Creating a Positive Classroom Culture: Strategies for Success from Day One
I remember when I was in the classroom and the excitement that would buzz in my soul and my mind in the month of July. I was still in summer mode (pool, beach, maybe an adult drink in my hand), but I was also in the planning stages of what the school year was going to look like – specifically the first few weeks of school.
Historically, I always served in Title I/inner-city schools, and I absolutely loved it. The students there were hungry for someone to care about them. I didn’t necessarily realize this in my first year of teaching as I was so scared of “messing up” or “not being good enough” – you know, the good ole’ imposter syndrome. And, I know, our first year of teaching is the hardest. It certainly was for me.
I look back at my time in that second-story classroom with the incredible students I was privileged to serve, and I think about the ways we connected over the months. Most of my students were not on grade level nor were they on track to pass the required state assessments. I definitely cannot take all of the credit, but by the end of the year, 95% of the students passed the state assessments required for graduation.
As I reflect on my time in that space, I realize we created a classroom environment where every student knew they mattered and were cared for. Every student knew that if they slipped up today, tomorrow would be a fresh start. Every student knew that I believed in them and was rooting for them.
This did not happen overnight, but was the result of nurturing and respect, along with routines and procedures that cultivated a space of consistency with high expectations and accountability.
These five ideas and strategies helped cultivate a classroom culture that encouraged collaboration, mutual respect, empathy, compassion, and genuine concern for one another. Moreover, these practices helped foster a sense of belonging for everyone, showing that each individual within the space was valued.
1. Build Relationships:
Get to know your students beyond their academic abilities. Understand their backgrounds, interests, and challenges. Showing genuine interest in their lives builds trust and rapport. The first few days of school should be about fostering relationships and developing the classroom culture. Content will come. It is important to remember the necessity of these positive working relationships between teachers and students, and even among students themselves. How can you get students to talk with each other, interact with each other, and begin to foster those relationships?
ACTIVITY: Affirmations: There is power in creating a space where students can speak positively about themselves and see similarities in themselves with others. Have students write 18 affirmations about themselves and share them with their peers. This helps build connections based on shared experiences and interests. You, as the teacher, can participate too, to show trust and vulnerability.
2. Establish Consistent Routines:
Consistency provides a sense of security. When students know what to expect, it reduces anxiety and creates a stable learning environment. This is vital for our Gen Z/Gen A students and their success. Consistency is key. Whatever our routines and procedures are going to be, we need to explicitly teach them. I worked with a former colleague who had over 114 rules posted on his classroom wall. When students would mess up he would refer to whatever rule number and redirect them. While you may think that it is helpful, it actually is confusing to students. Rules should be reframed as expectations and should be collectively created with students and the teacher, together, to foster community. However, routines should be very clear with no grey area.
ACTIVITY: Think through all of the things happening in your classroom (turning in assignments, cooperative learning, not having a pencil, restroom pass, library, etc.) and think about the simplest routines and procedures that help you achieve your expectations around these. Then, during the first week of school make sure you explicitly teach each of these procedures to students and continue to reinforce them.
HINT: If you are on a team of teachers, collaborate to foster team-wide routines so that students have consistency throughout the day.
3. Set High Expectations:
Believe in your students’ potential and communicate those expectations clearly. High expectations motivate students to strive for their best. Empowerment is a critical component of fostering those positive relationships deeply rooted in trust. Students want to have a voice and choice and want to know that they have a sense of belonging in their school community, especially each respective classroom. When I was in the classroom, I would work with my students the first days of school to create our classroom expectations. This would ensure that when there were issues, I could hold them accountable, but there weren’t questions asked – they were part of the expectation creation process and fostered trust and belonging in our shared classroom family community.
ACTIVITY: Classroom contract - even at the university level, I still use this same process. Have students talk about, in small groups and large groups, what they see as expectations. How do we get along with each other? How do we show respect? What about our cell phones? For older students, what about food/snacks/water? As the teacher, you can facilitate the conversation and guide the process, but at the same time, ensure that students are contributing. At the end of the process, there should be shared agreements rooted in high expectations for all learners within the respective space.
4. Foster a Growth Mindset:
Encourage students to view challenges as opportunities to grow. Emphasize effort and perseverance over innate ability. Our Gen Z/Gen A students live in a world of constant conflict and instant gratification because of their devices and the technologically driven world in which they live. They need to be able to foster a growth mindset. Too often they quit an activity or a dream because they do not see progress towards it. We have to foster the power of “yet…” Focusing on gratitude and establishing a space of reflection is critical for students and helps foster empathy, compassion, and relationship building.
ACTIVITY: Gratitude journals - our students need to be writing more than usual with technology. Our students are more apt to be more honest in a written format than in oral dialogue. With a written focus on gratitude, students are encouraged to find 5-8 (less or more) things for which they are grateful. Even things that are hard and they did not master, how can they frame that as a learning experience? This should be ongoing and could be embedded with daily reflections to encourage growth, but also tenacity and perseverance.
5. Celebrate Successes:
Recognize and celebrate both small and large achievements. This boosts confidence and reinforces positive behaviors. Whether we realize it or not, individuals are more likely to be motivated through extrinsic rewards or recognition. This has to do with gamification and technology. Recognition has to be specific and personalized. For example, you want to use the student's name and clearly articulate what they have accomplished. This should be ongoing and should not matter how small it may appear; to a student that may be the world.
ACTIVITY: Shout Outs: Create a digital form and/or a space in your classroom titled “Shout Outs.” Encourage students to shout one another out. You, as the teacher, could use the space to shout students out too.
Additional Step: At the end of the week, use the shout outs to encourage reflection with students. This could be through a bell ringer and/or an exit ticket activity too.
As you begin to wrap your head around the beginning of the school year, I challenge you to explore these strategies and ideas as they apply to your respective classrooms. They are easy, short, and appropriate for all levels to not only reach and teach your students but to also understand them.
Whether you are a first-year teacher or a veteran, the work you do each day is vital and so appreciated. Thank you for answering the call to serve your community. We are better because of you.
I am rooting for you. Have a great day, and remember I am here to support you in any way that I can.
All my best to you and keep shining bright!
Dr. C