<a href="https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-community-classroom/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Creating a community in your classroom</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is so much more than just pronouncing names correctly. But if that is where you are most comfortable beginning, then that is a good place to start.</span>

[caption id="attachment_147" align="alignnone" width="1046"]<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/TamMbr4okv4"><img class="size-full wp-image-147" src="https://name-coach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-26-at-8.24.53-PM.png" alt="" width="1046" height="493" /></a> <em>Image Credit: @goian on Unsplash</em>[/caption]

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Community. It sounds easy, but you know it will be more challenging. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the reasons creating community is so complicated is that the definition of community changes for each class, each semester, and each year. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Further problems arise that will change your community on a weekly or daily basis. This can be caused by a change in your students’ living and/or guardianship situations, additions to your roster, as well as certain times of the year -- anniversaries of loved ones’ deaths, winter break/holidays, etc. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are my top five ways to create a community in your classroom:</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span>
<ol>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Learn their full names.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><a href="https://name-coach.com/blog/good-teacher-student-relationship-starts-with-the-students-name/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pronounce their names correctly</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Learn their last names. Know how to spell both their first and last names. Your students might not like their names, they may ask you to use a nickname, but they will never forget the ones who got the original pronunciation and spelling correct.</span></span>&nbsp;</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Be yourself.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t try to be anyone else. It’s really that simple. Learn jokes. Take a joke. Have some personal items and photos around your classroom. Share a little about your background. Talk about your family and what interests you. You’ll find out that you will have something in common with your students beyond just being in the same room. You’ll like the same movies, actors, songs, bands, colors; you were born in the same place, have same number of siblings, etc.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I start each year with a presentation about myself. I show pictures of my family, talk to them about what I like and where I’m from. I end with my favorite quote from “Hamlet” </span><a href="http://nfs.sparknotes.com/hamlet/page_94.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">(“...never doubt I love…”)</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and talk about how much I’m dedicated to making this a successful year for us all.</span></span>&nbsp;</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Get to know you activities.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spend the first day doing </span><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/blog/back-to-school-strategy-building-community-anne-shaw"><span style="font-weight: 400;">a few fun activities</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, there are a lot of options: </span><a href="http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/two-truths-and-a-lie.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 Truths and a Lie</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “Who Am I?” poems and worksheets, “About me” posters and powerpoint presentations. </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/125397170850051823/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">My favorite is this worksheet</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Students generally answer honestly and if you are paying attention, you’ll discover in the first week who hates school, who is a loner, who might have a difficult home life, etc.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The good news is there are a lot of options available for free online, especially on Pinterest. </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=all%20about%20me%20handout%20first%20day&amp;rs=guide&amp;term_meta[]=all%7Ctyped&amp;term_meta[]=about%7Ctyped&amp;term_meta[]=me%7Ctyped&amp;term_meta[]=handout%7Ctyped&amp;term_meta[]=back%20to%20school%7Cguide%7Cword%7C2&amp;add_refine=first%20day%7Cguide%7Cword%7C4"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pinterest is your friend</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></span>&nbsp;</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Inviting atmosphere.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">This one stresses a lot of teachers out, but it doesn’t need to. Your room just needs to reflect your personality as well as things that will welcome and interest your students. If you’re minimalistic, then your walls will be plain and organized. If you’re like me, they will be covered with quotes, candid photos, student art, and humorous memes.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">But atmosphere is more than that. It is also your body language, what you say, how you say it, and how you act -- especially when no one is looking.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Greet your students when they enter your room. Wish them a good day or a good weekend when they leave your room. Remember conversations, refer to the details later -- how did you enjoy the _____ concert? What did you do for your birthday? etc.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Children instinctively know when an adult is genuine. When they recognize you as one, they will treat you accordingly. If your students have been hurt or betrayed before, then you have a long road ahead of you, but it’s worth the wait and the work.
<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/tSfuLGojT60"><img class="size-full wp-image-148" src="https://name-coach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-26-at-8.28.42-PM.png" alt="" width="1052" height="693" /></a></span><em style="font-size: 14px;">Image Credit: @mpbasham on Unsplash</em></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><b>Current Events and Song Analysis.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are my favorite assignments. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once a week, I have my classes choose a current event, usually we go to a local news site and scroll through the headlines until we agree on one we want to know more about. I’ve discovered a lot about my students this way, especially their opinions on hot topics like gun laws and sex trafficking. Plus it’s a great way to make them more aware of the world around them… as well as making me aware of the world around me. Many times an “unnamed” victim or shooter is a friend or cousin or neighbor of one of my students, which leads to a whole new set of conversations. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also once a week, I have my classes choose from a jar of song titles (that we fill throughout the week). We then listen to the lyrics being read, watch the music video, and then analyze what the song actually means and connect it to a current or old lesson. This helps the students delve deeper into their own interests as well as helping me find new ways to connect with them -- either because I like the songs they choose or they like the songs I choose! </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><a href="http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/bluestein-building-classroom-community.shtml"><span style="font-weight: 400;">These exercises also help</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to broaden the horizons of everyone involved and help the students to be able to have discussions appropriately (be polite, take turns, be respectful of others’ opinions).</span></li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_149" align="alignnone" width="5351"]<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/VVgVlH1D10U"><img class="size-full wp-image-149" src="https://name-coach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/slava-bowman-161206.jpg" alt="" width="5351" height="3652" /></a> <em>Image Credit: @slavab on Unsplash</em>[/caption]

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<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This post is submitted by Sarah Frohmberg, a high school teacher in Kansas City.</span></i>