Mrs. Sullivan has encouraged me to use my time at Marymount to learn from others and seek resources that I can use in the future. One particular program she suggests I incorporate into my own classroom is Responsive Classroom. Mrs. Sullivan became trained in the program last year and has successfully implemented the program into her curriculum. Mrs. Sullivan was introduced to Responsive Classroom by Marymount's principal, Maria Castelluccio.
The Responsive Classroom approach is interesting because it was developed by classroom teachers. The approach consists of teaching practices for bringing together social and academic learning throughout the school day.
The biggest feature of Responsive Classroom is the Morning Meeting. The Morning Meeting gives children a consistent time and place to explore and practice social skills. It also helps to merge social, emotional, and intellectual learning as well as offer opportunities for students to practice taking care of each other and nurturing their empathy for one another.
During Morning Meeting, students will gather in a circle for twenty to thirty mintues at the beginning of the school day. In Mrs. Sullivan's class each student has an assigned spot on the carpet so they know where to sit. The four components of a meeting include a greeting, sharing, group activity, and morning message. Each component has its own purpose and structure. Suggested greetings and activities can be found in literature produced by Responsive Classroom.
Having observed Mrs. Sullivan this past week I am honestly in awe of how smoothly her morning meetings run and how willing the students are to participate. I am also thankful for how willing she is to provide me with resources for my future classroom. Mrs. Sullivan has a wide range of books that span from Language Arts to Math to Religion activities. I'm excited to continue to learn more about my students at Marymount as well as gather develop exciting lessons to use in the future.
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