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Creating Respectful Classroom Environments

Regina Miller1,2,3 and Joan Pedro1

Creating respectful classroom environments Respect is a critical variable in education. It iscritical to each individual child in the classroom environment as well as to the teaching and

learning that takes place in the classroom. Children learn by example. Where do they get theirexamples? This article explores the parameters of teaching and encouraging respect in class-rooms for young children. Emphasis is placed on the creation of respectful classroom envi-ronments taught by teachers who have themselves been prepared to nurture this kind of

environment.

KEY WORDS: respectful classroom; character education; values; standards; teacher preparation; code ofprofessional responsibility; reflection; self-reflection; emotional climate; diversity; tolerance; ethics;behavior; models; teacher attitudes; bias; dignity; caring; validation; degrading language; violence; heri-tage; socioeconomic level; safety; threats; sincerity; relationships; curriculum planning; inclusive teaching.

INTRODUCTION

Respect is a fundamental human value thatforms the basis of character and personality. It can beconsidered a principle or standard and an appropri-ate way of acting. When you were growing up didpeople tell you that you did not have to like every-body but you must respect them? You might havebeen told that you needed to respect teachers andother adults. Respect was often equated with age.You were to respect your elders. Was this respect forthe person or was this really respect for the positionof authority or the station in life the person held?How did you feel when a teacher or another adultengaged in behavior that brought to surface feelingsof non-respect? You probably did not engage in dis-respectful behavior because you were raised in anenvironment that taught you a set of behaviors thatincluded remaining silent when you encountered

something of a disturbing nature. You might havealso been taught that whatever the person did was‘‘OK’’ because that person was the teacher and assuch, it was assumed that all behavior in which theperson engaged was appropriate.

The notion of respect for position or age did notaddress concepts of respect that are considered veryimportant in the world of education today. This kindof respect did not encourage appreciation of theideas, traditions, rituals and culture of others. It didnot tend to encourage exploration of the viewpointsof others that might lead to the genuine tolerance ofpeoples of diverse cultures. In the world in whichchildren find themselves today, understanding andappreciating those with whom you attend school,learn and play makes for a much richer living andlearning experience, expands horizons and breaksdown traditional barriers.

Today we know that teachers are persons justlike any other and that there are some teachers whoare good and some that are not such good people. Weknow that there are those who work or interact withchildren who are not respectful of them. In somesettings, children are exploited, used and abused. Wealso know that children are being raised undervarying conditions in environments that might not

1Education, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, USA.2Education, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West

Hartford, CT 06117, USA.3Correspondence should be directed to Regina Miller, Education,

University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford,

CT 06117, USA; e-mail: remiller@hartford.edu

Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 33, No. 5, April 2006 (� 2006)DOI: 10.1007/s10643-006-0091-1

2931082-3301/06/0400-0293/0 � 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

teach them about respect or how to recognize whenan adult is behaving in a way that is not respectfultowards them. It is not uncommon to need to teachchildren about ways in which they can protectthemselves from adults in positions of authority whomay not have the best intentions towards them.Trissler (2000) states that students are influenced bymany outlets and that the values they hold are shapedby parents, peers, television, music and other externalsources. If this is so, then children bring with them awide range of behaviors to the classroom and it is upto the teacher to shape these behaviors appropriatelyto match what is expected in school. Alderman (2000)indicates that many children today do not know rightfrom wrong and that this imbalance has led to manyof the world’s problems. There are many reasons whyrespect has declined over the years. Current practiceis vastly different from the traditions of yesteryearwhen adults would pass a learned set of values totheir children. As Sidney, Howe, and Kirschenbaum(1978) emphasized, this approach is becoming lesseffective, since there are competing values capturingthe attention of impressionable children. Their valuesthat might compete with those from parents, thechurch, and peer groups, might come from Holly-wood, magazines and various other sources. Indi-viduals are bombarded with so many choices that itmakes it very difficult for one individual to bestowhis/her own set of values on another (Sidney et al.,1978). If this is so, then it is important to teachrespect to our students in order to create a respectfulclassroom environment.

The establishment of this kind of respectfulenvironment requires that we explore various waysthat respect can become an integral value embeddedin the education of children and ways pre-serviceteachers can be prepared to create a respectfulclassroom.

