4 Tenets of Ms. Mo's Class:
W.H.A.M.
Tenet 1: Working Together
Learning how to work together is very important in my class. I encourage my students to help and support one another each and every day. I want my classroom to be a safe, fun and pleasant place to be and when we work together as a class we can achieve this goal! Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to work independently and in groups. Often, when we work together it is amazing what we can achieve!
Tenet 2: Honesty is the Best Policy
Honesty is very important to me. I am a very honest person and I expect my students to be honest and to do their very best work without cheating or lying. When a student makes a mistake, I encourage them to be honest about it and to learn from it. We all make mistakes sometimes, but if we are honest and take responsibility for our actions, we can learn a lesson and move forward as a smarter, stronger person.
Tenet 3: Always Support Your Classmates
I expect each and every one of my students to be a positive, supportive classmate. It is no fun to go to a class everyday where people are mean, rude and unpleasant to be around. That is why I teach my students to support one another by being respectful, helpful and positive in their interactions with each other. We all have those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, but if we have a group of friends that can help to brighten our day we can get on with the business of learning! Studies show that students learn best in a safe and pleasant atmosphere.
Tenet 4: Mutual Respect
I have the utmost respect for my students and I expect that same amount of respect in return. I also expect my students to show respect to each other and to other adults who work in our building. I know that sometimes personalities can clash, but we must learn to be patient with one another, to give it time and to listen to one another. Often, we will grow to understand and respect others in this way. When we all have mutual respect for one another, our classroom is a wonderful place to be!
Links:
Working Together - Cooperative Learning:
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm
Honesty - Pass it On Video:
http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/91-Classroom
Article - The Supportive Classroom:
http://www.4children.org/issues/2005/july_august/the_supportive_classroom/
Article - How to Promote Mutual Respect in the Classroom:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5160495_promote-mutual-respect-classroom.html
