The Charter
The Classroom & Family Charter
What is it?
The Charter is a tool that can help us create the positive, supportive social-emotional environments that we know are best for learning. The Charter is like a promise we make to one another, or an agreement.
How it works:
The Charter describes how we want to feel at school and what we can do to ensure that everyone has those feelings more consistently. Everyone has a voice in its creation and plays an active role in bringing it to life. The Charter is considered a “living” document – meaning once it’s created, teachers and students make a habit of checking-in with the Charter throughout the school year.
What is the Family Charter?
The Charter is guided by two central questions:
How do you want to feel when we’re together?
How will we help each other have these feelings more often?
Charters are created and used effectively by members of classrooms, schools, businesses, organizations, and homes.
Why it Matters:
When there is a climate of emotional support and warm relationships between teachers and students, and students among one another, there is an increase in productivity and wellbeing, greater likelihood of academic success, and better outcomes for students as they become adult community members. The same is true for families.
Create Your Own Family Charter
Yale_Family_Charter.pdf