In what ways will you seek to build community:
In order for students to act like a community, they must do the things that community members do. Everyone in a community is important and must work together to feel as though they are unified. First and foremost, a good sense of school pride is key. Pep assemblies are perfect for student and school community. I am not sure if it has been done before, but I would like to have an English Pep Assembly. All of the English classes in the school will prepare something for the assembly. Students can put on a mini skit, do a dance routine, make posters…. the possibilities!!
I think it is extremely important for teachers to model for the students a good sense of school community. When school staff works in a unified manner, then it starts to rub off on the rest of the school. I would love to have interdisciplinary practices throughout the school. Students need to have a well rounded sense of self and all subjects. We are sending these students out after high school and as teachers our job is to show just how connected everything is, and we can do so in our high school microcosm of the world. Getting together with other teachers to discuss what we will be teaching during the year will also help us understand what is going on in the student's lives outside of class. I will not assign a ten-page paper the same day as they have another large assignment due in another class. We all just need to work together to make learning possible for our students with as little stress as possible.