A productive, purposeful hum fills Ms. Vincent's fourth grade classroom as the school day draws to a close and students complete their end-of-day jobs. Ten minutes before dismissal, when everyone is packed up, Ms. Vincent signals that it's time for closing circle, and the class moves to the meeting area.
When all are seated in the circle, Ms. Vincent raises her hand, the class’s agreed-upon signal for attention. The students stop their conversations and listen as Ms.
When I look around my classroom, I see students making choices. The first graders I teach make choices all through the day, from the time they arrive until Closing Circle.
"How do I make the time for a Closing Circle at the end of the school day?" That is definitely the question I hear most from people who want to start using Closing Circles. It's addressed in detail in a section of the Closing Circles book called "Seven Ways to Find 5–10 Minutes," but here's the main idea underlying what you'll read there: If you manage the end of the day efficiently, you can find the time.
