MORNING MEETING & SONGS OF COMMUNITY

In this grade 1-2 multi-age, multi-racial, inclusive class, students begin the day with a morning meeting. They begin by sitting in a circle on the carpet and greeting one another. They are taught to say, "Good morning Jill" while shaking one another's hands. They learn to do this greeting in a different language every week.

Then they have a time where a couple of students share. Notice how the young boy is upset about something. But he's learned how to say what he is feeling. The teacher has made the classroom a safe place to express strong feelings.

The students later sing songs of community. this teacher spends much time explicitly teaching children the language of community. These first and second graders can tell you that they are a community in their class, how they solve problems when they have conflicts. You can see this occurring as part of the songs that they sing. Notice that the boy who had the difficulties earlier is now having fun participating comfortably.

Michael Peterson, 2003

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