Grow Culture

There is no doubt that before the school year begins every educator has a vision of what the culture of their class will look like.  In other words, if someone were to walk into your classroom on a whim, what is the vibe?  

If you’re like me, that vibe is always a bit out of touch with reality.  Maybe it’s the culture you’ve seen a teacher establish in your favorite inspirational “teacher movie” where that teacher saves the world through making such life-changing impact with his or her students.  Maybe it’s the culture you nostalgically remember of your favorite class growing up where the teacher was cool and everyone seemed to enjoy class.  

Either way, this “dream culture” you envision probably fails to realistically consider all the mundane moments you’ll experience throughout the school day.  In your “ideal classroom” you probably don’t envision that many students will never give you any satisfaction that they enjoy your class. In fact, some students will openly confront you that they hate your class. 

While you may never ultimately “arrive” at this perfect classroom, it is important to have the vision in your mind and to have a goal towards which you are striving. I believe you can take steps each year to grow the culture of your classroom a bit more towards that perfect picture.  I’ve been in the classroom for 17 years, and I am grateful to say that even this past year, I made some changes with how I ran my classroom that helped my classroom environment grow even closer to my dream culture.  Next year, I’ll work at taking another step.  

At Teach for 3, we want to help you:

1) clarify your vision of classroom culture

2) give you practical strategies to implement and develop your culture