Cerrito has begun Tuesday afternoon “Meetings for Business.” These are born out of a little blue notebook that rests on Tahiti, the side table where students go for a quiet refuge. Students write in the notebook with a special pen when they have issues in the community. They implicate the people with whom they are having challenges, and they sign their name. They try to work their problem out before we meet, but if not, we use the meeting to talk about the issue candidly. Students share their perspective and classmates pipe up with their advice. We begin these meetings with a minute of mindfulness and by reading our community agreements. We have already had some therapeutic moments in our two meetings thus far, and ultimately, this structure will give strength to our community through open and honest communication.
One other aspect of community building teachers introduced today is “Self-Governing Contracts.” Students write up a contract when they would like the communities help changing a behavior. They design their own consequences for when they break the contract, and the community tries to support them in their efforts. Some of those will come home tonight, so check them out, maybe your child asked the community for help! I’m very proud of those that took on this big work!
Enjoy the photos below of the vibrant writers workshop. Students are writing fiction this unit, as per their request. It’s challenging to do, and challenging to teach. There’s so much an author has to do well to create a viable narrative with realistic characters. We will use extensive graphic organizers, put time in each day to composition, and rely on classmates to give solid feedback.
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