Organizing Independence And Ownership: Part 2

If I told you that there was a way to foster independence and ownership and respect and responsibility for all of the students in your classroom in 10 - 15 minutes a day, would you be willing to sacrifice the time?

I bet you will want to know more--especially since it sound too good to be true.

It is really simple, but it takes intentionality on the part of the teacher, and it may take awhile to see results. (Warning: you might never see the full results that you want, but I'm confident you will be planting seeds!

Here it is--{drum roll}--run a daily class meeting.

You might be saying right now, "That's it?" And if there is a fair amount of skepticism in your voice, I do understand. But I've watched it work some in the past. This year I really went at it because of an antibullying campaign our district had.

And now for the icing on the cake--the kids are leading the class meetings! There is a little folder with a calendar, a little form to fill out, greetings in lots of languages, and a list of possible topics for discussion.





It isn't working perfectly. I don't think it ever will. (I interrupt too much!) But kids are practicing leading a meeting, and that's a big dose of independence and leadership!

Coming soon. . .resources and suggestions for success with 4th grade class meetings!