The current pedagogy in creating a positive school climate is building personal relationships with students. Teachers and students work together to create a safe environment where students engage in the academic pursuit of knowledge. Service-learning projects that create this close bond and offer a collective pursuit of helping others give students a greater sense of confidence and self-respect as they explore topics that have meaning for them. An added benefit was that when students went home excited about what they were doing in school, the parents were pulled into the dialog. I work with students at a diverse global magnet public school in Greensboro, NC, and we are a 2016 National School of Character designated by Character.org. In 2016, our demographics consisted of 50% Black (African American and African), 22% White, 12% Hispanic, 8% Asian and 7% Multiracial. There were 40% male and 60% female, although this is atypical since we usually have a less than 5% gender difference. Our students are described in the 2016 Schools of Character Magazine as “exceptionally high-minded” in their desires to help others. Getting to this point has been a process.
I have been an educator for 25 years in the public school system, and I do believe service-learning projects have brought me better relationships with my students and their parents. One memorable project from early in my teaching career was when my students grew concerned about children at the local women’s shelter. I asked a parent to build bookcases with slanted “roof” tops. Students created dollhouses by wallpapering and putting in details. Each dollhouse was a different architectural period like Victorian or modern. We learned about architecture, design, and measurement. Students researched the time period and wrote stories about the people who lived in their dollhouse. Then the dollhouses were auctioned off, and the money went to the shelter. After that project I knew I was hooked on what would become known as service learning. I distinctly remember every child in that fourth-grade class, and we had a collective relationship of doing good things. We cared about each other and our community.
In 2010, I became the academically gifted teacher at Brooks Global Studies. That first year I could not help notice the number of service projects in which each grade level participated. The halls were lined with results of their projects. I knew this was a place where character was valued. I loved walking into the building because students called me by name and I felt welcomed. I cannot stress how important this is to a teacher. Positive behaviors are more able to be developed when student and teacher develop relationships over time.
Students were involved, but they did not understand that all of these caring projects constituted service learning. I was surprised when on the Fourth Grade Perception Survey students said they did not participate in service learning. On yearly surveys they had difficulty identifying character trait words. A larger percentage of students marked that sometimes adults in the school did not listen to their worries. This concerned our global committee. How could we show that service learning creates better, positive relationships between teachers and students if the data did not show those results? We decided to be more proactive.
Incorporating the Character Traits
Guilford County offers a calendar of character trait words that map out the school year (see Table 1). We asked teachers to plan to incorporate these traits intentionally into curriculum lessons. The global committee provided resources and support. We hoped if we used the language of character it would become part of our school climate. We purchased a bulletin board that was prominently displayed with character words and school wide activities. Every day, students absorbed the messages as they entered the cafeteria.
Teachers began to plan lessons in the classroom, and students participated in schoolwide as well as classroom projects that we clearly labeled service learning. For example, one year in November and December we collected and displayed 1000 Acts of Kindness written on handprints. Positive relationships increased as students were looking for kindness in their teachers and peers. One March, a group of students created the Integrity News Report. Student reporters interviewed staff around the school from the custodian to the media specialist about how we should keep our school environment safe and clean. Each month quotes from famous people were put up on the particular character trait. As time passed, we decided to make our board bilingual using Spanish because that was the study at our global school. For Amabilidad, or Kindness, we showed an umbrella and asked the children to draw who they would hold an umbrella over: “Sere amable con ________.” Our guidance counselor began incorporating the words in her guidance lessons with classes.
Based on our intentional work, we noticed students started understanding the words and incorporating them into their vocabulary. Having lessons and activities where we used the character traits helped students gain better relationships with their teacher and their peers. Students were motivated to show the traits in daily classes. Even though we regularly used character vocabulary, data showed that most students still could not identify service learning projects or believe that teachers could help them solve problems.
Calendar of Character Traits
| August/September | November/December | March | May/June |
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| October | January/February | April | |
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| August/September | November/December | March | May/June |
Responsible | Kindness | Integrity | Perseverance |
| October | January/February | April | |
Respect | Courage | Self-Discipline |
Introducing School Wide Service Learning Projects
We decided to come up with a continuum for service learning where we would concentrate on three themes: community, water, and agriculture. For students, this meant exploring the themes at the K–2 level and then with new perspective at the 3–5 level. In this model we would have monthly lessons that intertwine with the theme, our current grade level curriculum and a schoolwide service learning project. We would keep all that was working with our county-driven character trait displays and activities, but the displays would also incorporate our yearly theme. We also introduced another layer with a schoolwide activity where multi-age levels would be able to participate together in learning.
