Becoming a family.

Chris leaned over to me, "They're bonding- having fun like this. They're becoming a family."

I got to observe for the first time this week in Ms Chris Perrson's classroom at Chico High, and I have been shocked and blessed by what I have been able to see. The emphasis that Chris puts on relationships with her students and the students with each other is beautiful. Every student loves her, trusts her, respects her. Granted, I was only able to observe her Freshman honors English class and her film class (where we watched Pretty in Pink. Love that movie). She informed that if I really want to see a classroom management nightmare to try to come by around 2pm for 7th period. Hopefully one of these days I can fit that in.
All that said, when looking from the outside, Chris' class seems kind of chaotic. She's super kooky; students are eating and super chatty as they walk in. But then they start taking roll with the co teacher, and begin playing this game where they try to call out their names in alphabetical order as fast as they can. They're awful at it. In the midst of laughter and competition with their last recorded time, they attempt three times at their roll call game. This is when Chris leans over to me and whispers, "They're bonding- having fun like this. They're becoming a family." Before this, it was obvious that Chris is a loved teacher, but when she said this it dawned on me that her lax demeanor, the fun she has with her students - it's all for a purpose. She knows exactly what she's doing when she jokes with her students, tells them funny stories about her life, allows them to be a little crazy before they settle down into getting started with class. She is cultivating a family atmosphere- an atmosphere where they can trust their teacher and their peers, where they want to work together to learn, to discuss, to grow.
If I asked one of the students about Chris' class, I don't know if they would be able to articulate why they like the class so much. They would probably answer: "She's funny;" "She let's us eat;" "She's nice." They don't realize how she has orchestrated this family atmosphere for them; they just know she's their favorite teacher.

I'm really looking forward to the things I can learn from Chris and her students this semester. I know that I'm not as kooky as Chris, and it might take me a long time to become such a loved and respected teacher. But I hope to glean some wisdom on how to keep relationships at the forefront, while teaching students MLA format and to think critically about literature and life.