A classroom where students are engaged in learning, in my opinion, begins with a caring community!

Creating a caring community appears to start on the very first day of school when students arrive. But if we are honest, it begins for many of us, weeks or maybe even months before when we are brainstorming ideas on how to create a caring classroom.

Perhaps we are thinking about how we want our classroom to function. We may be thinking about what class norms, procedures, and routines we want to establish. Or how we should set up the room for an effortless flow of student movement throughout the classroom?

As the teacher, you will set the tone for your classroom, and students will follow your lead which is important when building a caring community in the classroom. In this blog post, I will share some tips and strategies for creating a caring community in the classroom that I have used in my classroom for years.

5 Tips for Creating a Caring Community…

Tip 1: Greeting

Throughout my years of teaching, I have made it a habit to say Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Hi to all of my students as they enter the classroom. When I was teaching at the elementary level with the same students all day, I would make sure I greeted them with a Good Morning or Hi followed by their name.

I also had them choose a way to greet me (before the COVID-19 pandemic) by saying hi, giving a fist bump, a high five, a hug, or just a wave. Plus I gave students a minute or two to greet their classmates before they sat down and started their independent morning work.

At the middle school level, I  greet each student as they enter for their class period. Greeting students throughout the day still has the same effect as if I greeted them first thing in the morning.

Greeting students when they enter the classroom also helps you get a feel for what mood your students may be in at that moment. If you feel someone is not having a good day, you can quietly go over to them and talk with them individually. You can let them know that you are available to talk. I find this helpful in being proactive by possibly diffusing a situation in which students may have had the potential to act out. Of course, you may need to continue to monitor this throughout the class period. But making the initiative to greet them and see how they are doing helps to give them choices as to how they will respond to how they are feeling.

Tip 2: Foster a Sense of Belonging

 Having a clean and organized classroom sends a message to students that they are significant. You do not have to have fancy bulletin boards or expensive furniture in the space. Having an environment that feels welcoming will be enough. Students, regardless of age, want to be in a classroom that leaves room for them. Having every bulletin board done and every shelf filled is not necessary. Leaving some spaces empty will allow students to feel there is room for them and their ideas in the classroom.

    Having a sense of belonging is a critical piece of creating a caring community in your classroom. Use inclusive words like ours and yours when introducing areas around the room. For example, say things like “our books go on this shelf” or “Where do you think we can put this poster?” When classrooms are shared with multiple students like in a middle school environment, have bins of materials for each class period’s folders, handouts, and other supplies. This way students in each class period can see how they belong in the classroom even though they share it with other classes. 

Tip 3: Class Norms In Place

For those of you who teach multiple class periods; How do you get all students from each class period in agreement with the expectations, procedures, and routines? Start with a conversation with each class period about school expectations and what that looks like in the classroom. Each class can brainstorm with you a universal set of class expectations, procedures, and routines. Creating a class constitution can be helpful in building classroom community! 

Don’t forget the norms need to be based on school expectations. This way you will not end up with different expectations for each class period. You are to guide students into creating norms that will reflect the caring community you are working to build. For those of you who have the same students all day the same above tips work just as well!

Tip 4: Kind Words Spoken Here

The way we speak to people is crucial, especially in the classroom! Students don’t have to agree with everything their classmates are saying. But they do need to show a level of respect to one another. Teachers and students need to learn to coexist in the classroom to learn from each other. All students need to feel physically and emotionally safe in their classroom environment. As teachers, we need to compliment students when we see them doing kind actions and speaking kind words to others to help foster a caring community in the classroom. We need to take a solid stance that bullying and being spiteful to one another are not acceptable behaviors.

     As teachers, we need to reinforce to students that certain words are more fitting to communicate with others in the classroom. And that certain words are not the best to use with one another, especially in the classroom. Over the years in my classroom, I have not allowed students to curse at each other, say shut up, stupid, or dumb. I have had conversations with my classes about using alternative words instead of shut up. I have also explained that we refrain from calling one another stupid or dumb and that everyone learns at their own pace.  

      It is wise to correct inappropriate words immediately to reinforce that kind words are preferred. Just give students a gentle reminder. All students are different, so this might not work the first time, but the key is to be consistent in training students to know what’s expected in the classroom. Remember you are working on creating a caring community! If you find that a particular student continues to say offending words you can talk with that student individually and explain why kind words are spoken in your classroom.

Tip 5: High Expectations for All Students

Having high expectations for all students is essential! Students will rise to the way we as teachers treat them! We need to be mindful of the words we use with students when speaking to them individually and as a class. We need to assure our students that they can do their best! 

 

     Teachers also need to remember that what one student can do with ease another student may find challenging. But that doesn’t mean the student who is struggling can’t do the required task.  It may take the student longer to master something. They may also need additional teaching or help. But all students need to be challenged and see themselves succeeding in the classroom no matter their ability level. Goal setting is a great way to help challenge and engage students in their learning. Read my blog post “Why Focused Goal Setting with Your Students is Powerful” to learn more about how I use goal setting in my classroom. Goal setting helps meet the needs of all students on their level by assisting them in setting individual attainable goals with action steps.  

    Talking positively with and about students is crucial, specifically when talking with colleagues. Identify the positives and what students are doing well first. Then discuss the areas students are struggling in using phrases like “my students may not be there yet, but with time and a little work, they can make improvements”! Remember students will rise to the expectations you have for them!

Conclusion

As the teacher, you set the tone for how your classroom will run and function throughout the school year. It is best to implement these strategies at the beginning of the school year and continue to maintain them as the year goes by. However, you can still add (1) greeting students, (2) fostering a sense of belonging for students, (3) having class norms in place, (4) helping students to use kind words consistently, and (5) having high expectations at any time! I hope these five tips help you in creating a caring community!