Creating an Effective Classroom Culture

Creating an Effective Classroom Culture

October 4, 2024

Our personal values are more than just beliefs.

They are the compass that guides our teaching.

They shape an environment where every student feels valued, respected, and empowered to expand to their full potential.

But they must be built from a core sense of who we are as a person. Not from educational jargon-books, or cute posters you’re given at the beginning of the year, and not even necessarily from your school’s mission statement.

These values need to be about you. You as a person on this earth.

As we all know, teaching is a craft that is a personal reflection of who we are as people. We are literally on display every time we stand up in front of our students.

Which is every, single day.

Having a clear idea of what our personal values are, and then using them to build a classroom culture based on our values, and then…

Wait for it…

Having a plan to preserve that environment on a daily basis, especially when we are most challenged, is the key to creating the ultimate place for children to learn and grow and become the people they want to be.

But how are we going to do that?

With clear attention.

One step at a time.

So, let’s take a step back for a second.

Remember Danny from last week's newsletter, Understanding "Our Stuff?

Danny is the profile of student who, for whatever reason (and many reasons), pings me more than other students do.

It’s a bit irrational actually.

As a result, Danny has the ability to disrupt the learning environment for everyone.

Not because he actually has that much power but rather because I must appropriately manage my own reaction to him so as to not pollute the environment for everyone.

This is an important point that we will circle back to in a second.

Understanding our Personal Values

In preparing for an on-site faculty training last year, I came across this video of Steve Kerr. Among many things, Steve Kerr is currently the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, an NBA professional basketball team that has dominated the league for the last decade.

He was born in Lebanon, he lived in Egypt and Tunisia as a kid, before attending the University of Arizona.

He’s an international kid through and through.

Important Note: I loathe sports analogies for educational purposes, so don’t worry, this isn’t a sports analogy.

This is a leadership analogy.

In fact, Steve’s ideas changed my teaching.

So, spend the next three minutes and 19 seconds watching this clip of an interview with Steve Kerr on Bob Myers’s podcast, Lead By Example.

What he talks about gave me language and purpose to un-gathered thoughts and ideas about my how I want to run my classroom. When you click it will start in the right place. You can stop it at the 20:30 mark.

How do we want our students to feel when they walk into our classroom?

Yes.

That!

So, ask yourself..

How do you want your students to feel when they walk into your classroom?

Or even before that.

As they think about your classroom.

Or as they walk towards your classroom.

It is so simple. And so good.

It is the key to an effective classroom culture, right?

What a great way to think about our teaching.

So, do this...

Ask yourself how you want your students to feel when they walk into your classroom? It doesn't matter what they are, just write them down.
Select your top three.

Boom!

Those are your personal values.

Write them down.

Hold them close.

You’ve just established the foundation of all things that go on in your classroom.

Which is to say with no hyperbole…

You just established the foundation of your educational philosophy.

That’s pretty cool.

Here is how I want my kids to feel when they walk into my classroom:

Safe
Included
Joyful

Those are the bedrocks of my educational philosophy.

They are what must be preserved over all content, curricula, admin needs, state testing, bad moods, late nights, lacks of sleep, crying babies at 3:00 AM, exhaustingly-long PD sessions. It don’t matter.

These things must be preserved.

Safety. Inclusion. Joy.

Three simple things.

Now, how does this tie back to what we talked about last week about Understanding “Our Stuff”?

Well, think about it.

If safety, inclusion, and joy are the pillars of my classroom, I can’t lose my cool and get angry at Danny. I can’t create an environment that is full of stress and tension. I can’t be volatile and irritable and moody because Danny just so happens to ping something deep inside of me that annoys me.

I can’t do that.

I also can’t let Danny make other students feel unsafe by offensive comments or excluded by silly little games. I simply can’t.

I’m telling you, having this clarity is just too good.

Our personal values are our guides on when and how and why to react.

I love that.

And then there's one last piece to consider...

What can we do to help remind us of that in the heat of the moment?

Because that’s really important too.

Here is what I realized.

I am most vulnerable to not being able to preserve these three pillars of my educational philosophy when I’m tired.

That’s it.

When I don’t get enough sleep.

So when Danny acts up and I feel that little spike in my heart rate, I literally ask myself, “Hey, man. Have you gotten enough sleep lately? Are you tired?” Check in. Are you tired?

And nearly every, single time, the answer was yes.

I was tired.

Tiredness is the biggest threat to undermining my own sacred classroom values of safety, inclusion, and joy.

Oh, how powerful that is to know.

That’s powerful to know at about 9:30 at night when I should actually move toward bed, but it’s also powerful to know as I see my next class roll in and I don’t really feel like standing up and giving that lesson.

"Brad, you tired?"

So…

Ask yourself.

What are your personal values?

Take a second or a minute or a day or a year to clearly articulate what they are to you, yourself.

Think beyond your teaching. Think about your life principles. Think about how you treat your dearest friends. Think about how you want to be treated and want to feel in an intimate relationship. Think simply about how you want humanity to treat one another.

Write down your thoughts.

Look them over.

Choose three.

And build from there.

See you next week.

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P. S. This newsletter was born of a Keynote address I gave in August at the Toddle IBDP Launchpad. If you'd like to see the full presentation, you can watch it here. Just click on "Educator's Track" once you're there.

Also, if you’re interested in learning more about the life of Steve Kerr, here are two links that I found as I was doing my research. You'll be glad that you did.

He’s an incredible man, coach, teacher, thinker, leader, human being.

Steve Kerr | 60 Minutes Interview

Steve Kerr | CNN Interview