12. Knowing, Loving, Serving and Celebrating.
If these four things are valid components of community life, how do they inform some of our classroom, or school, practices?
Do we know our students, their gifts and abilities, their hopes and fears? Do we know when it’s their birthday – do we celebrate that in class, and do we send them a note or card?
How does assessment work in our classroom – does it contain a component that asks, “Now that I’ve learned this, how should I use my new knowledge to serve one another?”
Do our assessment processes celebrate progress as well as show achievement? Do our assessment processes communicate “if you can’t measure it, it’s not valuable?”
Do we actively encourage collaborative learning, brainstorming questions, discussion groups?
Do we encourage students to express gratitude and encouragement when someone comes up with new thoughts and ideas?
Do we have a culture where class members will call a classmate if they are absent and will pray for them if they are unwell?
Have we developed a culture where fellow students will take notes and collect materials to give to an absent student on their return?
Blessings
Brian