A Week Away & the Power of Classroom Communities
Years ago, I used to start every school year with a novel study of E. L. Konigsburg’s classic children’s novel From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The book tells the story of a brother and sister who, despite their differences and arguments, decide they will run away together to the Metropolitan Museum of New York. The big idea of the book is that the point of going on a journey or adventure is to return changed. We would read this story as a preparation for a week-long residential trip together. We wanted the children to head away from the comfort of their normal lives, face challenges together as a group (to learn more about themselves and about their classmates) and return to school transformed into a team. As E. L. Konigsburg put it:
“What happened was: they became a team...There had been times before they [went] away when they acted like a team, but those were very different from feeling like a team. Becoming a team didn't mean the end of their arguments. But it did mean that the arguments became a part of the adventure, became discussions not threats. To an outsider the arguments would appear to be the same because feeling like part of a team is something that happens invisibly. You might call it caring.”
A healthy and productive classroom is one in which the students not only get along with or simply tolerate each other, but in which they are able to encourage and learn from one another. In other words: a caring classroom. To enable and nurture such relationships, teachers plan a range of activities to develop them within the classroom. Indeed, it’s an essential part of each lesson, across grades and subject areas. Throughout the year (in class, at recess, during lunch and more) students are given regular opportunities to bond together and develop positive working and social relationships. This is also a central characteristic of field trips that students take, where they share common experiences outside the four walls of the classroom.
This past week, the Grade 5 students have been away at Nethybridge, an outdoor educational centre near Aviemore. Prior to the trip, each Grade 5 child was asked to consider the strengths and needs of their community and was tasked with setting personal goals to achieve during the trip. Each day, the goals were reviewed individually during a reflective journal session, and collectively during an evening circle time known as “Congratulations”. As a participant, it was uplifting and heartwarming to observe the Grade 5 students complimenting each other for individual achievements and offering each other gestures of support and goodwill. A culture of cooperation and encouragement was firmly established over the course of the week of activities, and it is something that the group members will carry back with them to sustain their efforts for the remainder of the school year. Indeed, these experiences will pay dividends for years to come. They will return changed, no longer just classmates, but as a team.
Some memorable quotes from the fifth graders this week:
“This whole week was amazing. You get to make new friends and you’re always doing something else out in nature!”
“I feel so mature! You get to do stuff like make your own lunch!”
“Can we stay for two weeks? Please!”
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