Morning Meeting Packet!

The Morning Meeting Packet had many good ideas in it.  I am only going to focus on a few.  

I liked how the packet went into a little more detail about each part of the morning meeting and discussed a little why each part is important.  I also, liked seeing what skills were able to be developed.  For example, "Sharing is designed to simulate face-to-face conversation."  This part really made me think about how important this skill is in every day life.  As I was thinking, I realized that some adults still have not been able to grasp this seemingly simple task.  Along with this, the student's gain skills in listening, public speaking, asking relevant questions, being respectful, and many more.  Some of the skills are purely social while others (like asking relevant questions) are used in other areas of study.  The more I read about the different skills and abilities that are developed, the more I realized how vital they are to the student's current and later successes.  How could someone think morning meetings are a waste of time!  

I enjoyed reading the thoughts of the students.  They really seemed to connect with each other and build that ever important community as a result of the morning meetings.  The students themselves recognized that they got along better with their peers and were more ready to start the day after the morning meeting.  The difference was so much that they were willing to fight for it.  This is a good sign that the students are learning and gaining much from the experiences they have in morning meetings.  

One last thing,  in the Questions and Comments section of the reading.  I really liked Mike Anderson's response to the question.  I think it is a great idea to invite the skeptical parents or maybe even administration into the classroom to watch what goes on.  However, I would wait a couple weeks after the beginning of the semester so the students know the routine.  Also, informing the parents in the newsletter is such a wonderful idea!  This way some parents will reinforce the ideas being taught during these meetings.  Further more, the more connections that are made to the curriculum and social goals (that may or may not be in the state core) the less opposition will arise.  

From the reading my understanding is growing in respect to morning meetings.  I can see how it does build community in a classroom and how it can reinforce concepts that are needing to be learned or are being taught already.  I want to use morning meetings in my classroom.