One of my biggest priorities for my classroom is not organization, it's not being a master at content or differentiation, instead, it is being able to create a classroom community where students feel connected, safe and a part of something. Once they feel these three key elements, learning follows. I do a lot to build community. Be sure to download the Free Building Classroom Community Printables here!
Over the summer I did a lot of research on responsive classrooms and implementing class meetings. To have a class meeting, you have to have four key components: a greeting, time to share, an activity that encourages teamwork and a message about what is in store for the day. I fell in love with these People Who Are...Character Posters and thought they would be a perfect fit for our class meetings. 
Each week we have a focus that goes along with these posters. During the first week of school we focused on the Listener Posters. We talked about what makes someone a good listener. This poster helped guide our discussion in a meaningful way. Directly teaching and talking about the topics on these posters has been not only transformative, but restorative.
At the end of the day we hold class shout-outs. We have a fancy microphone where we take turns shouting people out for different things. The kids take turns sharing who they are shouting out and why. We place a clothespin with the name of the person we are shouting out on whichever topic from the chart matches.
For those students who are shy and don't want to share out on the microphone, we created a Kindness Counts Station in the classroom with a bunch of Cactus-Themed Student Notes that I created to help build community. That way instead of shouting them out with their voice, they can shout them out with the words.
These notes perfectly fit in the Clear Adhesive Pockets. When they are done writing their note, they can easily slip it into the pocket on the desk of the student they are shouting out.
Adding these posters and having a class meeting has been a game changer. It is easy to implement and doesn't take up too much time each day. The time spent on cultivating kindness and community will set the tone for the entire year. To start promoting community and kindness in your classroom grab the Your Kindness was Noticed Free Printable here.
