The Importance Of Belongings In The Classroom

In this chapter, belonging is discussed, and how children grow into their own personality by learning who they are through self-identification, culture, and family. “A child’s family is the first and most important place where a feeling of identity and belonging start” (Blimes 58). Children begin to culturally identify who they are through their family, “by the age five a child’s cultural self is already established” (Blimes 58). When attending school, a new introduction to a different environment (classroom setting) can be very difficult, “with the right support, most children begin to regard the classroom as sort of a home away from home… (Blimes 58). Supporting a child’s family culture and belonging is very important in the classroom. Teachers …show more content…
When children enter our classroom, it is a must for teachers to make new students to feel as if they are home. When new students arrive to school, sometimes it can be very difficult for children to adapt to the classroom culture because they do not have a sense of belonging. Teachers should always implement things from their student’s home into the daily agenda. Teachers can involve children with supportive activities such as, show-n-tell or family picture collages. I always try to encourage belonging based activities for my students. I work with school aged children (ages 5-12) and at the beginning of the school year, I have my students to write two letters, one to themselves and the other to their family or guardian. In the letter to themselves, I ask them to write about themselves and to set personal goals that they would like to achieve throughout the school year. I have my students to include pictures of the friends and family and others small objects to remind them who they are and what they will like to achieve or inspire to or be within the next year. In the letter to their family or guardian, I ask the children to ask their family what they need them to support them with. I keep to letters and I mail them the students at the end of the year. By doing this activity, my students will have a better understanding of who they are, how to set and achieve goals, and family …show more content…
For example, last school year, I had a young man who was new to the program. His family consisted of him, his mother and his younger sister. I met his mother on several different occasions, and I have had many conversations with her about her son and what we needed to work on, and her and the program’s expectations for her son. One day during summer school, one of my classes was making father’s day gifts. The father’s day gift my students created was a little jar full of Reese Pieces bites, and the children decorated the jar with a shirt and tie, on the top of the jar, the children wrote, I love you to pieces. While working on this activity, my student was looking very confused. I asked him was he ok, and he replied by saying “yes”. During the middle of the activity, he asked “Ms. Frazier, do you have something for girls, my mom does not wear ties”. I understood where he was coming from because I assumed that his father was not involved in his life. I accommodated the activity for him. Later on, I found out that he his father was not involved and that he had two mothers. I was embarrassed because I did not inquire more about his family situation and dynamics, but I was not expecting this all. Later on, his other mother started to be more involved, and I had a better understanding of his family’s