Our very first step is to build a community where the children see themselves as part of something greater than themselves. An equal member of a team who has their own opinions and where they are unafraid to be who they are meant to be. Creating common language for "how we do business" and guidelines for our physical space and how we will interact to make our time together overflowing with collaboration and learning.
Beyond building a larger community, ensuring that each individual child has an opportunity to express their ideas and concerns freely and in an atmosphere that is abundant with kindness and love so they are able to practice being vulnerable and supported. This is achieved by providing situations where students are places outside of their comfort zones but the experiences are such that there is scaffolding in that learning. I like to think of creating a classroom community and building a strong sense of self as I think about teaching anything. Crafting ways to scaffold new learning so it is placed on the top of older learning and then practice, practice, practice in an environment that is trusting and safe.
I will be at the classroom door every morning to greet them as they come in and they will have expected activities at the tables when they arrive. Structure and order are important for kindergarten students and when they know what is expected they will not only be building independence but will have a certain calm knowing the expectations. We will have morning meeting time where we will work on specific language, reading, math, and social skills. The day will continue with the underlying expectation of kindness, safety, and excitement for learning as we travel from activity to activity and place to place. It doesn't take long to build the foundation for learning in our classroom but the work comes in the rest of the building throughout the year.
Rest assured this process is not always without bumps or set-backs. Being vulnerable can feel scary to most of us and it isn't a good feeling most of the time but I can assure you that practice along with seeing that all of the class is working on the same skills (even their teacher) it will be time well spent!
