I believe that Classroom (and school) Culture are vitally important to the success of everyone in our classroom and school.
In my room, I use a variety of resources to help my students and I to create a classroom environment that we all want to be a part of and work hard in. This is where you will find resources and information that I use to help develop the "whole" student. Essentially, all of the resources and information tie together to help students to be their best and to create a classroom environment that is positive, engaging, and exciting.
The Leader in Me
The Leader in Me is a program developed by Stephen Covey of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" fame. His company created a school based program called, "The Leader in Me." There is a variety of information available through their website, http://www.TheLeaderInMe.org I refer to the 7 Habits on a regular basis in the classroom and I also do "read alouds" related to the 7 Habits. I use "Leadership Binders" with my students to help them to develop the skills and knowledge to be the best leaders they can be. I am attaching a link to "The Leader in Me" Parent's Guide so that you can read about and get ideas for implementing the 7 Habits into your child's life at home.
Growth mindset ties in with the 7 Habits. The idea is that we work to have and maintain a mindset that is conducive to individual (and group) growth and improvement. For example, rather than saying to yourself, "This is too hard, I give up," you might say, "I can improve with practice." I have several posters on my classroom wall that are positive affirmations to help encourage a growth mindset. I will also read books aloud to my students that talk about ways we can have a growth mindset. Additionally, I have a "Peace Corner" in my classroom where students can go to take a moment to take a break if they are feeling overwhelmed by things at any given time. Sometimes life's stresses can make it difficult to focus and make good choices so the "Peace Corner" serves as a place for students to reflect and problem solve. There are several growth mindset books in the space, various activities for students, and a reflection sheet for students to fill out. Think of the "Peace Corner" as "Zen time" for the student.
Below is a link to several books for a variety of ages that address a growth mindset. There is also a book that you can purchase that works as a journal with a growth mindset focus. Your child may want to have this to work on at home.
SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) and Mindfulness
Another aspect of the classroom is SEL and Mindfulness. As an educator, part of my job is to address the Social-Emotional needs of my students and to provide support for them on a variety of levels, depending on their needs. One way that I do this is by helping students to develop the following skills:
Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship skills
Responsible decision making
It is an ongoing process to help students to develop these skills but it is worthwhile because as students develop these skills the classroom (and school) culture improve and learning is optimized. The resources I mentioned above, help with this aspect of the classroom in a variety of ways.
Additionally, the following books are invaluable resources (along with a variety of other resources):