Another important thing that I do for community building is very simple and it requires no planning or materials. This is something that I do all year long. It is simply talking to my class. I always have my class community in mind and take every opportunity to work on the environment.
In the beginning of the year I get to know the students as quickly as I can. I ask them their parents' names, siblings, pets, hobbies, etc. I make a point to remember this information and then I ask the students often about their family. We do a lot of connecting to each other through these conversations. The students also know that I care about them as people as well as students.
As the year moves along, I keep a very close ear to what is important to them. If something is happening that I think would be beneficial to talk about, then I take time out of the academic day to do so. Some example topics may be a death of a family member or pet, home event, illness, news event, etc. Other examples may be positive things like birthdays, sports accomplishments, or hobbies that students might be involved in.
I find that this community building really makes the students know that I care about them. When they know that I care, they work hard, and also trust me when they need help with something. These connections are one of my favorite parts of being a teacher.
