Roosevelt Public School teachers have implemented a way of educating that emphasizes social and emotional growth.
Roosevelt Public School second-graders participate in their morning meeting, a component of a new program called Responsive Classroom, on March 24. ERIC SUCAR staff The school has instituted a teaching approach that relies on practical strategies to help students build social-emotional competency. Developed by classroom teachers in 1981 and continually refined to meet schools’ needs, Responsive Classroom aims to increase student engagement and academic progress while decreasing discipline problems for a stronger and safer school community, according to Principal Shari Payson.
The principles that guide the approach recognize that social curriculum is just as important as the academic curriculum. They also point out that how children learn is as important as what they learn and that the greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
Above: Second-graders learn about empathy, diversity and respect during the morning meeting on March 24. Below: A Roosevelt Public School second-grader leads the class in an editing exercise. PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Ten classroom practices have been developed and implemented in accord with the seven principles that Responsive Classroom abides by. The morning meeting at each start of the school day is the heart of these practices. During the morning meeting, students gather together in a relaxed setting at the front of the classroom to greet one another, share news and warm up for the day ahead.
Payson said the morning meeting tends to students’ social and emotional needs while promoting academics and community service.
During second-grade teacher Susanne Shaw’s morning meeting on March 24, students recited “Round I’ll go. Friendly I’ll be. Round and round to a friend in front of me” before stopping in front of a classmate and greeting them with a “hello” or “good morning.” Students also greeted their teacher before sitting down in a circle for morning sharing. Shaw encouraged students to listen as their classmates shared information about their experiences on the previous day. She also taught them a hand signal that allowed them to silently express to others that they could identify with what was being said.
“The hand signal means ‘me too’ or ‘I can relate to you,’ ” Payson said, explaining that the signal is more respectful than interrupting by shouting out.
The second-graders talked about how the rain affected their day, keeping them inside playing video games instead of being able to play outside. They also listened intently to one of their classmates talk about getting new flooring in the house.
“It’s a very calming and nice way to start the school day,” Payson said, adding that those who did not get a chance to share during the morning meeting would have an opportunity to do so before the end of the school day.
The next part of the meeting paired the morning message with a language arts lesson. The message related to the students what they would be working on throughout the day but was written with fill-in-theblanks, as well as punctuation and spelling errors. As the students read the message, they filled in the blanks and made grammatical corrections. While this particular meeting focused on language arts, others may include math or science lessons.
Payson said that all teachers in the school start the day with some form of morning meeting to promote sharing, kindness and respect in the school community.
Sixth-grade teacher Jeff Santanello said the meetings help teach students how to converse with and listen to one another.
“The morning meeting teaches a lot about sharing, good sportsmanship and getting along with others,” Santanello said, adding that older students discuss social and other age-appropriate issues affecting them.
Payson said sharing feelings and knowing that someone is listening are the best ways to avoid anger and misbehavior. She said teachers’ words and actions go a long way toward helping children understand the value of being kind.
“In our effort to build and to use existing curriculum most effectively to build community around respect and diversity, we continue to work with Responsive Classroom,” Payson said. “The goal of community building is not simply to make students feel good, but rather to ensure that their membership in the classroom, school and community can lead to full participation in the learning process.”
Payson said that the Responsive Classroom program fits nicely into the mission of the school, which is to educate and inspire students to excel academically and to become independent and creative thinkers, skillful communicators and lifelong learners.
“Roosevelt Public School nurtures and challenges the unique potential of each student so that children will develop individual, social and civic responsibility as well as respect for themselves, each other and the environment,” Payson said.