An important ritual for teachers is to have their morning embrace. They think about who they want to be and talk about the importance of relaxing before the day, so they can achieve their goals for the day. This is important each and every day to continuously be thinking about what and how they want to achieve new levels of character, expertise, and purpose. This is one way a teacher can honour themselves and continue their own way of doing and teaching. If this is what teachers can do, what about what teachers can do for the students?
To acknowledge students’ different ways of learning and creativity, I have seen teachers give students the ability to choose their own essay topics, which encourages research and sharing. Similarly, teachers have allowed students to choose different types of formats like videos, presentations, songs, art, or posters. This allows the student to truly appreciate the work they are doing for their learning. Additionally, I have seen teachers explore different current events which allow students to spark their own creativity from protests and movements around the world. These are all important in ensuring that students enjoy their school work and discover more about themselves in the process. This is why I will be implementing similar types of learning in the classroom. I believe any learning that can impact self-development as well as add to student knowledge is important. Now, these are only ways of allowing ways of doing at the individual level.
To build a sense of community and grow the whole classroom, teachers can also listen to students and learn from them. This gives a feeling of respect to the students, and it shows you care when you ask questions and become interested in their lives. This also encourages students to do this with others. It is important for teachers to express the importance of individuality but also explain the value of our similarities. When different cultures come up, teachers can let students speak about their cultures so the community can learn more, expressing the importance of community. Teachers should have class discussions and group discussions to spread communication skills, and consequently, this will inherently build a sense of community. When we know each other’s goals, livelihoods, and opinions, the community builds fast through discussion and openness. Teachers need to give a sense of togetherness and authenticity between the students and teachers to create an open environment, thus allowing a community and hospitality to build.
Teachers can build hospitable and invitational environments by not separating students and encouraging discussion. All educators can do this by putting students in groups or allowing them to choose tables to sit at. This makes students more comfortable when entering the class, especially on the first day and encourages discussion with other students before class even begins. When you ask about their days and lives, it makes the students feel more welcome and excited to come into the class. When we expose students to opinions and views, we have got to show them these unbiasedly without trying to change their opinion, letting them decide on their own. When we respect their views and allow them to speak about them, they can feel invited into the classroom. Aspects of both community building and an inviting environment are similar which are caused by a consistent growth of accepting students and their cultures.