Weekly Class Meetings

There are many variations on the weekly class meeting but most involve a book in which students write concerns throughout the week (or a box into which they can slip notes). On Meeting Day the teacher invites the students to sit in a circle and then brings up what he or she sees as key issues from the book (without criticizing by name or calling out individuals), and asks for comments and suggestions.

Typical discussion topics might be fairness on the playground, classroom messiness or noise levels, stealth bullying, project due-dates, upcoming class events, etc. The class then discusses issues and makes a plan to deal with each in turn. Weekly progress on concerns brought up in prior meetings are usually discussed; and many teachers begin the meeting with affirmations (“I’d like to thank George for being a good friend on our field trip. He waited for me when I had to go back for my jacket.” See hint on using Gratitude Journals) and apologies (I’m sorry I knocked Sally’s project off the table. I didn’t mean to damage your work.”). The meetings are often very spontaneous and moving experiences and they are very successful at preventing small problem from becoming large problems.

Below, along with stories and more pictures showing what they can accomplish (coming soon), you’ll find three reasons why we believe Weekly Class Meetings are a key component of any school that hopes to have a world-class academic program.

 1. Active Learning Zone Classrooms

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the Classroom (Learn More) Until children are emotionally safe, they are not ready to do their best academically. Developing Active Learning Habits-of-Mind (curiosity, confidence, competence) requires many hours of  independent hands-on learning. But children will never develop these habits is they are not willing to take chances (risk public failure), not able to concentrate (because distracted by bullying), not able to express enthusiasm (because they’re afraid of ridicule).

2. Seven Character Strengths

Children who do not feel safe are very unlikely, in other words, to ever develop the character strenghts of Grit, Zest, Curiosity, and so on.

So job one of the Weekly Class Meeting is to uncover bullying, which can often be invisible. Even at a school like OTA where Teachers pledge to lead the entire day and overt bullying is always stopped at once –stealth bullying (whispered name calling, internet comments, etc.) can always arise. The Weekly Meeting helps bring it into the light.

3. CyberSafety – (OldTownAcademy.org/CyberSafety)

Finally, there is a newly intensified Cyber-Bullying threat that all successful schools and classroom teachers wlll have to stay ahead of from now on. Most cyberbullying or destructive websurfing (staying up til 2:30-3:00 AM, consuming hours that could be spent reading, learning, playing, sleeping) is invisible since it happens outside of school; the only way to keep ahead of it is…

• (A) if OTA teachers ask students to share their online experiences every week in a class meeting… and
• (B) if OTA parents meet to share contacts, and share strategies for monitoring online presence and controlling TV-Computers, Texting, Instagram, etc. at home OldTownAcademy.org/CyberSafety