Cristina: Before we get started, I really want to go over the Social Contract that we created in the beginning of the year.

Takila: Because we do Social Contracts, students feel a sense of empowerment. They work collaboratively and monitor their own interactions. Students develop positive relationships with the teacher and their peers alike.

Brooklyn: We were being polite with each other.

Takila: Good morning, good morning! Good morning, Mr. David!

Catherine: At Haines Elementary School, I think it’s very important that students have ownership of their learning, we have students in every grade level doing Social Contracts. It creates a community in the classroom, and it also fosters a different type of learning for our students because it came from them.

Cristina: So Social Contracts are a great way for teachers and students to come to an agreement. Pretty much a baseline for behavior. What they see up on that wall gives them the ownership and the accountability for themselves and for others.

Brooklyn: The Contract has helped us to communicate better. It really does help you think about what you’re going to say and how the other person will react to it.

Jaylee: It gives everybody a chance to speak up about what they want to do instead of just having the teacher write down the Social Contract, and nobody agrees to it.

Takila: Today we get to do one of my very special things. You get to help me determine how we’re going to interact in our classroom. Question number one.

Takila: So the Social Contract is built from the responses of four essential questions. “How do you want to be treated by me? How do you want to be treated by each other? How do you think I want to be treated by you? And how do you want to handle violations of the contract?” Students answer those questions independently, and then we share out.

Jaylee: I want you to treat us respectfully, so we could have a great time together and nobody will be upset during class.

Takila: As we’re sharing, we just start to make a list of important words.

Takila: How do you think I want to be treated by you?

Student: You wouldn’t want us to be yelling around or playing around.

Student: I think you would also want us to be honest, because if we be honest we can find easier solutions of things to go more smoothly.

Takila: How will we handle violations of the contract? What if it’s one of your classmates? And what if I’m teaching? What should you do that doesn’t cause a disturbance?

Takila: So students agree to use the thumb sideways as a cue to say, “Check yourself and check the Contract.”

Takila: After the Contract is generated, students are encouraged to sign it.

Takila: I’m going to go first. I think that this is a good idea. I am agreeing to abide by this Contract.

Catherine: The Social Contract is posted up in the front of the room and is being referred to on a regular basis.

Cristina: The ownership helps to facilitate discussions, because they know the norms.

Cristina: So let’s really make sure that we are following through and we’re being respectful, polite, listening, giving others the opportunity to speak.

Brooklyn: She asked us how can we use our Social Contract in our discussion of the Little Rock Nine.

Student: Jim Crow Laws are like preventing them to do anything that they wanted to do.

Cristina: One of the things that students put up there was having empathy. That is going to be an important component to how they interact with each other.

Brooklyn: When they was checking her I.D., they definitely felt some type of way knowing–

Student: A type of way like racism against them, even though they’re guarding them.

Cristina: When we came to the Reflective portion of it, we looked right back at the contract.

Student: Everybody listened to the people presenting and everybody had a chance to talk.

Takila: At the end of the day in our class, students use a simple three/two/one rating. Three, we nailed it. We followed everything in the Contract. Two, there may have been a distraction or two. One, we had major issues.

Student: I picked three because we worked together as a team. When Vicki was stuck at her desk, Nevin decided to help her.

Jaylee: Ever since we made the Social Contract, our class has been going by like faster, because we get along so much.

Takila: The Social Contract allows me to maximize instructional time. Students know that it’s a part of their responsibility to take care of themselves and others.

Cristina: Because we have Social Contracts in our classroom, we can speak our mind and respect and value what other people say.

Brooklyn: It always reminds me every day. I signed for it. I agreed with it, so I have to commit.

Schools That Work

John C. Haines Elementary School