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My goal is for students to feel safe and supported, as well as focused and
engaged, by the physical space that surrounds them. Therefore, upon entering my
classroom, they will find their desks in small groups, arranged in a semi-circle and
facing the SmartBoard. The reason behind the semi-circle or “U” arrangement is to
give all students the ability to see the board, for the teacher to easily see all of the
students, and to undoubtedly aid in promoting more active class discussions. The
students will be in small-groups at all times because it allows for group discussion,
share and use one another’s materials within the group. (How furniture affects a
classroom learning environment, 2015). Students will find “wiggle seats” on their
chairs, that they may choose to use, because these sensory cushions are great for
providing the movement input and tactile stimulation that many students need in
order to truly be able to concentrate on the task at hand. Young students have a
instrumentals will play in the background when students are working quietly and
more upbeat music may be used when they are having small-group discussions or
playing games. I want to encourage the use of music as a form of concentration and
Finally, I will have a large classroom library with a variety of multicultural and
multidimensional literature to meet all the needs and desires of my students. The
library will have lamps for adjustable lighting, as well as a variety of seating options
are captivated by reading, therefore, it is a goal of mine to make the library a place in
order for my students to truly feel supported and engaged, it is of utmost importance
too and that it is not just a classroom, but also our home away from home. Richard
Curwin and Allen Mendler, in their book Discipline with Dignity (1988), give a simple
and incredibly vital suggestion to teachers: (in summary) Take the time to talk to
each one of your students, even if just for ten minutes, every day. You may be the only
person who takes that time to show them that you care, and remind them that there
is more to life than the chaos that usually surrounds them. I could not agree more
with what they have said here, and I am going to strive to take at least a few minutes
each day to show each one of my students how much they mean to me. This is the
that their teacher is making an effort to care about them, they are much more likely to
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Jim Fay and Foster Cline are co-founders of the Love & Logic Theory, which
puts great emphasis on showing empathy in the classroom. One of their suggestions
that I found helpful is to consider delaying consequences until you (as the teacher)
have taken the time to cool down and think about the most appropriate action to take
because it is important that the teacher shows empathy toward his/her students’
situations and considers how his/her words and actions impact the students. I
believe that taking time for everyone to relax is best because it shows the student(s)
that I treat them with respect and do not want to project upon them anger or other
also that I highly value their input and that I want our classroom to be a student-
centered learning community. This cannot be done without showing them proper
admiration.
of the academic year. Students are much more likely to feel motivated and excited to
participate in activities throughout the year if they are able to take part in the
responsive teaching. What this means is that teachers create a community, rather
than a classroom, by changing the way that they look at their students as well as the
role that they give to these individuals. Students are not seen as products of an
educator’s instruction, but rather, ‘generative thinkers’ at the center of their learning
experience, who are indeed teachers themselves (Madigan Peercy, 2011). Placing my
students at the center of their learning experience, and inviting them to be ‘teachers’
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themselves, will undoubtedly instill a level of motivation within them and establish a
responsive teaching also “uses the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and
effective for them; it teaches to and through the strengths of these students” (Gay,
2000). Therefore, I plan on spending a lot of time, at the beginning of the year,
fostering relationships between the students and myself as well as the students and
each other. Calvin Terrell, a speaker, educator, and community builder, gave a
topics that I intend to incorporate in my future teaching. One very meaningful thing
that he said was that in order to create courageous and collaborative learning spaces,
students’ names should be said aloud before speaking and all others should repeat
these names until everyone knows each name well. He said that the most important
word in a person’s language is their name, and that taking this little bit of time to say
their name aloud gives every student a sense of identity within the classroom
(Terrell, 2017). This very simple suggestion supports my goal to show respect, love,
motivated individuals.
issues in the classroom; however, I am aware that they are not completely
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preventable. I believe that procedures are necessary for everyday safety as well as for
with Dignity, Curwin and Mendler (1988) discuss the importance of creating a social
expectations, and consequences that will be adhered to within the classroom. I see
great value in doing this with my future students because it creates accountability for
all involved, myself included. Because the students participate in the development of
the social contract, and sign the contract after it is written, they are agreeing to all of
its terms and conditions. Therefore, whenever misbehavior occurs, they are expected
to adhere to the consequences previously decided upon in the social contract. I think
that the social contract establishes clarity amongst everyone, shows students that I
expect the same from each of them, and again demonstrates that I value their opinion
Harry and Rosemary Wong, in The First Days of School: How to be an Effective
Teacher (2009), discuss the difference between discipline and procedures and how
the appropriate use of procedures within the classroom creates student success and
achievement. They define procedures as “what the teacher wants done” (p. 170),
explain that procedures create routine, and tell teachers that this routine is desired
by students because it makes them feel safe and secure. If something this simple helps
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placing in my management plan. One of the suggestions that I have found most useful
is on this same page (p. 170) in Wong and Wong’s text. It is a classroom procedures
list entitled “What Do I Do Next?” that lists nine constructive suggestions for
students’ use of their time after they have completed an assignment. I believe that this
list would make a world of difference in the third grade classroom, in which I am
currently assisting, because our students are only given the choice of silently reading
after they complete an assignment; thus, they become bored with reading, play with
things around them, talk to their neighbors, etc. I will give my future students a list of
options, such as those on this procedures list, so that they feel that they have agency
within the classroom, and are also being constructive with their additional time.
placing them at the center of their learning experience. I believe that this is the
foundation of all of my goals. If students do not feel that they are respected and
supported as individuals within their classroom, they are much less likely to be
successful academically. I believe that each of the theorists and educators whom I
classroom and that one of the main reasons for student misbehavior is the desire for
human connection. None of the things that I have mentioned, as goals for my future
classroom, can happen without creating this open communication and community of
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References
(2015, August 19). How furniture affects a classroom learning environment. [Video
week/classroom-learning-environment-movement-based-seating/
Curwin, R. & Mendler, A. (1988). Discipline with dignity. Alexandria, VA: Association
Delisio, Ellen R. (2008, Sept. 8). Practicing love & logic can mean happier schools.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin536.shtml
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, & practice. New York:
Madigan Peercy, M. (2011). Preparing english language learners for the mainstream:
Academic language and literacy practices in two junior high school ESL
Wong, H. & Wong, R. (2009). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher.
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