A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step, - Lao Tzu.

Fundamental progress has to do with the reinterpretation of basic ideas.
Ideas won't keep; something must be done about them. --Alfred North Whitehead

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. --Margaret Mead

(No, ho ho, ha ha, not commitable, committed)

Directions: You have been reading a lot about changing to a more proactive and democratic process in the way you manage your own classroom. It is not easy or simple, but you can dramatically change things with only a few goals.

Write four goals that include changes you will make as a result of your work and reflection on this course material and various authors' ideas.

You may want to refresh your thoughts about how to build a child and community, so the list is included here.

I. Build the child

1. Recognize need for sense of control over own life.
2. Develop a meaningful relationship with each child in the classroom.
3. Enrich student esteem by ongoing purposive objectives that address the being as well as the work of each child on a daily basis.
4. Provide safety and structure to enhance sense of well-being.
5. View student growth developmentally, across multiple dimensions: Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual
6. Evaluate and then teach learning skills as a spiral curriculum.
7. Evaluate and then teach organizational skills as a spiral curriculum.
8. In conjunction with each student, develop an individualized program that integrates student strengths with community curriculum and life-building expectations.
9. Provide activities that allow individual students to share insights in each learning situation.
10. Use a democratic form of classroom management, empowering students to learn and use self-control as the primary form of discipline; teaching and practicing meaningful exercises for self-discipline rather than punitive measures when aberrant behavior occurs.

II. Build community

1. Assist students to learn cooperative strategies in interactions.
2. Show value for and teach practices that enhance mutual respect in all interactions.
3. Teach and practice components of relationship and healthy community

   communication skills	conflict resolution
   group behavior	respect for self and others
   empathy and understanding of others	appreciation of diversity
   control of emotions - positive and negative	honesty and trustworthiness.

4. ntegrate life skills into the daily curriculum.
5. Model healthy interactions.
6. Provide incentives for community building that are consistent with incentives and evaluation systems for competency in content areas.
7. Involve students in group decision making through class meetings and school governance.
8. Include family and geographical community in social relationships.
9. Build time into the day for observation and reflection of community and relationship health
10. Decline to become involved in power struggles or any other form of authoritarian action that might denigrate students in their own or others' eyes.
    

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