Joy in the Classroom

Think back to your first grade classroom. What was it like? Was it colorful, playful, joyful? Did you feel safe enough to share your thoughts?  Personally, I have fond memories of first grade and recall the classroom being bright and cheery with a supportive teacher always there for the students. Imagine a classroom where this wasn't the case.

It is said in the "Rethinking our Classrooms" article that students need to have a classroom organized in a way that makes the students feel cared about by the teacher and by others. Imagine a classroom in which the teacher had NOTHING on the walls, not even the students work. That is not a welcoming environment. Students would feel like the teacher didn't even care about the classroom. Going beyond what is physically seen in the classroom, students should be involved in some sort of democracy in the classroom. If we want students to participate and learn about our democratic society, we should teach it in the classroom. I really liked this idea.

Simple ways to bring joy in the classroom include showing off student work, giving student's choice and finding pleasure in learning. These ways can promote how actual society works and promote a healthy and joyful classroom which is so so important. A classroom NEEDS to be happy, any other atmosphere is just social injustice.