As a global committee we planned at the beginning of the 2014–2015 school year how to go forward. We asked teachers to submit their own monthly plans showing how they looked at water on a local or global level. Some classes created posters, and others picked up trash around the school to keep it from getting in the water supply. Classes created displays showing what happens to oils and pollution when it rains. The lessons were varied and different between grade levels.
We added Empathy Week to our calendar. Students were asked to select challenges to help them understand the difficulties people with little water face around the world. Upon completion of the challenge students reflected on the experience. Some challenges included: boiling all water prior to drinking it in 1 day, limited water day which allowed students to drink from only one filled water bottle the entire day without refilling it, keeping track of all the water used in 1 day in gallons and lining up that many milk/juice cartons to show the amount. Empathy Week was one of those projects that showed the best parts of developing relationships when teachers, students and families became part of a collected experience that could be shared and discussed. I remember reading a reflection from a child we did not know we could reach, and he expressed how difficult it was to boil water before you could drink it. He admitted he would not like to do this because he had to drink warm water, not wanting to wait for it to cool.
We started a schoolwide service learning project where students drank water instead of juice or milk, and the money they saved was set aside to give to WaterProject.org. This is an organization that builds wells in southeastern Africa. Students in the lower grades studied countries and the water problems they faced; upper grade students created PowerPoint presentations on why our school should support WaterProject.org. In classes where this became a priority there was better learning, better behavior, better attitudes and more excitement and engagement in learning. Teachers and students were working together to learn about our global community. Later during our yearly student talent show supported by our Student Council, money from the ticket sales went toward WaterProject.org also.
In order to further enhance learning, the global committee sponsored two important days where students could explore our theme and character. The first was a multigrade level day where students had the courage to seek out their dreams. This was called Build Your Dream Day, and it took place in January. We invited parents and community members to the school to talk about their careers. Students could sign up to visit three of their interests. It was such a positive way to teach relationship building and networking. At the end, the students reflected on their dreams for the future and envisioned what they could become. I remember one other student that was difficult to reach, finding me and saying, “I know I did not put down doctor, but I am so glad that I went. I think I would like to be a doctor.” I wanted to cry at that point. We were doing it; we were creating relationships with our students that were powerful and led to higher expectations for them.
The second service day was a water day, on Earth Day. Students moved between science stations and completed hands-on water activities outside our school walls. Thirty-four staff and parent volunteers manned 18 stations teaching students to become a part of the water cycle through an interactive game, design and float their own clay boat or learn how easily germs spread and how good hand washing is effective protection. Groups made rain sticks and hauled water over long distances. Others discovered just how much water is lost with a leaky faucet. Students returned to their classrooms to reflect on all they had learned. Behavior problems were nonexistent on these days, and teachers and students were having fun learning.
Drawing Conclusions that Can Be Proven
Our global committee believed we had proven we could create better positive relationships between teachers and students through service learning projects. It was not until we received our Fourth Grade Safety Perception Results back from the fourth graders of that year that we realized we had our data. One hundred percent of our students said that they had participated in at least one service-learning project during the school year, and 92% of the students said their teachers were people they could trust and support because they listened to them.
We began character lessons in 2010, and by 2012 the data indicated that students were beginning to internalize the importance of being a character-driven person. We have consistently increased in the number of students who strongly agree that their teacher listens to them and is there to help. We did notice a decrease in students feeling that adults treated them with respect at school. We decided to work on a behavior plan this year called ROAR (Respectful, Optimistic, Accountable and Responsible), so that students and teachers would use the same language to talk about discipline. Students are given ROAR certificates for positive behavior. Teachers greet students each morning at the classroom door, and there are more opportunities to catch students doing the right thing.
After 5 years of modeling service learning, our students are embarking on their own personal journeys. Jomiri G. decided he wanted to help kids at local housing project find books for their lending libraries. He wrote and received a grant for $500 to give books and then organized an event where students from our school could meet children and provide them with books. I truly believe the relationship he and I built as he worked through that project will last. His mom told me, when you ask we will be there to help, and I feel an equal joy in that relationship. This student went on to win a Ben Carson scholarship in the same year.
Nine former Brooks students came back to our school from middle school to help clear the beds in our garden. Former student Michael R. used his zero period at the high school to teach second-grade students robotics three mornings a week. Former student, Brian C., came every morning for 3 years to help check out books in the library and was named a county volunteer of the month. Many local high school students walk to our elementary school and work as Brooks Buddies for students who need a mentor with whom they can talk and read. Two Eagle Scout Award projects are being completed at the school by former Brooks students. One student put up three new flag poles. The other student is setting up rain barrels to bring water to our greenhouse.
