Page 48 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

CHAPTER 2
Matt Robydek, Second-Year Teacher
Picture this scenario. It’s the morning of the first day of school and more impor- tantly, the first day of your new teaching career. This is the day your numerous years spent in the college will finally come to fruition. You take a look around the room. Name tags on desks? Check. Calendar up? Check. Student materials prepared on desks? Check. Intricately decorated bulletin boards? Check. Encour- aging greeting on the board? Check. Clever seating arrangement that easily allows for group work AND individual work? Check. Standards and benchmarks and content expectations memorized? Check. You’re positive this year will be a success. I mean, how could it not be?
Zoom in to the 100th day of school in your classroom and more impor- tantly, your 100th day of your teaching career. All the preparation you put into your classroom, the materials, the name tags, the seating arrangements, the bulletin boards, now seem to mean nothing. The classroom is in shambles.
The students constantly argue and continuously disagree. The phrase “so
and so did this” is beginning to test your patience. Almost every student
is missing at least one homework assignment and the students seem to be merely going through the motions, showing little to no enthusiasm or interest in your classroom or the subject matter. How could this have hap- pened? Luckily, I have the answer, and it is two powerful words. Learning communities.
You’re probably thinking “Well, if learning communities are so integral to a classroom, why didn’t one of my dozen professors ever mention this little tidbit of knowledge?” Problem is they most likely did. You were probably just too busy daydreaming to hear it. I mean, why listen to your
HOW CAN I BUILD A LEARNING COMMUNITY IN MY CLASSROOM: Strategies for Including All Children
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© Keith Knighton
TEACHER VOICE