The summer months are the perfect time for teachers to get a jump start on next year’s plans. Teachers can take time to reflect on the past year and to create a mission statement for their classroom. Formulating the mission statement before school starts gives you time to really reflect and think about the things you value most in your classroom.
What is a classroom mission statement?
Just like a company’s mission statement, a classroom mission statement defines the vision of the classroom culture or environment. Anyone who reads the statement can immediately get a feel for the priorities of the teacher and the focus of the classroom. Teachers use the statement to share their views with students, parents, and administrators at the beginning of the school year. Students use the mission statement to understand the classroom expectations and culture.
How do I create a classroom mission statement?
- The first thing to do when developing a mission statement is to reflect on your instructional and educational values.
- Make a list of the classroom characteristics that are the most important to you.
- Share the list with a colleague and see if he or she has any other thoughts or ideas that resonate with you.
- Go through the list and categorize the qualities into main ideas that you believe are essential to a positive learning environment.
- Use the main ideas to write a short paragraph describing your vision for the classroom.
- Over the summer reread and refine the paragraph until you are satisfied that it clearly and succinctly expresses your viewpoint.
Once you have created your classroom mission statement the next step is to decide how you will share the statement with parents and students at the beginning of the school year. The mission statement sets the tone for school year by outlining the values of the classroom. Making students and parents familiar with the classroom’s mission helps to get everyone on the same page and provides understanding of the framework and beliefs used to make curriculum, management, and instructional decisions. Some teachers include their mission statement in mailings that go home before school begins, some post it on their website, and some display it in the classroom.
Review your mission statement with students at the beginning of the year just as you would the classroom rules or discipline policy. Then continue to refer to the statement throughout the year as guide for the curriculum and classroom management decisions you make throughout the year.
Megan Sheakoski - Megan Sheakoski is a teacher, mom and writer whose ideas have been featured in college text books, graduate courses, on websites and on ...
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