This year our current students are taking on leadership responsibilities. A group of fifth-grade girls has taken over the responsibility of the Character bulletin board, and one of the girls has asked to be our first student member of the Global Committee.
Proactive Schools Add Layers
In the late 2014–2015 school year Guilford County approached us to write a State Farm Youth Advisory Board Grant for up to $100,000. This was an opportunity for our school to pull the community into service learning that strengthens student and teacher relationships.
For weeks, students were seeing articles in our local newspaper about food deserts. The news listed our city as having the largest number of areas with food disparity problems. There is a population of 280,000 people in Greensboro. There are nine food deserts, where people have lower access to transportation and are over a mile from a grocery store. Our school is not located in a food desert, but since we are a magnet public school that draws from the entire county, some of our families live in these areas. The students defined a real problem in our city and decided we could find a solution.
Twelve youth leaders were chosen from second to fifth grade to work on the grant proposal. They answered every question on the application. The group reviewed material, and the best ideas went forward. Youth met with community leaders. Since students knew we could not feed everyone in Greensboro, I visited ECHO in Florida to get ideas. This organization provides seeds and farming techniques to communities around the equator. Students thought we could have a greenhouse and provide starter plants to Title 1 school gardens. The grant was discussed in the larger (30 student) Student Council meeting, and a youth leader was appointed to each grade level to get more student feedback. Taylor M. wanted to create a commercial ad campaign to show kids the importance of eating healthy and not relying on foods from small mini-marts. We kept and filed notes so that ideas could be revisited and improved upon. I took all the work and wrote the final draft of the grant to be submitted.
Aptly named, Sustainable Garden STEMs, the proposal stated that students would learn about growing plants through hands-on experiences in a garden and a greenhouse. Our main goal was to continue to upgrade our school garden and reflect on our progress through technology. We kept a blog for an entire year with plenty of pictures. The students quickly realized that we could not grow food to feed all students in food deserts. We could teach children how to grow their own fruits and vegetables and taste healthy foods in their schools. Our service to the community would be to grow starter plants from seeds in our own campus greenhouse. The starter plants would be given to Title 1 schools in the area, as well as other school gardens. In September, third-grade students added an element to replenish the gardens with compost through a North Carolina Beautiful Grant for $750 to buy three composters. After receiving that funding, our school was on course to begin a full year study of agriculture. As educators at Brooks we wanted to use this fabulous opportunity to take an issue deeply felt by the students and show them how they could make a difference. Through the process we were able to make really strong connections with teachers and community members.
I felt closest to students and parents during this extraordinary year. I know this by the amount of support I felt. If I needed something, parents were on the phone with each other making sure whatever was needed was at the school and signing up to volunteer. Students wanted to go to the garden every day. I could get them to weed, water and pull our beds easily and with excitement. Trequan McGee, a horticulture student at A&T University came to teach a group of students about growing fruits. His expertise and advice impressed even the students who had no interest in agriculture. Students learned about how strawberries grow and created a square foot garden to plant kale and lettuce that we eventually tasted in class. It took a long time to permit and build the greenhouse; in the meantime we created hoop greenhouses over our garden beds.
The entire school planted the seeds that would grow into starter plants that we eventually gave to Title 1 schools in food desert locations. We collected recipes from students on how to use the vegetables we grew. Students from Brooks Global and the High School Youth Council volunteered on a Saturday Earth Day event where the community had the opportunity to plant seeds in their own peat pots. We taught planting and gave out over 100 peat pots that day.
One hundred percent of parents of the 93 students I teach reported on their end of year survey that their child’s needs were met with the instruction provided. I also had 100% of the students and their parents respond that they had a relationship with their teacher. Why? We took things beyond the classroom out into the real world. We practiced character, and helping others was priority. Students were engaged because I took the time to get to know them and encourage them to try new things.
A School Community Strengthens
Service projects can strengthen teacher and student relationships, but can we include the entire school in learning more about the children we teach? At Brooks, this was accomplished by choosing the book, One Hen by Katie Smith Milway.
Taylor M. writes about the experience.
