Creating a Safe and Supportive Classroom

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In order for students of any background to learn, they must feel safe and supported (Parrett & Budge, 2012).  Although this may sound simple, that may not always be the case.  Students may live in chaotic home environments, may be experiencing homelessness, may be food insecure or many other things.  62% of children have physical symptoms related to stress caused by various sources like not getting enough sleep, overstuffed schedules, media saturation, bullying or teasing, and academic pressure (Shaw, 2015). In order to create a space where learning can happen these two aspects must be addressed by us as educators.  So how do we make our classrooms, as Goodwin and Hubbell (2013) would call them, oases of safety, positivity, and support?

Safe Classroom

Michael Rhod,  a teaching artist and arts-based community organizer (1998) says a safe space is "A working environment where participants feel comfortable playing and honestly sharing their thoughts and feelings” (p. 5).  This is in the context of theater and improvisation, but it can be applied directly to any working environment like a classroom.  One great way to have students honestly share and feel comfortable to play and be themselves is the use of a classroom covenant for acceptable behavior.  It is important to be clear and that your students are clear about what behavior is acceptable in the class (Goodwin & Hubbell, 2013).  A classroom is a group enterprise that works best when both teacher and students interact with one another in ways they have agreed upon in advance (Haskins, 2015).

A class covenant can be created the first day.  Students and teacher gather around a large paper and go over how they will agree to behave in the class.  When I create a covenant with classes, I like to start with the basic PBIS tenets that they see in our whole school.  Ours are being safe, respectful, responsible, and kind.  Those are so broad that I ask students to give examples of how to do these things for our covenant.  These items become the main points of the covenant.  It is also important to remind them that it is not the same as a class contract.  A contract has an easy out clause, meaning if you break the contract it is over.  A covenant however, doesn’t work that way.  If you break a part of the covenant, you and the group have to work together to get you back into the covenant.  That is my favorite part about covenants, they focus on getting back in and not pushing out.  What better safety net is there than that?  The students and I sign the covenant signifying that we agree and understand that it can be changed when needed.

Supportive Classroom 

Good, comprehensive support in the classroom uses a needs-based approach and the mindset of doing whatever it takes to make students successful (Parrett & Budge, 2012).  This may sound a tad radical, but “whatever it takes” has to be the bottomline for student support.  If kids are hungry then feed them; if kids are dirty then wash them; if kids are tired then find a way for them to rest.  Without these basic needs fulfilled, teaching is a losing battle to a student’s survival instinct.  This is especially true as some of us head back into classrooms amongst a pandemic.  My goal for this year is basically making sure the students are physically and emotionally healthy.  If they learn about science and technology along the way, great.  

In the meantime there are some practical things that we can do to create supportive classrooms for students.  Here are some suggestions from Parrett and Budge (2012) for doing just that:

  • Understand the influence of the student's life situation on learning.  Take the time to get to know each student’s situation so that you know what supports are needed.

  • Foster a bond between you and the student.  This means taking time to create relationships with students, setting high expectations, and providing tools to support these expectations.

  • Create Advisory groups and smaller learning environments.  Create small groups of students that meet regularly with their mentors or advisors, maybe you or another staff member.

  • Create links between school and home, teachers and families.  Make sure that you are communicating with families not just about problems, but successes.  The more you know about students' lives outside of school, the more you can support inside.

  • Focus on Trust.  Trust is “...the essential building block in the positive relationships that foster authentic school improvement” (Parrett & Budge, 2012, para. 57).  The translation: do what you say you will and expect the same of students.

If we as educators can create safe and supportive spaces for students so much of the work will be done.  That doesn’t mean it is easy, but it is worth it.

References

Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: a checklist for staying focused every day. ASCD, McREL International.

Haskins, M. E. (2015, March 4). A Classroom Covenant. BizEd. Retrieved from https://bized.aacsb.edu/articles/2015/03/a-classroom-covenant

Parrett, W. H., & Budge, K. M. (2012). Chapter 8. Fostering a Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Learning Environment: How HP/HP Schools Do It. In Turning High-Poverty Schools into High-Performing Schools. ASCD. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109003/chapters/Fostering-a-Healthy,-Safe,-and-Supportive-Learning-Environment@-How-HP~HP-Schools-Do-It.aspx

Rohd, M. P. (1998). Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue: Hope Is Vital Training Manual. Heinemann Press.

Shaw, G. (2015, August 27). 10 Reasons Your Child Might Be Stressed. WebMD. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/special-reports/kids-and-stress/20150827/what-you-can-do