Elle Feig's blog
Title: Zone of Peace
From the outset, I make it clear to my students that my classroom will be and is a place of peace. When they enter, I outline what I expect from them and what they can expect from me; I advise them that respect and trust are paramount to a successful writing class due to the fact that writing is such a personal expression of one's thoughts and emotions. If they do not respect me or one another, then we will never be able to have a peaceful co-existence for the 15 week semester. In addition, I do not honor biting comments or a mean, threatening tone and will not allow for belittling of anyone in the room. This clarification of my own personal principles enables them to mirror me and create a true zone of peace.
Hi,
Yes, it is so important to have respect and trust--particularly as you say, in a writing class where one's opinions, feelings and inner thoughts are being shared.
I'm wondering if you've ever invited them to come up with the "ground rules" for the class? This is one way of incorporating a peace ed methodology and also Dewey's notion of democracy--having the students take ownership of the type of classroom environment they would like to have and have them all agree to the list. And of course, if they forget respect and trust you can always suggest them :) I think it's also important to document what they come up with so these can be referred to if anyone starts to forget them. You can remind them that they agreed to the "ground rules" at the beginning of the semester and they need to respect them.
Have a good day!
Jill
I have tried to introduce ground rules but it has never worked - might be worth trying again.