Creating Classroom Values

Using Student and Parent Voice to Develop Classroom Values

         On back to school night, parents wrote letters to their children sharing their hopes and dreams for their children this year. The students read these letters and used their inference skills to develop a list of values that our parents might want to include in our classroom community.  Annie read that her parents were gazing out the window at the trees outside and she inferred that her parents value the natural world.  Many students read that their parents hope that they enjoy their 5th-grade experience and have many moments of laughter. The students inferred that their parents valued joy and humor. 

A few parents wrote that they hope their child makes some new friends, so we added friendship to our growing list of values. When we had culled out all of the parent values, the students read through the list and thought about whether some important values that they hold were missing.  We added Safety, Learning from Mistakes, Wonder & Curiosity, etc... 

       When we felt our list was complete, partners were given 5 red dots to spend on the most important values to them. Each value that contained a dot was then included in our list of classroom values. 

     Below is our list of values! We created art to hang in the classroom to remind us of the values that we share. These values will then be the basis of our classroom constitution. 

What values stand out to you in this photo?

Traditions and New Beginnings

     There is something so exciting about beginnings. Fifth grade holds a sense of familiarity for our oldest students, but it also brings something new. Fifth graders are often reminded, you are the leaders of the Lower School. This leadership role kicks off so beautifully with the Bell Tower Ceremony. On Wednesday morning, the fifth graders were charged with ringing the bell 149 times for each year of OES, to mark the opening of the new school year. The excitement and pride the students felt buzzed in the room as we gathered together for the first time as a community. Here are a few photos of this momentous event. 

     We held onto the energy of the ceremony and went right to the forest to play games and laugh together. The goal was to start to learn who WE are as a community. When we returned to the classroom, we were ready to think about the Bell Tower Speeches and how they might inspire us throughout the year. 

     The excitement of that first day continued into the week as we learned more about the community we will co-habit. We spent time mapping the classroom and all of the tools available to students. 

    We also spent time co-creating our classroom procedures. We started to answer questions like, How will share the cozy spots on the rug and around the room? When can you get yourself a snack? What should happen if you consistently forget the uniform policy? 

   I am truly impressed with your amazing children and excited about the community I see forming! 

   Cheers to the start of a new year!

   Mary Duden

(P.S. Please feel free to peruse the blog, but know that many of the photos and links are from the class last year and may not hold a lot of meaning for you yet.)