How do you build a classroom community? This is the question Kayla tackles with OEA member Rachel Hsieh. Rachel is a District Mentor and Coach and previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher. Rachel now spends her time mentoring new educators and classroom community is one thing she mentors them on.

Rachel tells us that classroom community is all about belonging. Some strategies Rachel and Kayla talk about include class meetings, incorporating joy and humor, establishing and revisiting co-created classroom agreements/norms and routines, and spending some time with your students out of class, for example at lunchtime or recess. As a teacher, Rachel even wrote letters to her students.

Community doesn’t mean people can’t disagree but that there’s a respectful way to approach disagreements, so Kayla and Rachel discuss options for repairing harm when something hurtful happens. They also emphasize the importance of creating a team with students’ families and establishing open communication with families.

Resources:

Designing for Care: Building + Maintaining a Humanized Classroom (video)- NEA/Jeffrey Austin & Kristal Jaaskelainen

Back to School with PBS KIDS: Design an Inclusive Classroom - Mike Lang

Instructional Equity: What, Why, and How in Equity in the Classroom - Rachel Hsieh

The Power of Literature | Lessons For Elementary and High School - Rachel Hsieh & others