It doesn’t really matter how long you have been in teaching. You need to always look forward to doing something good and fruitful for your students. It doesn’t matter whether your students know you or not. You still need to create the safe classroom ambience which will both challenge and nurture your students.
Every teacher can purposely and intentionally create a safe place where all students are allowed for bringing their genuine selves to the classroom and expressing the opinions and thoughts which they hold. But how will you do this? Well… Here there are some tips for creating an emotionally safe classroom:
Keep the first few weeks of school simple: Repeat the rules and schedule again and again. Once a student feels comfortable with the school day, you can more easily introduce flexibility and change.
Be attuned to every kid’s overload point: Help kids find some solitude and space when they appear to be overwhelmed.
Be predictable in your interactions with kids: This is more crucial than the number of minutes spent in every activity.
Keep the praise heavy and the first challenges light: Pleasure and confidence come only from success. So, let everybody succeed at something.
Never forget that you make all the differences: The first experiences with school help reinforce a kid’s love and curiosity of learning. So, you need to create the social and emotional environment of safety which makes your classroom a place for ultimate learning.
