Trust at First Sight: Week One of a Student-Centered Classroom

Tick...tick...tick the only sound in my quiet room is the clock, setting the pace, arranging the allotment of the final moments before it all begins. I am nervous, straightening my skirt, making sure my hair is in place. These personal readjustments are generally absent, but my anxiety had taken hold and I take one last sip of my coffee. The bell chimes, sending students into the corridors. I open my door prying it in place with a door stop. The ticking of the clock is replaced by the muffled voices of hundreds of students as they turn the corner and make their way into our hallway. Each carrying a schedule and nervously looking around for room numbers. I step into the crowd offering my help as a few students look like they will break down at any moment- the first day of school. Bringing with it a rush of exhilaration and excitement with an underpinning of shear dread. For me, not knowing their names is what stresses me out the most. I greet them one by one and they tell me their name, I repeat it back several times, making eye contact. This does one of two things: creates an instant bond with my extroverts or causes a little anxiety in my introverts but it makes it clear to me, which group every student falls into from the moment I meet them. I make sure to walk around the room and make eye contact again to slowly lure my introverts in. I keep it upbeat, low key and student-centered from the moment they enter the room. This is nothing different, almost every teacher has these same procedures the first day of school.

It isn't until my door closes, that our classroom becomes a collision of independence, flexibility and self-determination: "collidingwithscience." A one-word moniker used in every aspect of our classroom: Twitter, blog, You Tube channel and pod-casting. Our class motto: "We are colliding with science, hold on to your seats." Trust at first sight. Students make decisions and decide the responsiveness, mindfulness and atmosphere of our learning environment. As a teacher, I can set boundaries, write rules and expectations, but none will be effective unless students buy in to them and respect them. This, I have discovered through a lot of trial and error, occurs most effectively when students write, implement and monitor them themselves. When they choose to build a community rather than a classroom. Every privilege can be removed but if they commit to the locality they rarely have to be. Set the tone early, let them giggle and make some mistakes the first week, use these distractions to model class expectations and slowly but surely students will take over the monitoring themselves. I do not have a seating chart, students can sit where they want from the moment they enter. They realize quickly with the pace of the class, that not staying on task has consequences and I see them switching seats and rearranging themselves early on. They usually find a spot that works best for them by the end of the first week.

In many classrooms, the first day of school entails going over classroom requirements, rules, and looking over the syllabus. I do something a little different. I send home the syllabus and have an on-line Canvas quiz, just a few random questions to make sure they read over it. It does not count but I do not advertise this fact. This allows for us in class to complete a quick "get to know you" bingo game (10 minutes) to break the ice. Then as a group they write and edit the community goals and expectations. By the end of the first day of school, each class period has added their mission statements and intentions and I get them organized on the board for all to see when they enter the next day. Some of the objectives are argued, while others are vetoed. I add a star next to the disputed student-written rules and after a few days they edit and alter until as a group: all six classes agree on the wording and objective of their mission statement and community goals. I allow it to take a few days because this provides ample opportunity for everyone to chime in and for students to truly think about the way they want their classroom to operate. By day three, this mission statement and community manifesto is written on a poster, by students and hung for all to see. This is a flexible statement and throughout the year has been known to adapt due to a change in student outlook and attitude. Usually getting tougher on behavior management and incorporating more mindfulness strategies.

With community goals and a classroom vision in place, by day 4 most classes are on track and the lab safety unit is in full swing. This is the first standard for the class and I use it to spring board into a student-centered design where they create activities to meet the learning objectives. I give them an option of demonstration of knowledge. We watch a video on lab safety- Zombie College Lab Safety first, this lets them see my sense of humor and quirky personality immediately. I spend the week telling jokes and being silly but when they see my zombie and Dr. Who fandom come out this really makes a connection. Bringing pop culture in within the first few days sets the tone, oddball and open-minded, showing them, I am flexible. Then I introduce them to the makerspace, the freedom of tinkering, creation and innovation. I ask them how they would like to show me they understand the rules of the lab: They come up with many different ideas and I let them show me any way they choose. I have skits, raps, posters, even podcasts and videos. Whatever they feel comfortable doing. This brings them together as problem-solvers and gives them the independence they often lack in other classrooms. If it shows me they understand the importance of lab safety, they get an A. They ask lots of questions and this is a great time for them to trial and error and see where their comfort level is. We also begin the one-minute check in's this week, which requires every student to sit down with me one-on-one and ask questions or simply share ideas. This creates trust and a sense of comfortableness between myself and every student and I learn their names more quickly.

I never give too much instruction or direction that specifically ties them to an activity. They write many of the lessons, sometimes I need to help them tweak them a bit, but then they are off and running, designing and completing their own exercises and enterprises of choice. With some exceptions, I have some mandatory ones, but even then, I keep them as open-ended as possible. I have one goal with every activity, it can't lead to a desired, specific outcome. It needs to have multiple routes but also various strategies and ultimately a myriad of results that can explain the objectives independently. This is the tricky part. Students often design activities with a step by step procedure and one result. It takes time to get them to think beyond the solution and focus on the process. But once they do, this naturally takes them into an open-ended scenario. I model this with lab safety and cells because it takes a few times for them to get the hang of it. Students at first are very skeptical of this process because they are used to instructions and cookie cutter labs. I explain to them week one, "I am here not to teach you science, but to teach you how to teach yourself science." This can only happen if I step back and let them figure things out on their own. Once they get cozy with this process it is an amazing thing to watch, students self-regulating, understanding how they think and collaborating with one another to reach their goals.

It’s all about baby steps. The most important aspect of our student-centered classroom, hands down, is building a community. Students write and implement the classroom mission statement and community objectives. Then through cooperation and trust they find safe passage to the learning environment. This protected haven is reinforced through modeling and practice of the fundamental idea that students can lead themselves and are motivated to excel. They thrive on independence and will measure up to your expectations if you trust them at first sight. They must be given the opportunity to fail not be expected to. They need the atmosphere to grow together without interference from me. It is very difficult to say, "go figure it out," when my students are struggling. But, it is the best thing I can do for them as teachers. Not to simply provide them with challenges but to push them outside their comfort zones and force them to fail. This not only strengthens motivation and self-confidence because they will eventually succeed. It also builds character. It humbles, grounds and centers them. It creates a web of mindfulness because they look out for one another, through remediation and enrichment circles they help each other grow and flourish.

It may seem unreasonable to have a student-centered classroom, a truly student-driven culture by the end of the first week. But, it is not. It all comes down to one thing: trust. My students must trust and believe in me as soon as they meet me. I give them no doubt. I am funny, humble and genuine and trust is built with first glance. They need to trust each other, through the process of writing and editing the community goals and mission statements, students get to know each other and recognize they are stronger as a unit. They begin to cooperate and see eye to eye and this formulates a rapport almost unbreakable. Finally, as a teacher I must trust them at first sight. During the class changes the first week of school, I often hear "I know who my trouble maker is already." or "They are already on my last nerve." This makes me sad. How can someone make these judgments so quickly? If you feel this negativity, students do to. If I do not trust them, they will not trust me. If I let them sit where they want, that means I trust them. If I let them write the rules and procedures of the community, they believe in them and trust each other. If I am myself, purposeful, joyful and present every day, I smile and make eye contact, I listen and hear them, trust will be mutual and enduring.