When you step into room 501 at LEARN 7 Charter School, you can feel the sense of community and see scholars invested in their education and future. These scholars are simply living out LEARN Charter School’s mission of having the foundation to succeed in high school and beyond.

As teachers, we foster this type of devotion  to education beginning on the first day of school by introducing the characteristics of a lifelong learner. We start by having open discussions about failures. The adults in the room share their personal stories about failure, expressing that no matter how old you are there are still times when you will fail. It is all about how you react in these situations. We have a growth mindset and look at failure as an opportunity to learn something new. As a class, we discuss how the tools to be successful are already instilled within us. We just need to learn how to use our personal set of tools. Once this mindset is set in place, and scholars feel safe to make mistakes, the learning begins.

These conversations continue throughout the year. We start every day with a morning meeting. This is an opportunity for us to continue building our culture and community. During this time, teachers and students gather in a circle and discuss social emotional skills (cooperation, assertiveness, empathy, self-control, and responsibility) and academic skills (academic-mindset, perseverance, learning strategies, academic behaviors). We end every day with a closing circle. At this time we are reflective. We think about what went well and what we can improve on, as a class or individually. During this time we also give student-to-student shout-outs. This is an opportunity for one scholar to recognize another scholar. Whether it is for helping someone on a math problem, making someone feel included at recess, or for being able to change their day around scholars are recognized for their positive behaviors.

Throughout the school day, scholars are being pushed and challenged through a rigorous curriculum. When scholars have the understanding that it isn’t going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it in the end, there is no obstacle that seems too daunting to accomplish.

By: Meghan O’Rourke, 3rd Grade Teacher at LEARN 7 Elementary School