As an educator, creating a classroom environment that fosters psychological safety is paramount to helping students thrive. When students feel safe, they are more likely to take risks, share their thoughts and ideas, and engage in learning. However, creating psychological safety in the classroom can be challenging, especially when you’re worried about sacrificing your own well-being. Let’s explore creative and trendy ways to create psychological safety in the classroom without sacrificing your own, as well as some tips for creating psychological safety in familial contact with your students’ caregivers.
1. Embrace Vulnerability
One of the best ways to create psychological safety in the classroom is to model vulnerability. When you’re vulnerable with your students, you show them it’s okay to be open and honest about their feelings and experiences. This can help create a safe space for students to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or criticism.
To embrace vulnerability in the classroom, start by sharing a personal story or experience with your students. This could be something you struggled with in the past or a current challenge you’re facing. By sharing your vulnerability, you create a safe space for your students to do the same. This doesn’t have to be a trauma dump on your students. It can be as simple as during state testing being honest about I wish you didn’t have to do it too, but if we have to do it, we aren’t gonna let someone who has never been in our classroom play us. Mic Drop.
2. Foster Active Listening
Another critical aspect of creating psychological safety in the classroom is fostering active listening. When students feel heard and understood, they’re more likely to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom. This means actively listening to your student’s concerns and ideas without judgment or interruption. Imagine having a really hard day, and your boss was like yea, yea, yea, get back to work. You would be like fuck this guy! Model what you want them to do.
Implement strategies like “active listening circles” or “turn and talk” activities to foster active listening in the classroom. These strategies encourage students to listen actively to their peers and engage in respectful, constructive conversation. Students have to practice. Set a timer, and coach them through it. Partner A will talk for minutes. Your job is to be silent and write down everything they say. Eventually, they will get it.
3. Create a Safe Space
Creating a safe space in the classroom is another important way to foster psychological safety. This means creating an environment where students feel physically and emotionally safe to be themselves without fear of bullying, discrimination, or harassment.
To create a safe space in the classroom, start by establishing clear rules and boundaries. Ensure students know what is and isn’t acceptable behavior in the classroom, and be consistent in enforcing these rules. You can also create a “safe space” corner in your classroom where students can take a break, calm down, or process their emotions in a quiet, private environment.
4. Use Positive Reinforcement
Using positive reinforcement is another effective way to create psychological safety in the classroom. When students feel appreciated and valued, they’re more likely to engage in positive behavior and feel safe in the classroom environment.
To use positive reinforcement, start by acknowledging and praising your students’ efforts and accomplishments. This can be as simple as saying, “Great job” or “I appreciate your hard work.” Avoid using tangible rewards like stickers or small prizes to incentivize positive behavior. You know what’s even better than candy, “I appreciate you. I’m calling your mom to tell her how awesome you are.” It’ll also build that trust with the family. Or “We did a great job. Let’s get some vitamin D and play soccer.”
5. Encourage Self-Care
Encouraging self-care is an important aspect of creating psychological safety in the classroom without sacrificing your own well-being. When students prioritize their mental and emotional health, they’re more likely to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom environment.
To encourage self-care in the classroom, start by modeling self-care behaviors yourself. This could mean taking breaks throughout the day to stretch, meditate, or engage in other self-care activities. You can also incorporate mindfulness or relaxation activities into your lessons to help students learn how to prioritize their mental and emotional health. I called them “Brain Breaks.”
Bonus: Creating Psychological Safety with Caregivers
Creating psychological safety with your students’ caregivers is another crucial aspect of fostering a positive classroom environment. When caregivers feel valued and heard, they’re more likely to support their children’s academic success and feel invested in the classroom environment.
Establish clear communication channels to create psychological safety with your students’ caregivers. This could mean setting up regular parent-teacher conferences, sending out weekly newsletters, or creating a classroom blog or social media page where you can share updates and information with caregivers.
It’s also essential to make sure caregivers feel heard and valued. This could mean setting aside time to listen to their concerns and ideas or implementing a suggestion box where they can share their feedback and suggestions for improving the classroom environment. A teacher friend and I hosted a family night. We created rooms for daycare, 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, pre-teen room, and teen room, the parents shopped kid free in a clothing closet sponsored by Goodwill with free clothing and baby items, and we had a food pantry and health screenings. Afterward, we sat all the parents down and had a town hall meeting. We had prompts where we asked them how you feel about…let them talk…ACTIVE LISTENING….responded directly and shared our policies and why. Who to call and when. How to access XYZ etc. They saw we cared about the whole child and the whole family; it was the most engaging family night in history. We shared our teaching practices and expectations, shared our teaching philosophy and strategies, and provided clear information about homework assignments and grading policies.
Final Thoughts
Creating psychological safety in the classroom is essential to helping students thrive and succeed. However, it’s important to remember that creating psychological safety doesn’t have to come at the cost of your own well-being. By embracing vulnerability, fostering active listening, creating a safe space, using positive reinforcement, and encouraging self-care, you can create a classroom environment that is both safe and supportive. Additionally, by creating psychological safety with caregivers, you can help create a more collaborative and positive classroom environment that supports all your students’ academic success and well-being.
Classroom to Corporate 