Open communication in the classroom promotes peace and harmony. You can help your students feel comfortable by encouraging them to share their feelings with you and their peers. Declare your classroom a safe space; take a small amount of class time every day to have students come together in a circle and express pressing emotions or thoughts. You should also share your feelings and thoughts; this will show students you trust them, and will let them know they can trust you as well. Explain to students the importance of keeping to themselves the information that is shared in the circle.
Group activities that require students to work together will facilitate a harmonious class environment. Activities can be academic or creative in nature, or both. Suggestions include singing songs together related to various tasks (cleaning up, for example), putting on a dramatic performance, reading in a circle, taking care of living beings in the classroom (like a class pet or plant), activities designed to raise money or awareness, or building things together.
Daily mediation also helps to create a harmonious class environment. Teachers should turn the lights off for five to 10 minutes every day and encourage their students to sit quietly with their eyes closed. Instruct students to pay close attention to what they are thinking and feeling. Helping your students remain in touch with their own thoughts and feelings will help them practice mindfulness when dealing with others.
Teachers can promote harmony through classroom design and organization. Avoid the color red, as it promotes aggression. Arrange desks in a way that facilitates the type of learning you prefer. If you want students to work independently, keep desks separate. If you want students to work together on most assignments, arrange desks in clusters. Keep walkways clear and keep one area of the room clear of furniture, so students feel free to move around. Arrange the classroom decorations and displays so that there is no one specific focal point, but rather an interrupted flow of items for the eyes to land on.
Promote classroom harmony by making students feel appreciated. Take time to acknowledge positive behavior, no matter how small. Keep student work on display throughout the classroom, give out awards for academic and non-academic achievements, and put up pictures of your students happily working together.