One day in reading class, Mrs. Pulliam pulled out a book our whole school would be reading. The cover said, One Hen, and that’s when it all started. When she had finished the book we were stunned. The story started with one single small hen. Years later, a big happy, healthy community full of loving people had been assembled off of that one hen. The story was about a boy named Kojo. He and his mother lived in poverty. Kojo had an idea. So he got a loan from his mother and used the money to buy a hen. One Hen, and that’s how the story got its name. Mrs. Pulliam told us about Heifer International and how the school was going to contribute money for chicks and our mouths fell open. A few days later, the whole school was donating money. The flocks that we could afford started doubling. (In the hallway there was a bulletin board with a chicken coop to add chickens every time a flock was bought. There was also a custom-built chicken coop that chicks could be added to.) Then came the Talent Show. People bought tickets to the talent show. More money was raised and donated. The Talent Show audience left their tickets in envelopes in the hallway where persuasive letters and posters promoted each animal. Sixty-four people voted for the goat. A goat was bought; a cow was bought to add to our 600 chicks we were providing families in the Heifer Organization. Families were helped. It all started with one school, one book, one dollar and one hen. This was our service learning project. We helped those in need. Now will you?
In summary, through our service learning efforts, we raised enough money to purchase a goat, a heifer, and 600 chicks.
It is obvious from the narrative in Elizabeth Pulliam’s class that students responded to a collective character-driven learning experience. Arianna F. says, “She made me feel like I could talk to her; she made everything fun learning about Heifer International and the One Hen Project. As we learned we all laughed and shared.”
We were creating ethical citizens who were knowledgeable critical thinkers. The culture of our school was raised by the work that was being done.
Connecting to Students at Their Level
Through this project we were able to answer the basic questions that teachers ask to create lasting, positive relationships with students. Lessons were created to tie student thinking to the character objectives we had defined as respect, empathy and responsibility to others.
What is the child’s home life like? In Kindergarten the lesson involved speaking to the students about wants and needs, using Koko as the model. This was an excellent way to validate the needs of students to prepare for a better relationship. In reading their responses most understood the need for shelter, light and food; whereas some students listed these things as wants. Character and curriculum-driven data can also give us insight into a child’s immediate needs. Perhaps that child might need more understanding, a backpack of food or something more.
How does the child refer to the local community? Classes in second grade thought about what they would do if they could get a loan from Kojo. The title of their project was: Kojo, May I Have a Loan? Here is an example of what one child wrote. “Kojo I would like to buy timber and make houses for people that don’t have shelter. Could I have a small loan?”
How does the child refer to the global community? The 2016 Schools of Character magazine states,
Students at Brooks Global Studies Elementary School are exceptionally high-minded. When asked in a writing prompt, “If you should give a gift to anyone, who would it be, what would it be and why?” Over 75% of the responses spoke of nonmaterial gifts. Students wanted to give to those less fortunate, provide jobs to the unemployed and love to the family.
(“Everyone Counts!,” 2016, pp. 10–11)
Understanding what children write and allowing them to respond to questions that engage them with the world helps them to connect with the teacher and the community.
Modeling Relationships
This year our theme is community, and we are concentrating on sports around the globe and the theme of teamwork. We revised our discipline plan to reflect our core values for our Team Rules. We use the acronym ROAR: Respectful, Optimistic, Accountable and Responsible. It is evident that concentrating on these four core values gives students a clear picture of expectations at Brooks Global. We started the year with an Olympic opening ceremony and unveiled our theme of Work Hard, Play Hard. In order to foster team building and mutual respect, each teacher designed a theme-related village to take place for 2 hours on the four half days of the year. Multiage level students go to villages like drumming, yoga, games around the word; there are approximately 22 different program choices.
The groups are small, and each group has a connection to a teacher at the school that will support them. Having multi-age level students allows for engaging interactions that promote peace building and equity.
Analysis of Our Model
I feel that we still face discipline and structure issues in our classrooms, but as we continue to layer our model of relationship building we begin to reach more and more students at a higher level of engagement. The students work harder and want to please because they know the teachers care through these collective projects to help others. Students learn skills that allow them to give to others and be global citizens.
As we strive to create mutual respect between teachers and students we are always looking to capitalize on new opportunities for our students. The school evolves and changes to stay current and moving forward. In all that we do at Brooks Global we think in terms of how this idea most benefits our students to be global citizens, problem solvers and leaders in the community. This starts with the teacher and our commitment to developing strong relationships with our students that help them navigate the world of learning and serving others. At Brooks, when I walk down the hallway, many different age level students say hello, wave or smile at me. It reminds me of the theme song from the old television series Cheers; I work at “a place where everyone knows your name, and they are always glad you came.”
