Observations and Reflections on the First Day:

It's no secret among educators, either 100 years ago, or yesterday, that setting a positive tone with a new group of students from day one can make a huge impact on the path the classroom learning community takes for the rest of the year.  Incorporating the "Empowering Learning"model is not only a wonderful system to ensure that a postive and encouraging tone is set for students on the first day, but, by it's very own nature, reinforces postive fostering of the classroom room learning community by the students themselves for the duration of the course.  In my experience, I have always tried to build a community of trust and safety with the students in the first few weeks of school.  The problem of maintaining the community, however, throughout the duration of the course--especially with the increase in content expectations to cover and the limited time to cover them--has been something I have struggled with for years.  It is a struggle I have lost, not only because my attention is required elsewhere with content and skill-teaching, but I haven't fully allowed my students to take the lead and initiative in maintaining the community that is created.  It is their learning community, after-all--not mine.  A positive, encouraging, and supportive learning community of students at the beginning of the year, without continual reinforcement, often ends with disappointment by both the teacher and the students. Reflecting on my first day working with the "Empowering Learning Model," I have realized that the continual reinforcement of classroom norms, trust, support, and student-led initiative and responsibility for learning as a team--instead of just individually--might provide the answer of maintaining an effective learning community that survives past the first few weeks of school.  I am excited to see how this develops in my classes using this model.   More to follow! 

David Jenvey--