Come together : how educators can create community within their classrooms

Schools are lacking a sense of community and connectedness on several different levels. Research shows there is less value being placed on creating healthy relationships and more value on what needs to be taught and learned in the classroom. This then creates an environment where students lack a sense of belonging and a strong sense of self. Interviews, surveys, and observations were conducted with staff and classroom teachers at Jackson Elementary School. Through this data collection it became clear the ways in which this school views the idea of community. Having a strong sense of community, they believe, is a central part in how their school and classrooms are successful. The ways in which each teacher goes about creating community at this particular school varies on the students and their environment. Therefore, an action was created to help foster a greater sense of inclusive community within the fourth grade classroom. The action suggested the benefits of unity with in the classroom and ways in which to build a greater sense of community for students and staff