Sylvia Allen's Visit

Wow, where do I even begin? Sylvia Allen's presentation succeeded in completely convincing me that morning meetings are essential in creating the positive environment I want in my classroom. It takes all the concerns I had for when during my short day I'm going to fit in the good, meaty, character education stuff, and sets them at ease by providing an answer. "In the morning," it tells me, "for 30 minutes each day." And on top of that, it tells me what to do! This idea has compacted all my abstract ideals into a practically tangible ball of 30 grand minutes... what training is more practical than that?! I have had the privilege of seeing morning meetings revolutionize a classroom, in just one week, after I taught my mom, a 6th grade teacher, the concept. She immediately began using morning meetings with her students, and has since converted the rest of her team. She has been amazed to hear what her students say during their morning discussions, and comments everyday on the camaraderie it creates.

Along with the environment is the valuable content-review morning meeting provides. I loved how Sylvia integrated her character education with literature. It creates genuine dialog, which is how critical thinking begins. She truly fosters a participatory classroom during her morning meeting time, which is where her ability to make the biggest difference lies. Students need that authentic learning, and more importantly, children need that trustworthy community. I'm so excited to watch the magic of morning meetings in my own classroom.