Teachers: As you return to the classroom, you may be tempted to hit the ground running with content. The truth is, students need help building social skills and establishing positive relationships.

<h2>Before Content Comes Community</h2><p>COVID-19 has undoubtedly had profound impacts on education. Because students may have fallen behind academically due to the pandemic, educators may be tempted to hit the ground running with content. Although the desire to gain academic ground is understandable, the truth is that students are in dire need of building social skills and positive relationships. Therefore, it is essential that before content comes community.</p><p>The foundation of every successful classroom is community-building. This community isn’t simply built of students, but it’s created among all stakeholders. This includes students, teachers, parents, classroom aides, behavior interventionists, school administrators, and many others. Community-building fosters both social skills and classroom engagement. Increased levels of engagement allow educators to teach more effectively once they do begin content instruction.</p><h2>Teacher Resources for Building Community in the Classroom</h2><p>These resources are designed to help ease the transition back to the classroom as well as build a sense of community:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/icebreakers-for-kids-elementary-students/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">10 Simple Icebreakers for Elementary Students</a></li><li><a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/middle-school-icebreakers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Icebreakers for Middle and High School Students that Really Work</a></li><li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-community-restorative-circles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Building Community with Restorative Circles</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr_s3kzjX-g" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">60-Second Strategy Shout Outs video</a></li><li><a href="https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/getting-started-establishing-ground-rules" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Getting Started Establishing Ground Rules</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gettingsmart.com/2021/08/building-community-and-social-emotional-learning-in-the-new-school-year/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Building Community and Social-Emotional Learning in the New School Year</a></li></ul><h2>Community as the Foundation for an Inclusive and Productive Learning Environment</h2><p>Since having a class with a strong sense of community makes such a lasting impact upon learning, we believe that it’s worth the investment of time and recommend setting aside 5-10 minutes daily at the beginning of the school year for community-building. According to a study by <a href="https://maec.org/resource/building-relationships-for-student-success/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bryk and Schneider</a> (2004), “healthy relationships build trust which in turn leads to inclusive and productive learning environments.” To continue fostering positive, healthy relationships among students, be sure to schedule community building activities on a repeated basis.</p><p>Thank you for reading our resource on building community in your classroom, compiled by our team of educators. We hope you find it a useful addition to your teaching toolkit. Don’t forget to bookmark these resources for future use!</p><p>If you’re ready to embark on your next adventure as an educator, see our latest <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/job-search" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">teaching jobs now</a>.</p><p><br></p>

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