The foundation of my classroom management plan is the intentional creation of a caring classroom community. I want students to know I care about them. I want to know what is happening in their lives, both in and out of the classroom. I also want my students to care about each other. When students feel cared for by their teacher and their classmates, they are more likely to show respect for you, their classroom, and their classroom in general. That being said, I try not assume that every student has the necessary skills to know how to be a respectful member of a community, and that’s where I come in as a teacher. It’s important to spend time early in the year creating a positive classroom community. Take the time to discuss your classroom routines and expectations. Not only will this benefit your students, it will benefit you as well. When students misbehave, it will increase your stress and anxiety. By creating a caring community, where you focus on what is going well, your mental health will improve, too.
Classroom Greeting
I start each morning standing at the classroom door to greet my students, by name. I think it is essential that you greet students by name. There is actual research to support this. Greeting students at the door creates a positive tone and can increase engagement and minimizes disruptive behavior. It gives students a sense of belonging. They feel like you are invested in their learning. I recommend you take a few minutes to say something kind to your students. Notice a new haircut or new shoes. Ask about their family. Let them know you sincerely care about them.
I have these FREE greeting cards can you do with your students. You can get them here.
Classroom Pledge
I love starting the year with this wrinkled heart. This is not my idea and I have seen it so many times on Pinterest, I am not sure where the original idea came from. It says, “Think before you speak. It is hard to fix a wrinkled heart.” Each student told us something kind they could to do for a friend. Then, I wrote their name on a band-aid. We leave this up all year.
Teach Respect
In creating a classroom community, it important for children to understand that we are all members of our community, all are respected, and all feel that they are in safe place. These skills have to be directly taught to students. In Kindergarten, I love using books to teach students how to be kind, respectful community members. I have a list of my favorite kindness books here. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates is a a great book about a dinosaur who wants to make friends, but ends up eating them instead. She doesn’t understand how to be a good classmate it. She has to learn what it means to be respectful classmate. You can learn more about these activities and purchase them here. You can buy the book here.
Together is Better
Another great read aloud for building classroom community is The Crayon Box That Talked. It is a great story to read at the beginning of the year or anytime you may want to work on classroom community. At the beginning of the story, a little girl hears a crayon box talking at the toy store. The crayons do not like each other. She takes the crayons home and shows them how together, they can make a prettier picture. It is a great story about how we are all unique but when you put us all together, we work better. Take it a step further and ask students to share how they are unique and what they have to offer the class. This will help students to understand why they are an important member of the classroom community.
I hope you join me every week this summer to learn my tips and tricks for classroom management.
❤Classroom Routines and Procedures,
