Building Relationships through Morning Meetings
Strong relationships help create a classroom culture that supports student motivation and promotes deeper learning. When a teacher takes the time to build relationships with her students and allows the time for students to develop relationships with each other, success is bound to happen.
Relationships are a priority in Mrs. Trina Reynolds 3rd grade classroom at Williamstown Elementary. Every morning she leads her class in a 30
minute morning meeting that focuses on specific interpersonal skills like building trust, empathy, patience and active listening. Utilizing morning meetings is the perfect way to engage students in intentional relationship building while also learning life skills. Mrs. Reynolds explains that not only is her class morning meeting a time for students to connect with classmates who they may not know as well, but it provides a sense of calm that her students need to prepare for the rest of the school day.
Mrs. Reynolds' morning meeting routine helps her to stay consistent and focus on the SEL needs of her students with making connections. She sees the positive impact that these skills have on her class throughout the rest of the school day including her students’ academic performance. Her routine includes:
Reviewing the classroom rules. During this time Mrs. Reynolds and her students are up moving. She adds many gestures and animation as part of the review.
Fun fact, joke, or puzzle of the day. This task allows for collaboration while using problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Poll of the day. During this activity, the students get to know each other and Mrs. Reynolds on a more personal level.
SEL related video with discussion questions. The video focuses around themes that allow students to discuss and explore different emotions.
Team building activity. The activities allows the opportunity to build relationships with all students.
While this particular morning meeting routine takes about 30 minutes, some days are shorter and others may be a little longer. The amount of time a teacher can dedicate to morning meetings is up to them and what their schedule can allow.
Mrs. Reynolds is an active participant during this time. She explains that when the students see her participating and experiencing emotions it humanizes her and allows the opportunity to build a more personal connection. She recognizes the importance of being a strong model when teaching and practicing these life skills and knows it helps her students to understand the value. She believes that her morning meetings have helped to build a strong classroom community.
Mrs. Trina Reynolds provides such a great example of morning meetings and how to utilize this time to work on relationship building as well as other social and emotional skills. She suggests finding a community of support through professional learning networks when searching for ideas that will help you to plan morning meetings. The great thing about morning meetings is you can make it your own. When you know your students and know their needs, you can intentionally incorporate specific skills to meet those needs into morning meeting time.
