Sylvia Allan

Reflect on what you learned about creating community in your classroom from our visitor, Sylvia Allan.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sylvia Allan's visit to our classroom. I feel like she is an ideal role model for building a classroom community. She really helped me see how important morning meetings are in the community building process. The stories she told of the successes and trails of her students will stay with me forever. She along with her students came together to build a family unit. The group was there to celebrate and mourn each others' life experiences.

I love that morning meetings allowed her students to gain a voice and feel empowered. It helped her students to feel loved and cherished. The students became invested in the teacher-student and peer relationships. Each student gained confidence in themselves as learners and also gained accountability for their learning and success. I firmly believe that children that are part of a classroom community are able to thrive in school in a way that without that community they would not do as well in a school environment. Community creates the necessary safety net that allows children to take the necessary risks so they can succeed and learn to the fullest extents.