This community of learners offers them a sense of place or a sense of belonging. A sense of place is a spiritual or emotional feeling that is evoked by the physical environment or surroundings. A sense of place signifies belonging or acceptance within a community. Human beings naturally seek a sense of place because it offers reassurance. For example, friends or family can provide comfort and security. This, in turn, can affect one’s feelings of self-worth. We all can probably remember a time when we wanted to gain the acceptance of a person or group of people. If we received this acceptance, then we felt grounded, safe, and worthy to be part of that community or with those particular people. We want to be loved. If rejected, then we experienced low self-esteem, disappointment, and disorientation. This comfort can be the familiarity of a physical environment because we associate the place with the people who were present there. For some, a sense of place could be established in a chair or bed, but it could also be a room, a house, or even a larger and more open space like a field or ocean. Gaining a sense of place often leads to investment in the larger community. If an individual feels part of a community, then she can feel free to contribute her thoughts, dreams, and ideas to the group.

We often find that places of worship, like churches, temples, and synagogues provide a venue for one to find a sense of self. For many, these places symbolize love, generosity, peace, and comfort. People come to these places to find the reassurance that will help them get reoriented or “back on track” when they are disoriented.

A sense of place provides the foundation a learner needs before engaging in self-exploration, development, and contribution to the community. How can we help learners achieve a sense of place? Norms or guidelines should be established at the beginning of each school year to build the foundation of a sense of place. The learners in the classroom should generate these norms so they feel ownership of the guiding principles. Whenever new students join the classroom, these principles should be revisited for review or revision. This year, one of our classes established the following guiding principles: