{"id":20343,"date":"2023-09-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=20343"},"modified":"2024-07-16T10:33:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T17:33:45","slug":"5-ways-to-create-an-authentic-classroom-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2023\/5-ways-to-create-an-authentic-classroom-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways to create an authentic classroom culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did you know that kids can smell inauthenticity? Middle school math teacher Kailey Rhodes<\/a> recently shared this friendly word of caution on The Continuing Educator<\/em><\/a> podcast. Kailey and her co-host, Jacob Bruno<\/a>, executive vice president of Learning & Improvement Services at NWEA, chatted about how to establish an easy and natural rapport with students, and why an authentic classroom culture matters so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u201cAsk your kids what they want! And other secrets of building a better classroom culture,\u201d<\/a> Kailey and Jacob reflected on what they\u2019ve learned about how to establish an authentic classroom culture that fosters trust and helps students thrive. If you\u2019re a teacher looking for new ways to improve your own classroom culture, here are five tips and best practices to keep in your back pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ask your kids about their experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the start of the year, I always [ask my students to share] things they have not enjoyed about previous classrooms,\u201d says Kailey. \u201cIt\u2019s a little controversial, because it does<\/em> kick off the year with them reliving some negativity. However, [when they share] these anecdotes with me, I learn so much about them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By starting the year this way, teachers can learn things about their students that otherwise might not surface until much later, if at all. Kailey recalls students telling her about moments when they felt rushed by their teachers or disrespected by their peers. She has also heard stories from kids who felt that their learning styles weren\u2019t valued or that teachers liked other kids better. Teachers should tread carefully in asking kids to share some of their less happy memories in the classroom, but it\u2019s undeniable that a great deal can be learned this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust giving a voice to [these experiences] in a classroom is such a gift to me, and I love hearing about it and spending a few days actively listening,\u201d says Kailey. \u201cWe put these things on giant Post-Its and talk about what a healthy classroom looks and feels like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this day, Kailey has some words of wisdom posted on her classroom wall that originated in these kinds of conversations. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n