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Respect as a term has been broadly used andrepresented in the education system in the UnitedStates. Considerable work has been done and agree-ment exists on the desirable virtues and moral qual-ities that are good or meritorious and underliedesirable character traits or habits (Benninga &Wynne, 1998). There is the notion that some traits arenot innate and must be learned at school ad at homeand other agencies in the society. Respect is one suchhabit that exemplifies courtesy and brings out properbehavior and civility towards others (Benninga &

Wynne, 1998). Those who call for character educationstress the importance of whole environments operat-ing systematically to foster good character formationwhich includes not only the physical elements sur-rounding students, but also the people around them(Benninga & Wynne, 1998).

In the literature are found numerous educationprograms that propose respectful behaviors andenvironments. The U.S. Department of Educationhas funded pilot character education projects in 12states. Although the evaluations of these programs’effectiveness are yet to be done, many schools boastof improvements in students’ performance andbehaviors (Graef, 2000). The county of Chesterfield,Virginia with its 59 public schools has invested mil-lions of dollars in reforming its school system. It hasas its main focus maintaining high academic stan-dards in a safe and respectful environment forlearning and promoting involvement in schools. InNew York City three public schools are making adifference in a system fraught with problems (Dunne& Delisio, 2001). It is evident that at these schoolsstudents are nice to each other, and there is no namecalling, teasing, shouting, or pushing. Teachers arerespectful to students, and students are respectful toclassmates and their teachers (Dunne & Delisio,2001). These examples demonstrate that financialefforts to put conducive infrastructures in place andteacher attitudes and commitment go hand in hand tocreate respectful environments.

Sanville (2003) believes that teachers andadministrators need to be mindful of their own biasesand to consider the contexts of children’s lives, and toinquire about what we are teaching our students.Wessler (2003) defines a respectful classroom as aplace where all students feel physically and emo-tionally safe and valued for whom they are. He goeson to state that students who do not feel safe andvalued will find it impossible to focus on academics orrelationships with others.

The teacher’s role is imperative to successfulteacher student interaction and creating a positiveclassroom climate. There is a positive relationshipbetween teacher expectation and student achieve-ment, and teachers must be mindful that all studentsare entitled to their help, attention and feedback(McConnell & Elliot, 2003). There is also a correla-tion between the teacher’s role and motivation forlearning (Colville-Hall, 2000). Communication thatincludes a positive tone that conveys empathy andsincerity can help in sending and receiving messages.Feedback with nonjudgemental comments, as well as

294 Miller and Pedro

positive statements where the teacher can use bothstatements and questions at the appropriate time areimportant in the process. The teacher must be anactive listener who engages her students in clarifyingtheir feelings and choosing options (McConnell &Elliot, 2003).

If what is supported by the literature is valid,how then can we ensure that the teachers workingwith children in classrooms provide the safe respect-ful environments for students under their care? Whatfollows is a presentation of some ways that teachereducators can nurture pre-service teachers to self-reflect in order to prepare safe and respectful envi-ronments.

Curwin and Mendler (1988) suggest a number ofstrategies: help all students set goals; set high expec-tations for all students; challenge learners to greaterachievements; involve students in the evaluationprocess; provide instruction that uses a variety ofmodels and approaches; involve learners in classactivities; encourage students to persist; and teachsocial skills when assigning cooperative tasks.

THE TEACHER AS THE CORE

OF RESPECT—WHERE AND HOW

DO TEACHERS LEARN THE IMPORTANCE

OF CREATING AND MAINTAINING A

RESPECTFUL CLASSROOM?

An issue to consider is this: can pre-service andin-service teachers learn to respect children throughreading, studying and class discussions? Does respectfor children come from exposure to environments inwhich children are respected? Is respect for childrenan innate behavior that cannot be taught but can beenhanced?

Teachers are models for the children they teach.In order for teachers to foster respect among stu-dents, teachers need to reflect on their own values andbiases, consider the contexts of student lives andponder what it is they are teaching their students(Sanville, 2003). Is this a value that is natural to allteachers? Can this value be taught to teachers?

