4/7/22
I love Ron Clark! I can not express just how inspiring he is. One of my dreams is to visit the Ron Clark Academy and immerse myself in the magic that exists there. If you are unfamiliar with this incredible school in Atlanta, GA, I recommend visiting their website or watching some of their videos on You Tube. Not only is there a dragon that soars above students as they walk through the hallways, but the Ron Clark Academy strives to foster leaders and promotes academic excellence.
The summer before I began teaching 6th grade, I read Ron Clark's Essential 55 and I decided that I needed my own version of the Essential 55 in my classroom. I came up with the Essential 20. My classroom number was room 20, and for my first go around, 20 character building values felt like plenty to work on with my students.
That first year using the Essential 20, those 20 values became a common language in my classroom. Students took ownership and worked to embody our Essential 20 which had been intentionally worded as 'We Are' statements to foster community and connection. The first week of school we reviewed the list and I gave each student a copy to put in their binder. Each week, we focused on one of the Essential 20 during an SEL lesson and we frequently discussed how we were seeing the Essential 20 in action during our daily community circle. Every year since, the Essential 20 have been an integral part of establishing a healthy, strong classroom community of learners who are kind, considerate, hard working, and humble. I highly recommend reading Ron Clark's Essential 55 if you haven't had the chance.
