Interview with Shannon Olsen, Author of “Our Class is a Family”

How do you make your classroom a home each year?

While the physical classroom environment is important (making it feel cozy and inviting to students with what I choose to put on the walls), what’s even more important to me is the “feeling” of home. Meaning that my classroom is a place where students feel a sense of belonging and know that they are safe to be themselves. This comes from building relationships with them early on and doing community building activities (especially during the first few weeks of school).

What advice do you have for teachers who are trying to create a community of learners and a safe, comfortable physical space?

This may seem obvious, but make it a priority to get to know your kids. Make each individual child feel important and noticed. Say their name often. Ask them about their home life and their interests. Just like you would with a friend, form some kind of personal connection that is special only to them, whether it’s giving them a fun nickname, having an inside joke together, etc.

Dedicate the first few weeks of school to building community. Do team building activities and social emotional learning lessons. Read aloud books that express values such as kindness, acceptance, and respect. You could also create a class pledge or mission statement together to display in the classroom. 

What was your favorite children’s book growing up?

My favorite children’s book growing up was Matilda by Roald Dahl. I related to her love of reading and admired her cleverness and determination, especially when faced with challenges in her home and school life. Miss Honey is also one of the coolest teachers of all time.  

What inspired you to write Our Class is a Family?

I was inspired to write Our Class is a Family at the beginning of last school year. On the first day of school, one of the things I do to try and start building community early on is to tell my kids that our class is like a family. As I was doing back to school read alouds, I was wishing I had a book that expressed the idea that our class is a family. It didn’t exist (trust me, I looked, haha). Since it was the type of book I wanted to read to my own class, I thought other teachers might want to read it to theirs as well. So I decided to just go for it and write one!

Have you read Our Class is a Family to your students? Do they know you are the author, and how have they reacted to it?

Yes, especially since being able to read it to my students was my initial inspiration for writing the book. I read it to my class over Zoom at the end of last year during distance learning. We talked about how even though we were no longer in the actual classroom together, we were still a family. I also read it to my class on the first day of school this year (again, over Zoom), and we brainstormed ideas about how we would stick together while we are learning virtually.

In my class, I do something called “Author’s Chair” where students read a piece of their finished writing to the class (they get to use a special microphone). When I read the book to my class last year over Zoom, I told them that their teacher would be sharing for Author’s Chair that day. They loved it! I also gave my students some insight into the process of becoming a real author. I showed them the drafts of the illustrations and talked about how I collaborated with the illustrator. I thought this might help inspire the young writers in my class, and maybe even encourage someone to want to become an author or illustrator one day.