Using Morning Affirmations to Build Classroom Community
Teacher: ¡Tú vas a pasar un día increíble! (You’re going to have an amazing day!)
Students: ¡Yo voy a pasar un día increíble! (I’m going to have an amazing day!)
Using Morning Affirmations to Build Classroom Community
Erin Trudeau, 3rd Grade Teacher, North Windham Elementary School: We start with our morning affirmations, and so students repeat after me. And we’re saying things like, “I am strong; I am powerful. Puedo hacer cosas difíciles; I can do hard things.”
Ms. Trudeau: ¡Tú eres capaz! (You are capable!)
Students: ¡Yo soy capaz! (I am capable!)
Erin Trudeau: It really sounds like a small thing, but changes the way that students talk to themselves, then the way that you think about themselves, and then the way that you talk to others and think about others.
Ms. Trudeau: ¡Tú eres inteligente! (You are smart!)
Students: ¡Yo soy inteligente! (I am smart!)
Erin Trudeau: The way that I’ve been trying to teach them to talk to themselves and talk to each other is translating to how students speak to each other. So, you know, I’ll hear kids being defeated about something, and “I can’t do that,” and someone else comes, “I can’t do that YET, right?” Or like, “Growth mindset!” Or they’ll come up and say, “You can do hard things!”
Ms. Trudeau: ¡Tú eres fuerte! (You are strong!)
Children: ¡Yo soy fuerte! (I am strong!)
Erin Trudeau: When a student is crying or somebody is upset, every single one of my students pops up, like, “What can I do to help?” They’ll come, and they’ll be rubbing their back. So you just see that compassion and that empathy that we’ve been trying to cultivate as a community. And they’re showing those things in their third-grade way. It’s really cool.
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