner teacher teaches the other subjects.  With all of this said I think that the block scheduling helps create a better school community because it connects teachers and students with not only their own classroom, but also with other classes.  Overall, I really like the community that Fuller has built for its students, teachers, visitors, etc. and I look forward to creating a welcoming classroom like they have.