I Keep Trying: Building Classroom Culture

According to Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment (Jossey-Bass, 2014), “A classroom culture of trust, safety, challenge, and joy is the cornerstone of engaged and effective learning.”

I keep trying. 

After four days I realize that I haven’t spent enough time to build trust with my students. Unfortunately, I've already heard these comments:

• “I don't read”

• "I hate writing"

• “I don't care”

• “I hate school"

Although none of these comments have come as a huge surprise to me, I still cringe when I hear them.

I am working hard to learn more about who my students are and particularly about what they care about. After all, I know that spending time on building my classroom culture is worth it. Students won't be able to become engaged and effective learners without the sense of trust, feeling safe, challenged, and filed with joy. I desperately want to create an effective learning environment for all.

My students deserve this. All students deserve this.

Last week I introduced Cris Tovani's Conversation Calendars and invited my students to respond to this question: What would you like for me to know about you? Some of my students were pretty honest with me, leaving me in awe in their level of vulnerability with a teacher they have just met. Other students were more cautious in what they shared. Regardless, I already appreciate what I know about my students through using Conversation Calendars. It is a tool that I will continue to use this year for building and maintaining trust and to give and get feedback from my students.

As a part of building my classroom culture I'm trying to be more vulnerable with my students and show them more of who I am as a person and as a writer. Yesterday I introduced Georgia Heard’s brilliant idea of Heart Maps. I showed examples of past Heart Maps from my notebook and from this book. Next I created a Heart Map using a think aloud and projected it using the document camera.  

When it was time for them to create their own Heart Maps, I invited my students to write/draw what was close to their hearts. With the exception of one or two students (who simply needed a nudge to get started), they immediately got to work.

Ninth grade students creating Heart Maps

I wasn't sure how well high school students would respond to making Heart Maps. Yet, they seemed to welcome the time to think and write and sketch. Most of my students worked right up until the end of the class hour, and a few of them requested to work on their Heart Maps at home, even though it wasn’t an assignment.

I plan to use Heart Maps as an entry point for students to use in their writing. In addition, if and when students are ready, perhaps they will tell me more about what sketches and words on their Heart Maps signify.

I will keep trying.

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When I woke up this morning, I found myself feeling overwhelmed in thinking about all I need to prepare for the upcoming week. As I wrote today's Morning Pages, I decided to create a Heart Map based on all that is lingering in my heart from my first week with my students.

Trina's Heart Map - September 9th

As soon as I was finished, I realized that Heart Mapping was exactly what I needed today. It soothed my busy mind. If you peeked into my notebooks, you would see Heart Maps scattered throughout my writing. I appreciate the time to reflect, and always provides me with insight about what I am really feeling. It is a simple tool that has helped me understand who I am and the kind of person I strive to be.

Thinking about Heart Maps inspired me to write this Haiku:

Creating Heart Maps/

Leads me to peace this morning/

Pen. Paper. Mind. Soul.