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From Chaos to Community

Teacher uses student suggestions to create ideal classroom environment.

By Lisa Anderson

Hull Elementary School

Livonia, Mich.

Level: Grades 6-8

Subject: Social Studies

I was hired to teach 6th grade three days before school started at such a large school that they had formed it into eight schools-within-a-school. I had missed the orientation and was disoriented. I couldn’t even find the copy machine.

The last thing I wanted to do was model a chaotic beginning for students, so I decided to spend much of the first month on community building, using ideas from William Glasser’s The Quality School: Managing Students Without Coercion (HarperCollins, 1992, ISBN# 0-06-096955-5).

First, I asked my students to help me brainstorm about the worst possible classroom they could imagine. What would it look like, sound like and feel like? Then we brainstormed a second list about the best classroom they could imagine.

When these two lists were done, I slowly studied them in front of the students. Quietly, I mused, “So you think this is what a quality classroom would look like? Well, I know that I can give you everything that you have listed here.”

I signed the piece of paper, making it a contract. Next, I asked if they would like to come up and each sign it as well. The brainstormed list became an official document.

A few days later, we brainstormed another list: “What behaviors would hurt or help us maintain our quality classroom?” We categorized items as either “hurting” or “helping.”

From this, we did a writing assignment where they created a classroom mission statement and made posters for the room. Now, anytime a hurtful statement is made, I stand by the two lists and ask, “Is this hurtful or helpful?”

To reinforce helpful qualities, I use the phrase “playing before the line.” In one instance, I wrote the word “responsibility” - from the “helping” list - on the board and underlined it. Just under that, I wrote, “playing below the line,” and we talked about aspects such as blaming, being inattentive, being helpful, cooperative and prepared. Now when a child exhibits any quality I say, “Thank you for playing above the line.” Or, “You are playing below the line.” This language becomes their language, and I love it when I hear them use these terms outside the classroom.

To learn more about William Glasser’s work go to his website at www.wglasser.com.

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