Honoring Kids' Voices in the Classroom

During the first week of school at TCS, students jump into their first collaborative decision — what their classroom name will be. Voting on a classroom name together gives children a sense of group pride and belonging. It also gives them a sense of ownership of their new learning space and their own school experience.

The message is, "We're not just the fifth grade, nor are we simply Mrs. Nitzsche's class: We are the LEVIATHANS!"

It's a chance for children to see first-hand that we have power over the determination and expression of our own individual and group identities.

What's in a Name? Choosing a class name also brings to the surface interesting conversationsm as well as practice in group dynamics and democratic process. For example our teachers in 4th grade, Mr. Matthew Tucker and Mr. Julio Resendiz, report: "We had previously decided to be the Kraziest Krakens in the Deep Blue, however one of our own felt that we should rethink the 'Kraziest' as a descriptor as it might be hurtful to those in our community. It was a moment for our students to have a discussion about social justice, democracy, and the power of words."

Rules and Expectations: Building Classroom Community During the first weeks of school, students in each classroom also work together on setting desired rules, norms, and expectations that everyone can agree on. The final product is a class agreement that is prominently posted and/or signed by all class students. Here are some examples of how this rights/responsibilities dynamic looked in several of our classrooms as they forged their class agreements:

Classroom Norms for the Happy Hydras "At the beginning of the year, we had the opportunity to create classroom norms. Through our conversation, we listed rights centered around what kind of learning environment we wanted. We also discussed the rights and needs of all humans, such as food and bathroom breaks. "This is an ongoing conversation that will continue throughout the year," say 2nd-3rd grade teachers Ms. Lucy Coria and Ms. Kendra Roberts. "We hope that students and teachers feel that others will listen and care when they speak up in our classroom."

Adolescents Set Forth Rights & Responsibilities In the 7th grade Gallant Garden Gnomes, and the 8th grade One-Eyed One-Horned Flying Purple People Eaters, the creation of class norms begins with a discussion of what everyone needs. Mr. Louie Kertgen, 7th grade teacher, and Ms. Gloria Mitchell, 8th grade teacher, both use the basic human needs identified by psychologist William Glasser as a springboard to discuss how students’ needs for survival, power, belonging, freedom, and fun can be met at school. 

“The class synthesized their ideas into 2-3 key needs from each category, which then built our list of rights and responsibilities,” says Mr. Kertgen. “We put them up in our classroom to refer back to if, for whatever reason, someone breaks our responsibilities or withholds our rights.” Here is a sample of some of the rights and corresponding responsibilities the 7th Grade Gallant Garden Gnomes put together this year as part of their classroom agreement:

Rights	Responsibilities
To express yourself	To avoid putting others down, to not be distracting
To boundaries: to say "no"	To respect others' boundaries: to respect the "no"
To feel safe	To help others feel safe
To be accepted	To accept others
To eat and drink in the classroom	To clean up after yourself, to not be disruptive
To choose what you do	To pick a good time and place for that choice

Beyond Ideas and Into Action Classroom agreements are an important tradition at TCS – one that not only honors children’s voices, but serves as a foundation for future democratic process and social justice work. When teachers involve students in setting expectations, students have the opportunity to reflect on how their actions affect others. They consider how they can contribute to a learning community that is welcoming, safe, and healthy. They feel invested in their classroom and engaged in their school experiences.

“We don’t just talk about democratic processes, we help young people enact them,” says Ms. Mitchell. “In creating classroom agreements, students learn that they have the power – and the responsibility – to help shape an environment that meets their needs.”