RFE 3-Kelly Reardon

I believe that my partnership school, Fuller Elementary, is one of the most diverse schools I have worked with. Because of the magnet program, all races, genders and socioeconomic statuses are represented without a particularly strong representation of any one group of students. Despite the large amount of diversity, Fuller Elementary creates a sense of school community where everyone is treated equally, is welcoming towards others and works together to be a successful working environment.
The school promotes their community with the Fuller Four, which are four adjectives chosen to describe the goals of the school. The Fuller Four include respect, responsibility, productivity and safety. These words can be seen in every classroom and are reminded everyday in the morning announcements. Teachers and students are rewarded using a school wide program where teachers or faculty give eggs to other classrooms demonstrating the Fuller four. The egg system promotes community by helping classes work together to get eggs from people outside of their classroom community. Another school wide program that creates community during and after school is Fuller family fun night. This program allows parents, teachers, administrators and students to come in and enjoy food, presentations, games and other events. I feel like this event is special to Fuller Elementary and is a great example of how elementary schools can extend the classroom and school communities to the families of students at the school. It not only allows students to socialize and hang out in a non-educational setting, but allows parents, teachers and administrators to meet, talk and share experiences that benefit the school community.
I work with a fifth grade classroom at Fuller. My SBTE has great routines and classroom organization that promote classroom community. At the beginning of the school day, students are given ten or fifteen minutes to socialize before specials or recess. This period is in place of a morning meeting, unless the morning meeting is necessary. Students are allowed to sit, talk and play games together. I like the idea of having a social period to get kids talking with and getting to know each other. In fifth grade, students are beginning to act more like teenagers and need some time to communicate with each other and develop deeper friendships. I hear the students talk about things that may not involve school such as their interests, weekends and hobbies. The teacher also creates community in the classroom by treating all of her students fairly and kindly. There are many times where I hear her call a student “honey” or “baby” in an endearing and fun way that makes the students understand that she cares about them and their success in school. The classroom also operates on a system that encourages the use of the Fuller four at all times. Students are held at high standards by my SBTE. They are expected to treat others the way they would want to be treated and be accepting of everyone in the classroom. My SBTE strives to talk with her students about their day or their weekend and get to know them on a more personal level. She is often involved in the morning social time, walking around and talking with various groups of students. Because of the teacher’s attitude and her relationship with the students, there is a good feeling of classroom community in her classroom that is obvious from any outsider’s view.