Essential Agreements
During the last week, MACC 4/5 students discussed the difference between rules and agreements.
Rules are things that are hard line statements designed to ensure our health and safety, and they are usually set before we even arrive at a place. For example, Suncrest has some rules designed to make things run smoothly such as walk on the right side of the hallway, don’t talk while making transitions between classes and stay within the boundaries during recess time. In our classroom, we have a few rules set by Ms. DeTerra such as no hats, gum, toys, and food during classtime, and raising your hand to speak during discussions.
Agreements are different, because with those, we all have some input and come to consensus about what the behaviour in a great learning environment should be. Through discussion and input, students are agreeing to a set of behaviours they know will help us have a positive year. Students brainstormed in small groups ideas for agreements and then shared them with another small group. One person was then nominated between the two small groups to share the best agreements from the list with the whole class. We now have a draft set of essential agreements on our whiteboard, and we hope to revisit and reword as needed during the coming week.
Ask your child about our agreements and how we use them in class!