We’ve found our way to part three of our teacher reflection series. Last, but certainly not least is building community. It might seem odd that it seems like I’ve placed our students last, but it is not without a great deal of thought.

The first two topics in this series were self-care & self-advocacy and organization & efficiency. If either of these things is not tended to with great care, then it leaves this third topic nearly impossible to address.

We cannot care for others if we do not care for ourselves. We KNOW this. It is preached to us time and time again. If you’ve ever flown anywhere, it appears in the first instructions for dealing with an in-flight emergency. “Secure your own face mask first before tending to others.”

Yet…here we are, needing to be reminded of it yet again.

Organization & efficiency is second because if we’re constantly chasing after scattered chickens, we can’t possibly tend to the hen house. In this analogy, the chickens are all of the administrative and structural pieces of teaching, while the hen house is the emotional state of our classroom and the relationships we have with our students.

While I kicked ass, if I do say so myself, with organization and efficiency, I STRUGGLED with self-care and self-advocacy. I know others with a similar imbalance but the other way around. In both instances, it has left us fighting burnout and wondering what exactly went wrong.

All that to say, in putting these two FIRST, it is doing so with STUDENT BEST INTEREST at the forefront of this plan. With these pieces in place, we are primed to pour into them and be the best teachers, facilitators, educators, and guides we can possibly be…without our own ish getting in the way!

Make sure to keep reading – a free journal set specifically designed for this topic is linked below!

What do I mean when I say: building community?

Building community is all about creating emotional safety within your classroom (and the school as a whole). Doing what you can to help students feel supported, free to be their whole selves, secure in expressing themselves, and unafraid to ask for help and guidance.

Emotions influence our ability to process information and comprehend what we encounter. Instability, volatility, and even detachment can be a threat to a student’s ability to grasp, apply, and expand on academic concepts. The safer a student feels, the more likely they are to participate, challenge themselves, AND work WITH YOU to keep that space safe for others.

Now, there is so MUCH that we cannot control. This post is all about identifying what we CAN do to create this safe space and how well we’re actually doing it. The idea here is that, while we can’t completely control the outcome [because there are many variables outside of our wheel of control (family systems, experiences outside of school, school structures like schedules, standardized testing, etc)], focusing on OUR part means that we ARE doing what we can.

I know personally, as a teacher, I felt the pressure of THE WORLD on my shoulders. I knew what my students were experiencing outside my room and I did not want to ADD to any struggles, but I’ve started to recognize that this outward focus was wasted energy. Aside from advocating for students and their families, my job was to focus on my own classroom and my presence in the school as a whole.

These questions help me analyze how well I am doing just that. Check them out. Remember that you can grab this free journal set to organize your thoughts.

What do we need to ask ourselves?

Let’s get started with asking these important questions first: How do I feel about the concept of “building community”? Is it something I have consciously tried to do in the past? Is it challenging for me? Do I excel at it? Where do my strengths lie? My weaknesses?

1. Was my classroom a safe space for all students? How do I know? What signs demonstrate feeling safe? feeling uneasy or unsafe?
2. Did students feel comfortable participating and sharing their thoughts? Who was participating (everyone, specific groups, etc)? How often? Are there certain activities or lessons that garnered more or less participation?
3. Did students interact with each other and engage freely? Again, who did? who didn’t? Did this change depending on the day, time of day, lesson, skill, or structure?
4. Were the expectations and norms of the space clear and simple to follow? Were they the same (or equitable) for everyone? How did I teach and review these expectations with my students (frequency, format, etc)?
5. Were students comfortable sharing with me or giving me constructive feedback? How did I respond when feedback was shared?
6. How did I react during times of stress or disagreement with students? one-on-one? in front of the whole class? How consistent was I with my approach?
7. How well do the materials I use in my room represent the students in my space? Video, books, word problems, stories, history, geography, art, etc?
8. What opportunities, and how often, did I give students to share THEIR perspectives and experiences and how did I structure this so their sharing would be respected, supported, and celebrated?
9. How did I center students in my space? How long did I lecture or provide instruction versus how much time were students given to collaborate, discuss, or work independently?
10. How did I use creativity and variation to add interest and life to the lessons in my room? Think independent, paired, small group vs whole group instruction or handouts, digital platforms, stations, rotations, flipped classroom, etc. How did I account for varied learning styles (visual, kinesthetic, auditory, social, logical, reading/writing, etc)?

Now what:

After thinking about the above questions, it would be beneficial to go one step further. Now that you’ve analyzed these things, what changes and adjustments can you make in order to improve your approach toward building community in your classroom? The following questions are in no certain order. Scan through them and use whatever suits your context best!

1. What am I doing well that I want to continue to incorporate moving forward? How is this contributing to a supportive and safe classroom community?
2. How am I checking in with students to get THEIR feedback on the classroom space? How often (weekly, quarterly, semesterly, etc) and in what way (one-on-one, conferences, polls/surveys, whole-group discussion, anonymous post-its, etc)?
3. How can I make sure that expectations are clear (posting in multiple areas & in multiple ways, scheduled reviewing of expectations, practicing & modeling, etc.)?
4. What resources can I bring into my space or showcase in order to increase student representation? If I’m unsure, where can I learn more about this?
5. What is one thing I can do DAILY (WEEKLY, MONTHLY, etc) in order to improve the feeling of community in my space?
6. Through this reflection, what has been a struggle for me and how might I address this struggle? What short-term and long-term goals might I create in order to overcome them and make improvements moving forward?
7. What is one strategy, teaching approach, activity structure, etc (that will help build community) I want to learn more about and incorporate into my teaching moving forward?
8. Where might I learn more about building community in my classroom (what resources, people, books, professional development, etc)? Who might I observe? Who could I reach out to? Could a buddy system (working with another teacher toward the same goal) make me more successful?

If you build it…

Does anyone hear the Field of Dreams reference there??

Anyway, a safe classroom space doesn’t just appear. It’s not something that some teachers “just have” and others don’t. It takes intention and focused work, trial and error, listening and adjusting, open-mindedness and a willing spirit.

Above all, it takes humility. We must humble ourselves to realize that there is A LOT that we don’t know and so much for us still to learn. We have to be able to hear the feedback we get, observe & accept the signs that adjustments are needed. This doesn’t mean that we are not good or that we are not doing our best, it simply means that we have room to grow – as EVERYONE does.

As adults, we want to feel safe, connected and supported. This is exactly what building community in your classroom is all about – creating that same structure for our youth.

If you haven’t read the first two topics of this three-part series, I STRONGLY suggest doing so. Both are linked below.

Also, remember that if you’re looking for a way to keep these reflections all in one space (to build off of and to use for future reflections), I’ve created a free journal set to pair with this post. Click on the images below to claim the free download.

I’d love to hear how these reflections have worked for you. Connect with me on Insta or send me an email 🙂

In solidarity, from one teacher to another,

talk soon friends 💜