"I like to call it 'My Little Circle of Trust'"

Can you name it?  

The movie from which I just quoted, that is?  

Don't worry.  

Not every post will have a movie quote...Only the ones worth reading.  :)

I've been using my little "Circle of Trust" for about 5 years now.
Not my own idea, of course!
Nothing good ever is...I like to refer to myself as "The Queen of Glean."
I like to take it all in...and then BOOM!  I make it my own.
This little gem was one I took from my buddy Mrs. C.
She shared the information with me she received from PrairieView, which provided youth services for kiddos in need.
One of the first things Deb ever said to me was "I like to work smarter, not harder."
But that's another story.
Sure do miss that lady!  (We moved away.  Deb is now in her first year of retirement.)
She's a keeper!
Team 2 had a TON of fun together!
Anywho.....This little Circle of Trust is only halfway complete.
Unfortunately, I ran out of adding machine tape!
On the INSIDE of The Circle of Trust are the behaviors our class "values" and are acceptable.
On the OUTSIDE of The Circle of Trust will be the behaviors that we do NOT accept in our classroom.
Their words.  Not mine.
Our hands work together to keep the bad things OUT, and the good things IN our classroom.
When I find more adding machine tape, I'll update this pick so you can see the things we DON'T like!
Plus, it's kind of fabulous looking, if you ask me.  :)
Mr. McSweetums today asked if we could add one:  "Joy."
You betcha!

 One of my favorite CL structures in action:

Talking Chips.

But more on that another day...

Tomorrow will mark day 6 of the school year.

I have a great class, but have still been doing a cubic ton of Teambuilding and Classbuilding.  

Never regret that time....

And I can always, ALWAYS tell when I neglect it.

Whenever the kids start getting persnickety (like that very official term?) I look back and evaluate the amount of time we've spent Teambuilding and Classbuilding.  

And the persnicketiness (Dude.  My computer JUST autocorrected that word,) is a direct result of my choice to forgo that focus for too long.  

It doesn't HAVE to take much time, really.

I mean, it can, by all means.

It just depends on what structures or activities YOU choose to use.

The benefits FAR outweigh the few minutes it takes.

So....I guess what I'm saying is...When the wheels start falling off, reflect.  

Or better yet, be proactive and plan for it.

Daily.

You won't regret it.

Jenn