ELM 370 Reflection #2

I am currently in Mrs. Whitney Jackson’s fourth grade classroom at Swift Creek Elementary School. From the first day I was in this school I could tell that the classroom and school as a whole is a very close community. The principal of Swift Creek came into the classroom my partner and I are in the first day we were there in order to introduce himself and welcome us to the school. This was my first glimpse of the tight community at Swift Creek Elementary. The school keeps really good school/classroom community up in many different ways. They have a school wide set of rules that everyone in the school is expected to follow, which is R.O.A.R. This really helps the school be unified in its expectations and it holds every student, and even teacher, accountable. One thing that I have found to be really cool about Swift Creek is how each classroom collects stars, and these stars are awarded when someone from outside of the each classroom pays the students in the class (as whole) a compliment for good behavior. When a certain amount of stars are awarded, the class gets a prize! This really seems to give them the drive to act responsibly in the hallways and outside. Having a system like this can help create great classroom community because the students have to work together to get compliments and it also keeps the school itself a good community.
My SBTE, Mrs. Jackson, also does a terrific job of creating good classroom community in her own classroom. Along with the school rules, she and her class has created a set of sub-rules, or classroom rules. These are really great because the students are held more responsible for their actions not just outside the classroom but inside as well. The students were and are still included in the process of making the environment of their classroom better. Even though this class does a pretty good job of respecting each other and the teacher, they still of course have their problems. Mrs. Jackson has created a system to help in these situations as well. There is a comment box where her students can put complaints, worries or any problems that they have. Then, whenever there is a comment in the box, Mrs. Jackson speaks to that student individually and then they have a classroom meeting, if necessary. This helps to provide a safe way for the kids to tell the teacher things that are really bothering them. It also creates a much safer and respectful class discussion about the problem and many times I have heard that it completely solves them as far as the teacher is aware of. Having a community where students can present problems and get help with them is so vital to a good classroom experience and Mrs. Jackson is doing her best to provide just that.
The students in this class are also provided with ways to serve in the classroom. Each child is given an opportunity to help the teacher and each other by way of the “helping hands” wall. This is where there are different jobs delegated to different students each week. The students are on a rotation so no one is ever left out. This gives the students responsibility and it helps them get things done and create smooth transitions from one topic or school subject to the next. When jobs are delegated in this way it helps to avoid any misunderstandings regarding door holding, table cleanliness at lunch and many other small things that help keep a classroom running smoothly.
The way Mrs. Jackson’s classroom is set up and organized also helps to create a good sense of classroom community. She has her desks set up in rows and with sets of three on each side of the classroom. Not only does the class get stars for good behavior as a class but each set of three can get points for good behavior as a team. This helps keep behavior inside the classroom good as well. All of the desks also face her, which helps the students see what she is doing and no one has to turn around in their seats. This helps to avoid any one person missing information (unless they choose to not pay attention themselves).
I really like how Mrs. Jackson’s class runs. She seems to have a really good classroom community. There are a few things I might try to do differently, but I hope to have the respect and classroom community that she has when I have my own classroom.