Professional Inquiry

Professional Inquiry: Children in the Classroom

Kruse Kiser

South Dakota State University

Professional Inquiry

My question is “How can I get students to feel like they belong in the class, and

feel as though they are welcome and safe while they are there. In order to answer this,

I obtained information through different sources. I asked my question to a director of

an afterschool program, I also used information from a class I am in.

First, I asked a director of an afterschool program what their thoughts were on

my question. The director explained that in order to make your children feel like they

belong in the classroom, you have to be a part of their “family.” Getting to know the

child and the child’s family is an important part of getting the child to feel

comfortable in a foreign environment. If you become a part of the family, the child

will always have someone around them they know they can trust and come to if they

need to.

I also used information that I have been learning and have learned in my online

SPED 100 class. This class mostly discusses exceptional children, but in this case, the

information can and should be applied to all children and students. In this class, I have

learned that becoming an “extension” of the child’s family can help them be

successful in their career as a student. This starts with inviting the families and

children into the classroom, getting to know them better, and allowing the families to

connect with you as a teacher. This creates a trust not only the child and teacher, but

between the family and the teacher. The family knows their child is well taken care of,

and the child knows that they are going to be educated and taken care of effectively.
Professional Inquiry

By getting to know the families better, you build a relationship with the

families. This builds your relationships with your students individually, and you

become an extension of the child’s family. This can be beneficially for the child’s

health as a student and health in general. If a student feels comfortable, they are more

likely to ask questions and participate in classroom activities, increasing the

effectiveness of their education. If a child feels comfortable around an adult, they will

be more likely to confide and ask questions about things that could be bothering them,

making the child’s life healthier.

Asking those with more knowledge and utilizing previous knowledge is an

effective strategy to use at any point in life. As a future teacher, I will have to ask

questions, and the people around me can answer them. My future coworkers can help

me gather knowledge that is important in being a successful teacher. By utilizing

previous knowledge, I will be able to teach effectively and creatively.