States have instituted standards for teachers thatspell out the critical nature of respect as a core ele-ment (i.e., Connecticut, North Carolina). In theConnecticut Code of Professional Responsibility forTeachers, the following statements are listed under‘‘Responsibility to the Student: A—recognize, respectand uphold the dignity and worth of students asindividual human beings and therefore deal justly andconsiderately with students: C—nurture in students

lifelong respect and compassion for themselves andother human beings regardless of race, ethnic origin,gender, social class, disability, religion, or sexualpreference.

The standards for North Carolina teachershighlight the importance of respect in their CoreStandard VI: Teachers respect and care about theirstudents. One part of this Core Standard states that‘‘Teachers maintain the dignity of each student:Teachers teach students to respect themselves, otherstudents, and adults in the school. They establish arespectful, caring classroom atmosphere where everystudent feels worthy and valued. Even when it isnecessary to correct student behavior, it is done inways that maintain the dignity of the student’’

For teachers to have respectful classrooms theymust self-reflect (Sanville, 2003). Often, teacherswork in schools with populations that are very dif-ferent from what they encountered as they werethemselves developing. Teachers need to be well read,open to new people and cultural experiences, as wellas reflective. They must approach situations from abase of knowledge and understanding. When teachersunderstand the community surrounding the schooland the demands on the lives of the children theyteach, they will be more respectful of the burdenssome children face each day. Too often, assumptionsare made concerning groups of children and whatthey might have and not have. Getting to really knowthe children in their classrooms helps teachers todispel those assumptions.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A RESPECTFUL

ENVIRONMENT?

We feel the following variables contribute greatlyto creating a respectful classroom environment:

CREATING THE EMOTIONAL CLIMATE

OF A RESPECTFUL CLASSROOM

When you walk into a classroom or other settingin which children and adults are to engage in teachingand learning, can you feel an air of respect and whatcontributes to that feeling? Respect takes many formsand can be demonstrated in a variety of ways. Respectcan be held for persons, materials, ideas, values, andtraditions. Respect can be tacitly held, activelydemonstrated and felt. When there is a feeling ofrespect, the behaviors that demonstrate respect willfollow. Respectful classrooms depend on respectfulschools. Wessler (2003) states that a respectful class-room means different things to different people.

295Creating Respectful Classroom Environments

He contends that in a respectful classroom, studentsfeel physically and emotionally safe and valued forwhom they are. Wessler also states that a teacher in arespectful classroom notices the interactions betweenstudents and does not tolerate harassment or socialexclusion.

To create a respectful classroom the teacher mustnotice the interactions of students and follow-up ifsomething unusual or harmful is happening, andshow no tolerance for social exclusion or harassmentof individuals within that environment (Wessler,2003). Wessler cites many examples in his studywhere students place importance on teachers’respecting their feelings, where the teachers werewilling to put aside their lesson plans to talk withtheir students about what was happening. He states‘‘They talk to their students and asked them for theirthoughts about the major events affecting their lives’’(Wessler, 2003). Respect for students’ feelings, abouttheir personal experiences and traumatic events areimportant as well as validation of students’ thoughtsand feelings in the creation of a respectful emotionalclimate of the classroom. Wessler (2003) emphasizesvaluing our students’ emotions and lives outside theclassroom as key to a respectful classroom. He statesthat when students believe we care about their feel-ings, they more likely will respect themselves andtheir classmates.

RESPECT FOR PERSONS

One way of disrespecting a person is by usingdegrading comments and slurs. In many classroomsand schools despite the effort of multicultural edu-cation to teach respect for individuals, no matterwhat groups they belong to, we find children usingdegrading language and making slurs to each other.How do teachers respond to this situation in theclassroom? Wessler (2003) invites teachers to respondimmediately and to send a firm message that they willnot tolerate or accept disrespect and incivility in theirclassrooms. Teachers should interrupt incidents ofdegrading language so as to avoid the escalation ofthreats and violence. Wessler goes on to explain thatteachers should be models for all students and showthem the confidence to stand up to harassment.Respect for persons should permeate a classroom.Children should know that all children and adults inthe classroom are valued and are equal members ofthe community. Children need to learn that regard-less of color, heritage, socioeconomic level, etc. allchildren in the class will have equal access as well as

equal responsibility. It is our belief that as teacherswe must demonstrate respect behaviors towards ourstudents regardless of age. Many adults includingteachers maintain that they should be the ones toinstill good behaviors and teach respect. In manyinstances these behaviors are often harsh and com-mand like causing our children to rebel against our‘‘orders’’. According to Strike, Haller, and Soltis(1998), we should not impose values on our students.However, as part of our ‘‘hidden curriculum’’ withinthe school, respect can be one way schools serve tosocialize students to learn respect for themselves,teachers and peers.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS

