Thursday Thoughts- A community

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Thursday Thoughts
This is where we will collaborate on classroom issues.

"I want my class to feel like a family.  Right now all the kids seem tired of one another.  I am at a year round school so we will still be together for a little while.  What can I do?"- Samantha, VA

I love using class meetings!  They are such an amazing way to build a connection with your students and set expectations. 

This year I taught Kindergarten and we have two daily class meeting sessions.  The first one happens first thing in the morning as all three classes gather in one room for a morning question, the pledge and to hear any announcements.  We use that time to alert the children of any changes that may be taking place that day.

The second one is more important for me as a teacher.  Before we start our academic tasks I allot about 20 minutes for sharing stories.  The children get to take turns just communicating without an agenda.  It really makes our day go more smoothly.  If for some reason we don't do it they will always remind me!  My kids are super close this year.  Here we are for a class picture.  Unasked they put their arms around one another.  SO CUTE! 


Even when we made our silly faces they wanted to keep their arms around one another!

 
Class meetings can be used in other ways as well. When dealing with younger children I have used it to teach compliments.  You'd be surprised the things children say to one another after hearing parents talk about the children while at home.  In case you are reading the blog as a parent please know that your child repeats everything you say at home.  They even use the same tone of voice!
 
To help them learn to say nice things to one another I had them take turns giving compliments.  One child would sit in the middle of the circle and the other children would say nice things.  Of course we had some children who only knew how to say "I like your shoes," but the point was to change the way they thought about one another.
 
 
After spending time giving compliments I would ask the child in the middle how they felt. They always felt good.  I would then take it a step further and ask the kids from the outside how they felt.  They were surprised that saying nice things made them feel good too. 
 
Class meetings can be an amazing tool to help direct your classroom when used intentionally. On another day we will look at how this can help you with behavior corrections as well.
 

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