Jodi Crofford always emphasizes teamwork in her classroom, and each year students write their own class contract, modeled after the Preamble to the United States Constitution. The signed "Class Promise" is posted in a prominent place in the classroom. "Students feel responsible for being kind and supportive of one another," Ms. Crofford says. "They hold each other accountable. 'Look, you signed it. Now you've got to do it,' one student tells another. They reinforce it; I don't have to."

She also believes all students must start early, realizing their choices make a difference in their future lives. She has her third-graders set goals every nine weeks and then as a class they evaluate them. "What did we accomplish? What did we not accomplish? Why didn't we do it? What could we do next time to make a difference?" They try to improve each nine-week period.

The students love her class because they feel safe and able to take risks in learning. If they have problems or reasons to celebrate, they write notes in the "Book of Concerns." Each Friday the entire class holds a team meeting to discuss the "concerns" that have been entered. This gives students a chance to discuss problems and celebrate successes with their fellow classmates in a safe environment. All these strategies help her students reach her goal for each of them: to become self-starters and to constantly strive to improve themselves. As life-long learners, Ms. Crofford believes, her students will have a greater opportunity to succeed.