I have also re-read Habits of Goodness by Ruth Charney. This is one of the anchor works of the Responsive Classroom. It is a collection of eight case studies written by real classroom teachers about the social curriculum. I'm inspired by the depth of character and community they are striving to build in their classrooms. It's a quick read, but very thought provoking. I was especially challenged by one study called "ritual and real". This teacher was wanting children to go beyond surface politeness and really begin to care for one another.
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3 comments:
I am intrigued by the study which you mention in Habits of Goodness, "ritual and real". For many years I have worked at building classroom communities that follow that same principle. If students really care then it will not matter if a grown up is standing close by or not, the politeness and caring for each other will be there. There are years in which building this type of community works better than other years. Why do you think that is so?
Good question- and the best questions don't always have answers. My hope is to teach and model this type of interaction so that it is easier to achieve - I don't think students come knowing how to support one another. Is it pessimistic to admit that the really real community will not always happen? But I want to work hard like it always can happen. This will make for many great discussions. I'll get you a copy of the article. I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you are by school, they should have Habits of Goodness in the library.
Being realistic and being pessimistic are two different things. Realistically, goodness and caring has to be modeled much by all that are around the students all the time. Living together no matter what age depends upon us following the "golden rule" because we truly we believe in it...not because it is mandated. I think we would be in error if we did not try to build this type of community. The future success of our students depends on it. I'll check for the book when I get back by school.
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