In order to create a community in a classroom, the teacher needs to foster trust, respect, tolerance, and teamwork within their classroom environment. Students need to have a place in the classroom where they feel safe, and are able to express themselves without feeling attacked or judged. The teacher should also embrace diversity in the classroom by encouraging his/her students to share cultural differences with their peers, which may help to demystify previous misconceptions. By providing an environment where students could work together will help each student feel respected as valuable part of their community.
In Ralph Fletcher’s novel, “Walking Tree,” he informs us about a young lady, named Tanya Clayton who wrote an explicit essay entitled, “The Half-Autobiography.” Tanya writes openly about the abuse she had faced, both physically and sexually, as a young child. It was amazing to see, that despite her traumatic experiences, Tanya felt safe enough in her classroom write about such a personal event.
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2 comments:
Hi Susie,
I definitely agree that in order to have a community in the classroom you need tolerance and respect. I think it is essential for the students to share their cultural differences to promote tolerance. Through sharing their differences students can also learn from one another and understand each other better. I think as a teacher it is important to foster an environment where there is no judgment and everyone feels comfortable sharing.
In “Walking Trees,” I thought Ralph did I great job responding to Tonya’s question about which part he liked best. I think that must have been an uncomfortable moment for him
I like the example from the book that you gave. It definitely helps encourage people to communicate freely when they don't feel like they will be judged. It is also helpful if they feel like there are other people out there who have gone through the same thing.
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