Teachers are very influential in the lives of children and the community of the school. Most teachers have more contact with children per day than parents do. There are many exciting ways for teachers to use their influence to build community within the classroom and to bring aspects of the wider community into the school setting.

Building a Classroom Community - This very readable 52-page resource describes ways for teachers to build community in the primary/junior grade classroom. It has concrete suggestions on how to go about building trust, supporting the strengths of the children, and teaching respect and responsibility. Some of the headings include: The value of a classroom community; welcoming children to the classroom community; using meetings to build a sense of community; helping children relate positively to others; promoting social problem solving skills; and the school as a community.

Connecting Schools and Families - The many beneficial impacts of parental involvement in the classroom are described in this article as well as ways for schools to decrease the barriers that keep parents from getting involved in the classroom.

Milstein Child Safety Centre: Service Project - This article offers a concrete guide for people wanting to involve children in planning a service project. It helps teachers or parents to think of what questions they need to ask and what aspects they need to consider along the way.

Parental Involvement in Secondary Schools - It has been shown that parental involvement in schools declines as students grow older. One reason is that some parents who have not gone as far in their education may feel uncomfortable or unwelcome at the school. It is important for parents and teachers to see each other as allies and to establish friendly contact early before any problems arise.

40 Developmental Assets, Search Institute - Search Institute developed a list of 40 developmental assets that are concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential to raising successful young people. Some of these assets are not within a teacher’s control, however, if teachers are able to build relationships with students and create supportive environments, they will be able to impact many of the assets on the list.

Developing a Sense of Community - This article is written from the perspective of a third grade teacher who adapted the Tribes model to suit her classroom. She focused initially on two elements in the class meetings – reflection and appreciation. Using several concrete examples of conflicts that her class had, she describes the ways that they were able to work at solving them.

Educators for Social Responsibility - In contrast to the zero tolerance “quick fix” to problem student behaviour, ESR advocates a preventative model. One of their better-known programs is Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP). They also collaborated with Peter Yarrow and Operation Respect to offer “Don’t Laugh at Me” a bullying prevention initiative (see curriculum resources). This resource is available free to teachers in Canada and we highly recommend it. The RCCP program does not appear to be available to Canadians, however the description and principles of the program would be of interest for teachers wanting to learn more about conflict resolution in the classroom.

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