The culture of a school can affect the learning process of its students. If a school has an established, nurturing climate where the community is thriving and happy and productive, then that school will most likely have the best possible outcome for its students, teachers, and parents. "Effective schools have a culture, based on their human capital. An effective culture has two characteristics: Beliefs and Practices." (Wong, pg. 328). For a school to have student success, Wong cites, it must have that vision or belief. The people that work together within the school have a routine that nurtures that vision and conducts education with consistency and a strong sense of value.
The role that the teacher plays in creating a culture for teaching and learning is by recognizing and celebrating that culture on a daily basis with his/her students. At the school where I am student teaching, every Friday is "husky day" or spirit day, where students are encouraged to wear the school colors, participate in lunchtime events, and show their allegiance to their school family during classtime discussions. Every day, a student gets on the intercom and makes announcements about clubs and focus groups, student meetings, current events, service reminders, leadership opportunities, and upcoming events that are happening around the school. The teacher is responsible for facilitating and encouraging a positive response to connecting and getting involved with the activities that make the school unique and special. When children feel connected to the school family, they are more likely to want to try their best and work hard to be an organic part of that family, and share in its successes.
Hi Allyson, I like what you said about when students feel connected to the school family "they are more likely to want to try their best and work hard to be an organic part of that family and share in its successes. I agree with this statement entirely and find that the more school creates a culture of family with love, support and acceptance the less likely students are to step out of their culture, break rules and deviate from the norm. Having spirit days once a week is a great way to celebrate culture. At the middle school I worked at we had the Pillars of Character painted around the school walls, also the buildings were nicely painted and the lawns were well maintained. How might the environment in your classroom and school contribute to a feeling of belonging?
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