When I first heard the idea of morning meetings, I didn’t really think it was possible to work with Middle Schoolers based on our time restraints and the fact that our blocks/class sessions were only 90 minutes long. However, I was determined to try it out to see what all the buzz was about. I wanted to make connections with my students and build relationships that would make our classroom culture one that was warm, and productive. I decided to start small with simply doing a class meeting once a week. I was nervous about how the students would react and what topic would be safe for Middle Schoolers who could be very cruel at times. Nonetheless, I embarked on this journey and was determined to give it a try.
I teach Social Studies so I used a small soft ball of the World as our object that meant you had the floor to speak. I also had an emoji squishy ball that the kids love. I started the meeting the first week of school to get to know the students. We started small and simple by everyone saying their name and something they did over the summer. We made our rules on how the meeting would work, for example only the person with the ball could speak. If you wanted to speak and it was a topic that was based only on voluntary response you would raise your hand and then the person with the ball would call on the person they were going to throw the ball too. I immediately found out that they enjoyed these meetings and a chance to express themselves. They would constantly ask me when our next meeting would be! I always wrap up the meeting and make sure we end on a positive note.
I started doing meetings weekly and even asked the students about what they wanted to discuss. This started to allow students to take ownership of their meeting. A few weeks into school we talked about what they liked and disliked about Middle School ,since I teach 6th grade, and this was a new experience for them. I definitely feel the use of classroom meetings are useful and have allowed my students to build relationships with me as well as their classmates. It’s also an opportunity for me to touch on major issues I may see going on such as bullying, or cheating. I keep the meetings at around 15 minutes and we tend to discuss two questions. One of the questions requires a response from everyone and the other one is one that you can choose to answer or not. I always make sure the first question is something that is not going to embarrass anyone or put them in an awkward situation. Classroom meetings have been a benefit to my classroom. The students feel comfortable talking with me and each other and they know I truly care and want what is best for them. I love the environment of my classroom and knowing that my students feel it’s a safe place.