OF A RESPECTFUL ENVIRONMENT?

The development of a respectful classroom leadsto a greater understanding of and appreciation fordiverse populations within a school community.Diversity is not always that which is immediatelyvisible. Diversity takes many forms and needs to beunderstood in order to support a child and his/herfamily. A respectful classroom environment decreasesthe fear of the unknown and unexplored. Children insuch a classroom are encouraged to get to know eachother and about others, share ideas, explore newcontent and carry this out with the feeling of safetyand appreciation. In this type of environment there isa greater likelihood of willingness to share more ofself because respect permeates the environment. Arespectful classroom is an open-minded classroom. Insuch a classroom students feel safe when they aresharing ideas. They should be able to accept eachother’s ideas and values even if they do not agree withthem. If this takes place, everyone will feel aconnection to each other.

HOW DOES ONE ACHIEVE A RESPECTFUL

ENVIRONMENT?

A major component of a respectful classroom isthe development of relationships. Teachers aremodels for developing relationships. Students observeteachers to see how they negotiate the social andmoral environment. The models set by adults in theclassroom and external to the classroom play a verylarge role on the development of the respectfulclassroom. When students observe teachers, they canassess what is genuine and what is being play acted.Children thrive on sincerity. They deserve to spendtheir time in classrooms where teachers respect theneed for honesty and integrity.

296 Miller and Pedro

Children can be taught to respect materials andequipment if they see the adults around them doingthe same. When a teacher takes the time to arrangeclassroom materials and equipment in an attractiveand useful manner, this conveys respect to the chil-dren in the classroom. When new materials come tothe classroom and the teacher takes the time tointroduce the materials to the class, this too conveysrespect and the expectation that the children in theclass will treat the materials with care.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF A RESPECTFUL

ENVIRONMENT?

In a respectful environment, people of any ageuse respectful words. Their language conveys arespectful tone of voice. Their actions are respectful.They are provided with the time and space in whichto demonstrate their uniqueness. In a respectfulenvironment, individuals convey respect throughtheir body language. Their attitudes are respectful.These characteristics cannot be turned on and off.Respect must permeate the environment and must bepracticed and supported every day. The followingchecklist can be used to help in the development of arespectful classroom environment. The checklist isdesigned to encourage teachers or pre-service teach-ers to view the many possible classroom componentsthat are critical to the establishment of a respectfulclassroom climate.

RESPECTFUL CLASSROOM INVENTORY

In My Classroom I

• model appropriate behaviors

• am polite to students

• am polite to parents

• am polite to the adults in the school community

• set the tone for tolerance and acceptance of people, behav-

ior and ideas

• set high expectations for all my students

• engage in on-going monitoring of student behavior

• speak directly to my students to show respect and to help

them take responsibility for their own behavior

• convey respect when students are speaking in class

• establish guidelines for treating one another with courtesy,

allowing others to maintain their sense of dignity and

appreciating other’s individuality

• enforce and follow-through on the behaviors of individual

students who do not follow these guidelines

• use cooperative learning groups to expose students to and

encourage respect and working well with others

• work effectively with all my students regardless of ability

level

In My Classroom My Students

• are polite to their classmates

• are polite to teachers

• treat their classroom and school environment with respect

• use body language that conveys respect

• listen attentively to each other

• demonstrate that they know what the following words

mean: respect, dignity, courtesy, individuality , uniqueness

• work well together regardless of ethnicity and/or ability

My Classroom

• has written rules and expectations for students when

indoors

• has written rules and expectations for students when

outdoors

• has students engaged in lessons that infuse the concepts of

respect

• has students engaged in studying about individuals who

worked to gain respect for others

• contains books for students to read that focus on respect

and respectful ways of being with peers, community mem-

bers, family members, etc.

