Make a “scene” because everyone needs a crew.

Community played a huge role in my punk rock youth and it plays a major role in the classroom.

Punk rock is a giant network of scenes from city to city and state to state. Each of those scenes was it's own little community, its own culture, its own feeling and nature. I recently read a book about early the 80s hardore/indie movement called "Our Band Could Be Your Life" which really dives into this idea of this punk rock network across the US.

Well, I grew up in a little scene around Saginaw, MI and the Saginaw crew was my little punk rock family. We helped each other book shows, sell merch, hand out fliers, find the record stores we could put up posters in, and sang along at each others shows. Having that crew made even the shows with only a handful of people in the crowd fun. This core group of people became my support network and really helped me as a grew up. They had my back and I had theirs. That network went beyond my little city though. We connected with the Lansing crew, the Flint crew, and the St. Johns crew. We had this support network we could tap into when we traveled the state playing or seeing shows. We knew who's houses we could crash at, who's mom would make us breakfast, and who to ask where the best late night grub could be found (in Saginaw, The Texan was the location of choice). Each of those scenes was built on friendship and a common purpose - punk rock.

Van ride!

One of our many punk rock van rides.

As educators we should be creating a "scene" in our classroom. We have a common purpose, education, and we can create a culture that supports learning, risk taking, and creativity. When my class sizes are hovering around 35 students it is impossible for me to be the every minute of the day support system for students. Here's the thing though, I have a support system of students who can lift each other up. If you can build a community in your classroom that "scene" you create is one where kids feel comfortable asking their neighbor for help, working on a project in a group, or sharing their ideas with the class. Class discussions go better, classroom management gets easier, and transitions from one thing to the next run smoother.

Creating this supportive culture, this crew in your classroom, might take a little extra time at the beginning of the year but creating a family of learners who will work together and support each other will pay off in the long run.

Every year I do a little variation on something I call the "Buckley Boot Camp." We spend a couple days playing some communication games. These games help us get to know each other, build some community, and really I use them as a way to help cement in what quality conversations and quality group work are going to look like in our classroom. It boils down to each game showing the class what good communication looks like. Debriefing those games helps the class get a better understanding of what I'm looking for when they work together and when the write a paper or a short answer on their tests. Occasionally throughout the year we might revisit a game or two to recharge or remind some of the ideas around communication but the main goal of building some relationships and creating a room where we can work together really comes out of those first couple days.

Building those relationships doesn't just mean playing some games though. It really is about getting to know your students and letting them get to know you. I'm a human and my students are human. We make mistakes. Sometimes, I'm going to make mistakes in the classroom and those are much easier to deal with and much easier to work around when kids know who I am. It's also easier for me to work around frustrations with students or give them a little grace in the classroom when I know them beyond a name on an attendance roster. Show your students a glimpse into your world. Be willing to admit your mistakes and be willing to accept theirs. Go to a game or a performance. Check out a play. Watch the marching band. Let them know you see them for who they are outside of your classroom's four walls.

Make a "scene" in your classroom. Our students deserve classrooms with compassion, community, and support not just from us but from their classmates as well. That crew of students in your classroom can come together to learn and grow. Help grow a culture on your campus. Build those connections from class to class and grade to grade. That network of learners has an incredible potential for positive change at your school.

Oh yeah, don't forget to create  your own crew of educators, people you can learn and grow with. Maybe its your PLC or PLN. Maybe its your neighbor teacher who gets you through those crazy days when its a full moon on a Friday. If we want to grow and be great educators we need a crew to help us along too. The crews you build can last a life time. Trust me.

The Saginaw Crew!

Sending off one of our crew members (2019)

House show!

I got to play the reunion basement show