Sandy Hook School Finds Success In A ‘Responsive Classroom’

By Larissa Lytwyn

For the past three years, Sandy Hook Elementary School has been honing a long-established technique known as the “responsive classroom.”

Third grade teacher Amber Libby first encountered the responsive classroom technique during her student teaching days at an elementary school in East Lyme. Since beginning her career at Sandy Hook School, Ms Libby and Principal Donna Pagé have streamlined the style, which involves fostering an inclusive, highly interactive, and communicative environment for students.

“We’ve attended workshops and held training sessions for other teachers here at Sandy Hook School,” said Ms Pagé. “They inspired a lot of interest. Today we have implemented the ‘responsive classroom’ schoolwide”

The technique is personified in the “morning meeting.” Students sit in a circle and perform various greetings, at times using such accessories as beach balls and hand gestures.

After every child has greeted each other, two to four volunteers share an object that reflects who they are. Themes, covering topics including nature, poetry, and art, vary from week to week. During the week of May 17– 21, the theme was art.

One “sharer,” Alex DeWolfe, brought out a wood carving of a black Labrador retriever that had been made by her grandfather. Alex and her grandfather had painted it together.

“A lot of the sharing comes from objects related to our families,” observed Ms Libby. She added, with a laugh, “We have a lot of talented grandparents!”

The implementation of morning meetings, Ms Libby said, has reduced behavioral problems while cultivating a greater sense of community among students.

Third grade Lauren Engmark said that the morning meetings had made her less nervous talking in front of people and more confident.

“I like talking in front of people more,” she said. “I feel better about it.”

Another student, Gracie Whitaker, said that the morning meetings have helped her project her voice. “I speak louder,” she said. “And I’m not as nervous!”

Brendan Callery said his favorite part of morning meetings was the different greetings the class uses from day to day. “Sometimes we do the greetings in different languages!” he laughed. “That’s always fun.”

Samantha Rohrbacher said she liked the different activities that are done after the sharing segment. Games range from memory exercises to songs and dances. “They really get us up and moving,” said Samantha.

Ellyn Gordon said she liked the sharing aspect of morning meeting best. “You find out more about each other,” she said.

“Sharing is great,” affirmed Ms Libby. “You can find something out about someone you may not have known about before. It can make you talk to someone you might not otherwise. It can bring us all closer together!”