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It seems these days that our students are so self-oriented.  Where is the sense of community that we grew up with?  I remember that my elementary school teachers would tell us that we were a family and that we were to treat one another as family as long as we were in class together.  Our students and classrooms don’t seem to have the sense of community anymore.  It seems like they are always telling on each other, and not helping each other solve problems.  It is extremely important for teachers to emphasize the importance of community to their students while they are still young.  This way, they will carry these thoughts and feeling with them the rest of their lives.  I remember in 2^nd grade I had a teacher named Ms. Hale.  She assigned jobs to each of us that were family oriented.  I was the “mother” of the classroom, probably because I am a worrier and I was always concerned about what was going on with everyone.  My job was to consult those who had any issues, and those that I couldn’t solve, I had to write down and put them in her “Gripe Box”.  Each of us were given several opportunities to be selfless and to care for one another, and I must admit that this concept had a positive effect on me.  I wish that more teachers would encourage their students to care for one another in similar ways.  Our job as teachers is to socialize our students and help prepare them for the real world.  We can start by providing our students a sense of community and belonging