Morning Meeting Wrap Up and Challenge

Thanks so much for reading this series, Building Classroom Community Through Morning Meeting.

I hope you were able to take away a gem or two and are ready to dive into Morning Meeting with your own class!

If you missed it:

Part 1 on Greetings HERE.

Part 2 on Sharing HERE.

Part 3 on Activities is HERE.

Part 4 on Message is HERE.

It's the quickest path to building a strong foundation for your classroom community.

Once you're comfortable and you're meeting is running just the way you hoped it would...

When you see your class growing closer and bonding...

When your community is strengthening and then thriving...

You know what I want you to do?

INVITE PARENTS IN!

Show off!  Let them see your STRONG COMMUNITY!  Your great control and management. Shine a light on your teaching of CARES!

Building a strong classroom community often is often nurtured by strengthening the home/school connection.

Inviting your parents in is a win-win situation...PROMISE.

That being said, if you are thinking of it, this is what works for me:

1. Send a letter explaining why Morning Meeting is vital to the classroom.  Ask them to email you if they know they can make it one morning during the year.  (Let them know it is NOT for siblings, grandparents, friends, etc. )  It is for the parents/guardians only.

2. Make it clear they are invited for the meeting only.  No early arrivals.  No staying to chit-chat. I send a child to the office when we are actually on carpet and ready.  They leave immediately after a wave/hug from child.  (They know we're busy in First Grade!)

3. Child and parents know beforehand that is is "Official Business" during this time.  Parent sits next to child BUT child can't sit on lap, ask to go home, etc.  MODEL, MODEL, MODEL.  Let your students know expectations.

4. Parents are NOT observing but participating FULLY.

5. Conduct a normal morning meeting.  I have let the child pick the ACTIVITY that day.

6. INSIST the child arrives by bus if that is the usual mode of transportation.  Why?  When a child comes WITH the parent, it's already 25 minutes into our day.  We've unpacked, done our Do-Now, jobs, etc.  Make it clear to parents in your letter.  Remember: Business As Usual!

Seriously, that's it!  I do nothing special.  It doesn't eat into my time.  The parents leave HAPPY and you have a new cheerleader when they SEE the work you are doing with the kiddos and how it's paying off.

It's good PR for yourself.  You are a pro.  Let them see you in action.  We teachers NEVER get enough credit.  Get it!  You deserve it.

If you'd like to see how helpful and easy it is to use PARENT VOLUNTEERS in the classroom, click here.    (I consider parents a vital part of our classroom community.)

If you need a springboard to get started, you can download a week's full of meetings by clicking on the picture.  I hope they are helpful to you!

Thanks for reading!