Ubuntu
This is my class mantra. Ubuntu is a word that roughly translates to "I am what I am because of what we all are." It is both a behavioral management and positive leadership model that encourages all students to make respectful, confident, and courageous choices in the classroom and their daily lives.
Routinely, students will hear me say, "Ubuntu, your best is my best" while hand-signing "connection", and in return they will also say, "Ubuntu" (choral response), while signing "connection". This is a great reminder and invitation for every student to be a leader in the classroom and make positive academic and behavioral choices that will not only support their classmates but also improve their own learning. I work very hard to create a safe learning environment in which all voices are valued. Students are taught to broaden their perspectives by listening, asking questions, and exploring. My students learn that in order to truly understand a person, you must "sit down at the table" with them first. Students are no longer passive recipients of textbook information but courageous leaders who exhibit strong effort, perseverance, and risk-taking abilities.
This is my class mantra. Ubuntu is a word that roughly translates to "I am what I am because of what we all are." It is both a behavioral management and positive leadership model that encourages all students to make respectful, confident, and courageous choices in the classroom and their daily lives.
Routinely, students will hear me say, "Ubuntu, your best is my best" while hand-signing "connection", and in return they will also say, "Ubuntu" (choral response), while signing "connection". This is a great reminder and invitation for every student to be a leader in the classroom and make positive academic and behavioral choices that will not only support their classmates but also improve their own learning. I work very hard to create a safe learning environment in which all voices are valued. Students are taught to broaden their perspectives by listening, asking questions, and exploring. My students learn that in order to truly understand a person, you must "sit down at the table" with them first. Students are no longer passive recipients of textbook information but courageous leaders who exhibit strong effort, perseverance, and risk-taking abilities.
A successful classroom is only as effective as the cooperative and courageous leaders inside of it. Students are pushed every day to uncover something unique and helpful within themselves. They will often hear me repeat my favorite quote, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." This is a crucial age, socially and academically, and I make it a personal goal to support and encourage positive leadership, confidence, and moral character. Mistakes are OKAY in my classroom. No one is perfect, and students need to feel like they can risk leaving who they were in order to become who they were born to be!