Developing Community

Working Remotely and Joining a Community

In my community, many young families are moving to our gorgeous valley and working remotely.  They are choosing to live here because of the excellent schools, friendly neighbors, limitless outdoor recreation and safety of a small town.  One challenge is that many of these wonderful young parents are working from home and do not have a social office to meet new friends or connect with colleagues over lunch.  These families must reach out and make connections outside of work in order to develop meaningful relationships and feel connected to the community.  Joining and being a positive contributor to a community is a skill that students can start learning and practicing at a very early age.

Developing Community Skills in the Elementary Classroom

In "Building Community in the Classroom", Ellen Booth Church states, "By focusing on establishing a safe, secure, and nurturing environment, you are teaching children how to learn and are setting the stage for the entire year."  I agree with Church but argue that this learning goes beyond a school year.  Learning how to be part of a safe, secure and supportive environment is a skill that students will take into their future classrooms and careers.   

In "Back to School: A Surefire Strategy for Building Classroom Community", Anne Shaw defines "...three facets of a classroom and school environment: 1) the physical environment, 2) the emotional environment, and, 3) the academic environment."   Through her "rug talks", Shaw establishes and builds the emotional environment critical for learning.  In my classroom, students also enjoy chats on our rug where we offer "shout outs" to classmates, share "good things" in our lives, and practice being supportive listeners.   

In "Build a Community", Lisa Jo Rudy outlines activities that establish a positive classroom culture and develop STEM skills.   The most valuable part of these activities is the interpersonal skills that students develop through challenge and failure.  These activities would be useful to set the tone for collaboration, critical thinking and communication at the beginning of the school year, or as a team building activity any time of the year.  

This week, my students returned from spring break and I was overwhelmed by their compassion and kindness for each other.  It felt like they truly missed our classroom community and were appreciative to be back.  

My students understand that we do not all learn the same way and we all need different things to be successful.  For example, some need glasses, some need a special chair, some need a scribe and some need extra time for processing.  This will transfer into their future communities when they understand that their peers, colleagues and neighbors all have different strengths and needs.

My students have worked hard to develop and maintain a classroom culture of respect and inclusion.  They love our end of the day routine where one student (changes each day) shares who he or she wants to honor that day for being a respectful, responsible and safe member of our classroom community.  I often am overwhelmed by their generosity and awareness.  My students do a better job than many adults acknowledging a peer who deserves recognition or needs a pick me up.  They know how to thrive in our classroom and will take this into their future communities.

Resources

Church, E. B. (n.d.). Building Community in the Classroom. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-community-classroom/

Rudy, L. J. (2015). Build a Community. Instructor. Back to School. (Scholastic Inc.), 125(1), 60-61.

Shaw, A. (2013, August 13). Back to School: A Surefire Strategy for Building Classroom Community. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/back-to-school-strategy-building-community-anne-shaw