Blurred Lines

Lauren White
Children exhibit natural curiosity and wonder. It is only when they feel restricted in the realm of
their inquisitiveness that they begin to limit their capacity to learn. I believe that schools are often the
force by which these children feel first restricted in their curiosity. For students to develop into lifelong
learners, it is the teachers job to provide students with opportunities that productively make use of their
curiosity and provide support that allows them to develop metacognition. My philosophy dismantles the
traditional notions of teacher and student- promoting the idea that we are all learners. My class is a
community of learners. As the teacher, I consciously shape my classroom environment to reflect the
culture, expectations, curriculum, strategies, and disciplines which promote an effective, passionate and
metacognitive learning community for all. These components are developed using the underpinnings of
theoretical works by Vygotsky, Kohn, Maslow, Dewey and Glasser.
The effectiveness of my classroom model is primarily dependent on the culture that stands
among all of the members. Thus, in order to foster a culture which supports the concept of a classroom
community, relationship building is a top priority. I find it imperative to take an active role in building
relationships with students and their families from the very start. Meeting or making quality contact with
the student and family before the school year begins builds a strong foundation for a community of
learners. It gives the student the ability to ask questions about the upcoming year, share about
himself/herself, learn about the teacher, and prepare for the experience. Additionally, it allows the
teacher to form relationships early, gain insight about student interests/experiences and evaluate areas of
need. Also, it demonstrates to parents that I care about their child, their childs successes, and them as
members of our respected classroom community. This explicit gesture of care, acceptance and trust is
the symbolic step which blends the line between teacher and student (and even parent). Students will
know that they can be successful in my classroom and that I want them to achieve success. Through
initiating early contact, students will enter my classroom for the first time already assured that their
presence is important, that their uniqueness is appreciated and that they are safe.
Providing students with the opportunities to form relationships among each other is also a
necessary component in my classroom. Students need vulnerability, trust, openness and respect to learn
effectively. This occurs when they are provided with a safe and inclusive classroom. In my class,
students form relationships through large group team building activities, through small group
collaboration, partner talk and general opportunities for collaboration. Starting in the beginning of the
year, my students work to get to know each individual as more than just a classmate, but instead as
unique, important, respected and essential member of the learning community. This pluralistic class
model provides students with the support necessary to reach individual success.
As all members of the class, including myself, are viewed as a part of the community of learners,
expectations are created collaboratively. Students create classroom expectations collaboratively and they
are discussed in the context of our classroom community. Involvement is essential- everyone in my class
has a valued voice. The chosen codes of conduct that we choose will align with the behaviors that would
promote effective learning experiences and that would respect our community of learners. This means
that everyone in the classroom must model the expectations, including myself. We will work throughout
the year to develop the characteristics that allow us to carry out these expectations by participating in
responsibility building practices. Responsibility building practices are character building experiences
which promote prosocial behavior through learning skills and skill management. These practices are an
important element in my teaching philosophy as they emphasize my belief that lifelong learning is
essential to growth and success, even in the areas of behavior. It also relates to my goal to help students
develop a metacognitive approach in life.

Given the community setup of my class, the emphasis on lifelong learning and the meaningful,
choice based learning experiences, one major expectation I have for my class is to give effort. I find
productive struggle to be beneficial and the culture of the classroom demands best effort.
Self-discipline is the most common disciplinary structure in my classroom. Throughout the year,
they work to understand how to be successful analyzing and controlling their own behaviors. I work to
model self-discipline to my students in situations where I am at fault. My students are expected to do the
same and are not punished for wrongdoings but instead are introduced to the idea of consequences as
learning opportunities. Knowing that discipline is often an area by which relationships deteriorate in the
classroom, I consult the behavior issues in one-on-one reflection meetings or provide the student with
the opportunity to engage in a self-reflection meeting regarding the issue. These reflections address
behavior issues in relation to the student created expectations and then discuss the behavior in relation to
logical consequences. The student is provided a say and is not automatically judged for behavior. My
students realize that slip ups happen but we need to be able to recognize when they do and apply
strategies to try and fix the behaviors. Large scale disciplinary issues are addressed during responsibility
building practices.
My classroom curriculum is based around finding passion in learning. As a community of
learners, my entire class (including me) will engage in meaningful and relevant learning experiences.
Obviously standards do not allow students to learn whatever they would like, whenever they would like,
but I understand that it is my job to employ strategies in order to accomplish standards while still
incorporating aspects of student intrigue and curiosity. Often teachers view the standards as cookie
cutter whereas they really provide a fair amount of room for inspiration and creativity. Instead of
diminishing my students innate curiosity, I challenge them to incorporate the things they are curious
about into our learning experiences. My students are to be engaged, passionate and understand the
purposes behind their learning.
Consequently, evaluating areas of student interest is a big element for me. I want all of my
students to have a say in their learning experiences and therefore I provide many experiences for choice
within my classroom. It means that I wont have the luxury of doing the same lessons year after year,
but it will result in my students finding meaning in their learning. Lessons are planned, and I am not just
in the back while they teach themselves. I view my role as a learner also, but a knowledge expert on a
lot of our essential curriculum topics. I am there to promote discussion, ask questions, provide resources,
and inspire. I am up in the front teaching just as often as other knowledge experts in the classroom. I
want my students to explore, discover, evaluate and analyze their information, even that which I
provide.
Another essential aspect to my classroom is feedback. Feedback forums are a way in which I
support students become successful. They will be provided opportunities to give feedback about their
work, the works of others and even give feedback to me. Additionally, I will provide feedback to my
students. It is my belief that the ability to give constructive, honest feedback to others and to
appropriately receive feedback and make changes is an essential skillset to acquire for learning. Lifelong
learning requires a growth mindset, and in order for students to work towards becoming lifelong
learners, they need to be able to constructively evaluate their work and the works of others. The next
step of using the feedback to make changes, is also necessary in growing and learning. Feedback forums
will be a very common feature of my classroom.
My classroom will get messy, it appears chaotic, and it will be loud with discussion. I will have
some students doing one thing, and others doing another. Students will know just as much about each
other as they know about their families. They will teach just as often as I do. We will all be learners.