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A classroom community rooted in care lays the foundation for student success and academic growth. When teachers demonstrate trust and encourage a sense of belonging in the classroom, students feel safe, connected, and encouraged to learn. A caring classroom enhances student retention, content mastery, and emotional well-being. For students to excel, teachers must consistently and intentionally plan ways to build connections with students and provide space for a comfortable and safe learning environment. The following are tangible ways to create a classroom community of care. 

When students feel connected and safe in the classroom, disruptive behavior decreases and engagement increases (Sprenger, 2020). 

 How to implement this: 

• Create all about me projects where students can share about their interests 

• Attend student events outside of class (i.e., soccer games, plays, concerts) 

• Have intentional conversations with students  

• Greet students when they enter the class 

• Introduce yourself and share your own “all about me” project so that students get to know you 

As you learn more about your students, and as they learn more about you, connections are built, relationships are formed, and community is cultivated.  

Students must feel safe and have their basic needs met to reach higher levels of mastery in learning. Teachers should promote a classroom of emotional safety so students are willing to engage in higher-order thinking and problem solving with confidence. (Sprenger, 2020) 

How to implement this: 

• Offer student choice in assignments (i.e., create a song or act out the story) 

• Vary instructional methods to ensure all students' needs are met 

• Provide structure in the class through routines and class procedures 

• Model active listening with students 

• Teach students to listen to one another 

Both Maslow and Bloom’s theories underscore the importance of learning, but they also work effectively when implemented together. Once a student feels safe, when basic needs are met, and a sense of belonging is established, he or she can focus more on the task at hand, engage in the learning process, and achieve higher degrees of learning.  

Students benefit from multiple opportunities to practice higher level thinking, which include 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. It is important for teachers to create spaces for students to practice these skills in safe environments that build confidence and community through collaboration with peers. 

 How to implement this: 

• Establish cooperative learning groups 

• Ask open-ended prompts/discussions instead of yes/no questions 

• Allow students to lead and design activities to promote student autonomy 

• Create Venn diagrams as a class to find connections they share with one another 

• Assign each student a role during group work to ensure all students participate and are engaged in group tasks, taking responsibility for a portion of the assignment 

Working together to accomplish a task does not only build community, but allows students to take more responsibility, take risks they may not have taken by themselves, and helps students feel connected with one another. They can find safety in learning, growing, and succeeding together, improving peer relationships.  

Involve students when creating classroom rules at the beginning of the year to earn student buy-in. Co-construction of rules gives students autonomy in building the classroom learning environment. Ensure written and oral communication is clearly shared with students. Review rules as needed throughout the year. Keep visible reminders in the classroom. 

How to implement this: 

• Be clear and direct when communicating with students 

• Establish clear procedures 

• Create morning or beginning of class routines and an end of class routines 

• Create procedures for using the restroom, sharpening pencils, and asking questions 

• Keep class running on a similar schedule each day 

Students need to be reminded that rules are in place for a reason, and rules help maintain safety and support the classroom community. As students see rules and consequences applied consistently, they will gain a greater sense of autonomy and commitment to the rules.