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We each come from very different backgrounds and have different life experiences. But a common bond we share is how we value relationships and community. At some time in each of our lives, we have felt separated from a close-knit community as we ventured out on our own. The three of us met while attending graduate school to get our teaching credentials. Here, we discovered a new community on which we could depend upon. Our fellow classmates, and soon to be colleagues, are our community and have become the people we rely on and share things with. We have come to depend on each other in a very short space of time due to circumstances. Our fifth year program brought us together and we have all learned from each other and grown together. We all understand the challenges and demands of graduate school and the journey to become teachers through our experiences together.

Reflecting on this, we began to discuss what is a community, what is it made of, and is it important to everyone. We concluded that community is all around us. It’s our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods, our cities, our states, our country, and yes…even our planet. We also concluded that community is important to people of all ages and is especially significant to our students and in our schools. We realize that a strong community can make all the difference in the world, and for these reasons we feel it is essential for children to learn about the different types of community and their importance throughout their schooling experience. Therefore, as educators, it is imperative that we teach our students about the importance of community.

It is important that educators model some of the very ideals we are teaching our students. If we expect our students to work collaboratively and build a community among their peers, than we as teachers need to build a community among ourselves. Teachers can learn a lot from each other…that is what makes a community of teachers so very important. By creating websites such as this one, we are creating a network of resources, which empowers all teachers to share the importance of community with their students.

Melanie Armstrong

Suzy Chapman

Cindy West

"it fill's good to help people"

From Melanie...

One of the first times I felt a strong sense of community was when I was living in Switzerland. I moved to a tiny town in the German region when I was 25 years old and did not speak a word of German. After living there for about three months, I felt very homesick and lonely because I had such a hard time meeting people who spoke English. I ended up joining a group of expatriates (expats). Expats are people temporarily or permanently living in a country and culture other than that of their upbringing. I found this group through the internet, where I ended up meeting some wonderful friends. We instantly connected with each other because we shared a bond. We understood each other and what we were going through; adjusting to life in a new country.

There are great websites out there and groups you can join, which connect you with people who are having similar experiences, whether it’s living abroad or anything else you might share in common with someone. I strongly encourage everyone to be involved with some type of community, whether it is through friends, a group on the internet, church, volunteer work, sports, school; anything where you can meet other people.

When I think of community, I think of being connected and in sync with other people, sometimes you may even bond with people with whom you have never met before. The community in Switzerland gave me a real sense of belonging. I had a new group of friends, people I could depend on and because of that Switzerland became my new home. If I hadn’t met those people, I probably would have returned home after 6 months, but what was supposed to be a 6-12 month living abroad experience turned into 3 years. In fact I may even end up moving back there someday!

From Suzy...

I never realized the importance of community until I moved away and found myself without one. I was born and raised in New Mexico, so when my boyfriend and I moved away from home I found it to be one of the hardest things I had ever done. I left my family and a close-knit group of friends behind to begin my life in Portland. At first I found myself having a hard time adjusting to the distance between my family and friends. I found myself without a close circle of friends with which to rely on and talk to.

After I had been in the area for a couple of months, I began to settle in. I got a job, which helped tremendously. I began to meet people, and felt like a productive member of society. I realized that getting myself out of the house and interacting with others made a huge difference. I slowly began to feel like a member of a community again.

The big turning point for me was when I began my Masters program at Pacific. It gave me the connections I so desperately needed. I met others who shared my interests and goals. As we began to share experiences, we created a community of our own.

While my experience has been difficult at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It really opened my eyes to the importance of community and the feeling of belonging. As an educator, I want to create a community within my classroom, as well as teach my students the importance of community. I want my students to know that in my classroom they will have a place where they will always belong.

From Cindy...

I began thinking about community when I moved to Oregon and found myself redefining my own community. As I began to seek out a community with which I could become involved I noticed how many different ways community can manifest itself. In the past, my community has come from my family, or my friends from school, or the people with whom I work. Yet, as I was seeking a new community I encountered other people who were also searching for a community, or who had recently done such a search. I was amazed as I listened to their stories and began to appreciate the variety of community and methods of finding community.

One story I love belongs to a couple who recently relocated from Washington and are organic farmers. They were struggling as new farmers in a new area and were looking for a community in which they could share their problems and gain support. So they turned to the Internet in the hope of finding an online community. They were really excited and surprised to find not only an online community, but also a local group of young organic farmers who lived only ten miles from them. They e-mailed a couple from this group and soon had met up with them and were trading ideas and helping one another. Interestingly, I met this couple at a "Barn Raising" for one of the organic farmers. I happened to be there because my neighbor (who also recently moved here) knew the people putting up the barn.

This experience prompted me to really start examining how people find community, why they need it, and how it doesn't have to be only the people you live around. For myself, I realize that one of the best communities I have been a part of is definitely the people I have met in the MAT program at Pacific University. My experience with a school that consciously promotes and encourages community among its students is a wonderful model. I have seen how classes can be structured to promote community, various techniques that can be used to create community, and philosophies that encourage collaboration rather than competition. These are ideas I want to carry into my own classroom and share with my students. I believe these ideas will be key in my success as a teacher and with my peers.