TPE 11: Social Environment
 

Establishing a safe and positive classroom atmosphere must begin with the first class of the year and be reinforced on a daily basis through a variety of practices. I personally use the first week any new classes to build classroom community and forge relationships with my students and amongst my students. I have a variety of games that appeal to various types of student personalities that I use so that students can get to know one another better. I also facilitate a conversation surrounding classroom agreements, where the students establish the rules that must be in place for everyone to be able to learn and participate comfortably.  The agreements my students have chosen are 1.) One mic. 2.) Once these agreements are established, I type them out and have them posted visibly in my classroom where so the students can be constantly reminded about them, and be held accountable to them. I have various routines through-out the duration of the year that reinforce the ideas of respect, community, and solidarity. My students recite the poem "In Lak'Ech," written by Luis Rodriguez, which states:

"In Lak'Ech, I am you and you are me,

tu eres mi otro yo, you are my other me,

si te hago dano a ti, if I do harm to you,

Me hago dano a mi mismo, I do harm to myself,

si te amo y respeto, If I love and respect you,

Me amo y respeto yo, I love and respect myself."

Doing this poem not only provides a routine for the students that they know and enjoy, but reciting it automatically creates a sense of community and solidarity as the students recite it in unison. This poem is also in Spanish, which speaks to the fact that half of the student I am serving is Spanish-speaking, thus recognizing the linguistic pluralism of the learning space in the classroom.  Also, the routine of reciting this poem every class establishes that there is an expectation for every student to participate and be present while they are in class.