BUILDING FOR CONTINUITY IN THE YEARS

BEYOND THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PERIOD

There are classroom practices that help to providefor continuity of respect from one school year to thenext, from one classroom to the next. Cooperativelearning is one way to engage students in the practiceof respect. Cooperative learning groups involveestablishing small teams, each with students of differ-ent levels of ability, and the use of a variety of learningactivities to improve their understanding of a subject.Each member of a team is responsible not only forlearning what is taught but also for helping teammateslearn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement aswell as cooperation. Documented results of coopera-tive learning include improved academic achievement,improved behavior and attendance, increased self-confidence and motivation, and increased liking ofschool and classmates. Cooperative learning is alsorelatively easy and inexpensive to implement. Teacherscan begin to institute cooperative learning in pairs,utilizing activities such as construction puzzles,recalling information or matching ideas (Lyman,Foyle, & Azwell, 1993). As students work coopera-tively in smaller groups, the teacher can institute largercooperative learning groups (Lyman et al., 1993). Theteacher’s role is critical to the success of cooperativelearning (Foyle, Lyman, & Thies, 1991). The teacher

297Creating Respectful Classroom Environments

observes and monitors and intervenes during variousgroup interactions and provides the stimulus and re-wards for good group behavior. Cooperative learninggroups can start at an early age to teach young childrenpositive interdependence and individual accountabil-ity to self and the group (Foye et al., 1991). Once thesebehaviors are established, they will easily carry into theelementary classroom years.

IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSE POPULATIONS

BEING INTEGRATED INTO SCHOOLS

AND CLASSROOMS

Students learn from teachers through multipleways. Students observe the practices in which teach-ers engage. It is critical that cooperation and respectbetween teachers is something that permeates tradi-tional boundaries, i.e., cross grade curriculum plan-ning and implementation groups; parent/teacherworking groups; cross schools working groups(district-wide). In addition to these observableexamples of cooperation and respect, cooperationand respect between teachers and administrators thatis obvious to children also needs to be a criticalcomponent of the school environment. In order tofacilitate positive respectful relationships that willsupport children between school and home, cooper-ation and respect between teachers and parents needsto be clearly visible to children.

WORKING WITH PARENTS

Children do not come to school alone. They arepart of a constellation known as family. Whetherchildren live with their natural or adoptive parents,grandparents, one parent, an extended family mem-ber or guardian, it is very important to develop arespectful working relationship with the care-givingadult. It is these people who help form a familypartnership with the school. Parents have potential toserve as sources of information for teachers if youhave developed a respectful relationship with them.Teaching and learning is much more successful whenteachers are able to contact parents as resources forsupport for themselves and the children they teach.

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

Children do not have a measured vote. Theycannot speak for themselves so children need adultsto advocate for them. The community should benurtured to see schools as centers of teaching,

learning and respect for all. Communities need to payattention to the lack of respect evident in their com-munities and advocate for change. Just as the mediaexposes children to inappropriate language andbehavior, media can also be a vehicle for exposingchildren to positive, respectful models, language andbehavior. Community advocates can help to makethat happen. If we engage individuals to help tocreate more respectful opportunities for children,those who advocate for children need to understandand appreciate the uniqueness of individual childrenand children who have commonalities based on theirunique culture. Children are exposed to differentbehaviors and language at home and in their neigh-borhoods. Children look up to adults as models andfor support. If they imitate the adults they are with,and the behaviors are detrimental to the children, thechildren will be confused. Communities need to en-sure that children have the right people in their livesso they can have the best start to leading lives filledwith respect and good opportunities.

