Reflection Three: Morgan Wigal

Walking through Underwood Elementary, you can definitely feel the vibe of a warm classroom and school community. This is due much in part to the teachers and administrators of the school. Upon walking through the halls at Underwood I always find myself being greeted and smiled at by fellow staff, teachers and students. Inside my fifth grade classroom, Mr. Rodriguez has done a good job himself at creating a sense of classroom community. The students have caught on to these actions and continue on a daily basis to create a sense of community throughout the classroom.

It’s very important for a teacher to create a sense of community among their classroom. I feel that students will learn and achieve more if they feel comfortable and welcome in their learning environment. Mr. Rodriguez continues to do this on a daily basis. From my experience in the classroom, every morning he greets each student with a simple “good morning” or “hello,” as they walk into the room. Such a simple jester can make students feel so much more welcome in a room. I would have liked to have been able to see how Mr. Rodriguez handled the beginning of the school year and starting out his tactics in creating classroom community. One thing that surprised me about Mr. Rodriguez’s class is that when the students line up to leave the classroom he has the girls line up first every time. They make two lines, boys and girls, and the girls always go first

down the hallway, first to the bathroom and first through the door. This is something that Mr. Rodriguez has instilled in his classroom and his students know that this is the routine. He wants to give the students morals and know that ladies are always first, and I have seen this play out many times through students, not just in lining up. His students are always saying “excuse me” and using polite terms to each other and others in the classroom. This has helped in creating classroom community because the students are not only learning polite manners but also using them with one another to make sure everyone is treated with respect.

Another aspect that I have noticed in the classroom that creates a sense of classroom community is the way in which homework collection and grading is done. Two students are in charge of collecting student’s homework and recording who has done theirs. They are also in charge of handing out graded homework to the class. Every week a new two students is assigned to the job. This not only gives these students a sense of responsibility but it also allows them to communicate with their classmates. Often times you will see students telling each other “good job” and things to this sort when turning in their homework, or when passing it back out. Encouraging words help many students to feel better about themselves, especially when coming from their peers.

There are a couple things that I do not see in the classroom, that I might do differently when given my own class. Although it’s a fifth grade class, there is no type of morning meeting that takes place. Mr. Rodriguez is more of an independent type teacher who likes to give students their independence. I really like his way of teaching, however I still feel that a morning meeting would be a good opportunity for students to interact with each other and get to know one another better. This could even just be a once or twice a week event, but I think it would help give some students more confidence within the classroom and get to know their classmates better. I also see very little group work done in the classroom. It is a lot of independent work, which is great for preparing them for middle school. However, working in groups can teach a child a lot. Not only is it beneficial for learning information, but also learning how to work as a team and with other individuals.

Although there are some aspects that could be added to the class to help create a better sense of classroom community, I feel that it is very obvious in Underwood Elementary as well as Mr. Rodriguez’s fifth grade classroom. I think it’s an important aspect to any class and plays a big role in a child’s success.