We all have an internal idea of what we want our classrooms to “feel”. We want students to be happy to be there. We want them to know how much we care about them. We want them to feel welcomed and accepted for who they are. We want them to be excited to learn and to discover their deeper purposes and passions. We want them to practice compassion and kindness for others.

But these feelings don’t just “happen”. They are the result of a classroom community which has been intentionally, patiently, and carefully cultivated with a clear vision and set of activities and practices that guide everyone to that end. In this section, we share some of our favorite ways to help make these happy classrooms possible!