TEACHER PREPARATION

As pre-service teachers learn about the com-plexities of curricular design and classroom man-agement, it is important that they have develop theunderstanding of the appropriateness of classroomteachers conveying to the children they teach thatstriving to be respectful might be challenging forthem. With the emphasis on basic skill acquisitionand high stakes testing, pre-service teachers need tobe supported in learning how to include charactereducation as a critical part of the classroom curric-ulum. In much the same way that it is critical thatcharacter education be infused into daily life in theclassroom and not reserved for ‘‘extra time’’ one dayper week, multicultural education is an importantvehicle for learning about and respecting others. Inorder to facilitate this for pre-service teachers,diversity experiences should also be infused into pre-service teacher preparation. Pre-service teachers mustalso be taught strategies in inclusive teaching toconvey respect, fairness and high expectations. Thesestrategies include: considering students prior knowl-edge, orienting students to your ways of teaching,and giving students strategies for successful learning.Research concludes that inclusive teaching sup-ports student learning and plays a role in studentachievement.

298 Miller and Pedro

CONCLUSIONS

As a virtue, respect has been sought after his-torically in education. In the 4th century, Plato andAristotle called for education that considered thetraining of good and virtuous citizens. In the 17thcentury, John Locke, believed that learning was sec-ondary to virtue (Skinner, 2004). In the 1960s theteaching of character and values gained prominencein schools (Skinner, 2004) and again in the 1990s theFederal government made grants available to schoolsystems invested in piloting character educationprograms. Many of these programs are based in theUnited States Constitution and in the United Nationscharter as well as common civil and moral values(Skinner, 2004). The focus of respect is just one of themany pillars of character embedded in the educa-tional programming for our children. What we areadvocating is not a specific program to be imple-mented but rather an environment that needs to becreated where respect permeates the interaction ofteachers and students. This environment would inturn aid successful teaching and learning. In creatinga respectful classroom, teachers need not rely on theimplementation of a sophisticated program. Teachersjust need to practice respect and to require respectfrom their students in all that takes place in the dailyrunning of a respectful classroom, where the ‘‘hiddencurriculum’’ would engender respect for all within theclassroom. There are a few studies that conclude thatas we facilitate social development, we concurrentlyadvance academic function (Skinner, 2004). This isnot too much to ask of teachers. Respect should be acritical component of all classroom environments.

REFERENCES

Alderman, C. (2000). Why is it normal to teach values as well asnormal school subjects. Internet, www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/page42.html, 2000.

Benninga, J., & Wynne, E. (1998). Keeping in character: A time-tested solution. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(6), 439–446.

Curwin, R. L., & Mendler, A. N. (1988). Discipline with dignity.Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Dunne, D., & Delisio, E. (2001). Common elements of respectfulschools, Education World. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues168.shtml.

Foyle, H., Lyman, L., & Thies, S. (1991). Cooperative learning inthe early childhood classroom. NEA Early Childhood Educa-tion Series, U.S. National Education Association.

Graef, C. (2000). Teaching respect ranks with the three R’s. StPetersburg Times.

Lyman, L., Foyle, H., & Azwell, T. (1993). Cooperative learning inthe elementary classroom: Developments in classroom instruc-tion. U.S: National Education Association.

McConnell., & Elliot (2003). Positive classroom environment andstudent-teacher rapport preventing challenging behavior in theclassroom.

Sanville, P. (2003). What is respect? Beyond tolerance. Perspectives,Massachusetts Association for Supervision and CurriculumDevelopment. http://www.mascd.org/docs/jan2–3.htm.

Sidney, S., Howe, L., & Kirschenbaum, H. (1978). Valuesclarification. Sunderland, MA: Values Press.

Skinner, R. (2004). Character education. http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm.

Strike, K., Haller, E., & Soltis, J. (1998). The ethics of schooladministration. NY: Teachers College Press.

Trissler, T. (2000). Should values be taught in public schools?http://www2.widener.edu/~egr0001/EDControversy/Trissler.html.

Wessler, S. L. (2003). Rebuilding classroom relationships – It’shard to learn when you’re scared Educational Leadership, 61, 1.

DOCUMENTS

Center for Instructional Development and Research (2003). Inclu-sive teaching. http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/inclusive/convey/html.

Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers.North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards.Nova Scotia Department of Education (2003). Creating a safer and

more respectful environment in schools education. http://www.gov,ns/news/printpage.asp.

Report of the 1996 Bond Referendum Projects http://www.co.chesterfield.va.us/BondReferendum/school.asp.

299Creating Respectful Classroom Environments