Reflection #3

I feel that my SBTE has created a wonderful classroom community in her third grade class. The students know how to come in and address any problems they may have. They have a morning meeting daily that starts off the day. They say the pledge, do a stretching activity, and go over agenda or anything new during the day. Morning meeting helps the students to transition from home to the classroom. Being informed of their schedule for the day also helps the students feel comfortable and they don’t have to anticipate what they will be doing next.
My SBTE selects two or three students to be the kids of the month. These individuals bring in pictures that stay on the board throughout the month. They are able to bring in items to share with their classmates. This process allows the students to learn more about each other. This leads to the students caring about one another and feeling safe around their classmates. It really would have been nice to see how the students have grown as individuals, as well as a class throughout the year. I feel that we missed most of the community building because we came into the classrooms so late in the year.
I have a wonderful teacher. She always takes the time to answer any and all question that the students may have about an assignment. This often takes a while, but she is strengthening the classroom community by patiently taking the time to answer each question. The students are not afraid to speak up and ask about things they are unsure of. They actually come up with some really interesting questions at times. They think really deep into assignments and find the strangest questions to ask. Still, when a student is confused, their classmates step in to help.
The students in my class are given space to make many of their own decisions. My SBTE is more laid back and lets the students make a lot of their own choices. This leads to less structure and more cooperation. The students know that they must make decisions that will benefit the entire class. This builds upon their ability to be responsible and make positive choices.
Disputes are handled in a positive and discrete manner. The students involved in the dispute usually step outside with the teacher and discuss the problem with her. They are always able to come up with a solution and everyone is happy. Most often the ones involved are hanging around with each other again within a few minutes after the dispute.
There are many reward systems set up throughout the school. There are tickets that teachers and administrators can give students or classes in the hall if they are caught behaving extremely well, or if someone is seen committing a random act of kindness. This system is for the class as a whole. When the class gets a certain number of tickets, they get some type of treat. I believe that this supports the development of the school community. Any teacher or administrator can give out tickets to any student throughout the school. This encourages the students to be on their best behavior inside and outside of the classroom.
In the classroom, our teacher has two additional reward systems in place. One of these systems is a flip chart. Each student has a pocket with 5 different color cards. They can flip up for positive behavior or down for negative behavior. They can earn flips throughout the day. If they misbehave and have to flip down they still have time throughout the day to change their act and potentially get to flip back up. They get rewards at the end of the day based on the color card they are on. This can range from a reward dollar to save for the prize box, or a reflection form to complete based on the students’ behavior for that day. A second system that the teacher has in place within the classroom is a marble jar. Each student who is on a positive card at the end of the day gets to place a marble in the jar. When the jar gets filled, the class gets to choose a reward from a list of activities. These classroom reward systems also contribute to the sense of community within the classroom.
All of these small little things add to the sense of community for the class overall. The students are not merely classmates, they are friends. They can rely on one another and work together as a class to get things done. My SBTE has so much to so with this successful sense of community in her classroom. She models her expectations of the students and holds them to a high standard. She also cares about her students and they see this in her. The students care about her in return. This is classroom is the perfect picture of a classroom community.