A Classroom Mission Statement

How elementary teachers can use the end of the school year to reflect on their classroom management plans and create a class mission statement for next year.

As the school year winds down teachers, students, and parents look forward to a relaxed schedule and more free time. But before you pack up your stuff and head to the beach take time to reflect on the past year and create a mission statement for next year’s class.

What is a classroom mission statement?

• Just like a company’s mission statement a classroom mission statement defines the vision of the classroom culture or environment. Anyone who reads the statement can immediately get a feel for the priorities of the teacher and the focus of the classroom.
• Teachers can use the statement to share their views with students, parents and administrators at the beginning of the school year.

How do I create a classroom mission statement?

• The first thing to do when developing a mission statement is to reflect on your instructional and educational values and make a list of the classroom characteristics that are most important to you.
• Go through the list and categorize the qualities into main ideas that you believe are essential to a positive teaching and learning environment.
• Use the main ideas to write a short paragraph describing your vision for the classroom.

Over the summer reread and refine the paragraph until you are satisfied that it expresses your viewpoint. Decide how you will share the mission statement with parents and students at the beginning of the school year and refer to it throughout the year to guide your lesson planning and classroom management decisions.