Our Class Promise

Creating 'Our Class Promise' came on the heels of discussing our Hopes and Dreams for second grade as we decided that a few things needed to be "in place" before we could work towards our own goals, and help others reach theirs. We talked about things we should do, say, and be in order for our year together to be successful.  It is so important for children to create their own set of rules in a classroom. They become wholly invested, and are far more interested in following the rules they've created themselves. 

We began by creating a huge brainstorm list of anything and everything students do when they make the right choices. Some ideas included: don't put your hands on others; clean up your mess from snack; use manners; work your hardest; have respect... the list was endless. The following day we revisited the giant mish-mash of rules and decided (with a little teacher help) that our rules all fall under three distinct categories: care for yourself, care for others, and care for your environment. We also realized that some of the rules seemed negative - instead of saying "don't hit", we can say "keep your hands to yourself, or instead of saying "don't call out", we can say "raise your hand or say 'excuse me' when you have something to say. Together, we edited our rules, combined a few, and came up with what we now refer to as "Our Class Promise"...

To sign our promise, we each traced and cut out our hand. By taking this last step, we are each promising to try each and every day to make good choices, be good citizens, and take care of our surroundings.