Creating a Safe Classroom Ecosystem
If you are like me, you want more than anything to create a classroom ecosystem where students thrive. You dream of an educational space where students can put away outside distractions and pursue knowledge with zeal. As an educator with three decades under my belt, I have often struggled with incorporating each new trend that has come along. However, in recent years, I have found several concepts that have helped me flesh out and re-frame the climate in my classroom ecosystem.
A lightbulb came on for me when my husband sent me the first article I ever read on emotional intelligence. He said, “This is what you do every day!” Over the years, he has been shocked by the number of students we run into who truly believe they are my favorite student and the number of parents who have asked how it is possible for me to understand their child to the extent that I do.
Am I doing something magical? No, but I am constantly looking for opportunities to see my students from the inside out. Just as individual plants have different nutritional and environmental needs, individual students have specific needs for them to flourish. In essence, we need to create an emotional greenhouse within our four walls; a setting that provides a stable trellis to support their learning as they grow. This trellis must be built on student conviction that you see huge value in them as unique individuals. Here are just a few of the ways I do this in my own classroom.
Your first interaction of the day speaks volumes to your students. It’s an old expectation, but you need to greet your students at the door. Listen to them as they are walking down the hall. It is amazing how much you will learn about where your students are emotionally and relationally. I have quietly geared many of my classroom interactions based on these snippets of insight.
Expect your students to look you in the eye and respond to you in complete sentences when they are walking down the hall or entering your classroom. The first week of school, playfully model your expectations. Make it clear that what they have to say matters to you.
Give an occasional bell ringer that isn’t about your subject content. Ask a random question that catches students off guard, makes them laugh, makes them think. This will give you a fresh glimpse into their current state of mind and heart.
A couple of times a year, I pass out sticky notes and ask students to write down a prayer request that is personal. I allow them to decide whether or not they want to put their name on the note. The following weekend, I go to a quiet place to walk and read each prayer request out loud to the Lord. I pray over that request and write little notes to individuals based on a prompting from the Holy Spirit. The fruit of this effort has been bountiful.
The greatest lesson plan in the world will flop without a safe place for students to learn, test new ideas, and share what is happening in their personal world. Delicate plants must be nurtured and tended, and our students are no different. Make your classroom ecosystem a place where students thrive.
