Haley Kebker

Bro. Sellers
2-27-19
Journal #4
My personal belief is that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure learning
environment to learn and grow. It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their full
potential by making learning rigorous, and enjoyable, while being there as a guide. I want the
students to have ownership in the classroom so that they are motivated to work hard to reach
their goals. Over units, I also want my students to think critically, work collaboratively together,
have an opportunity to be creative, and work on their communication skills.
How I would evaluate my ability to work with my practicum students this semester is that
I work very well with them. The class that I am in is such a diverse classroom that at times, it can
be very hard to work with all the students together, but I have learned that for some of these
students, this may be the only time that they have someone caring about them and their
education. I try my best to talk to every student in my class and see how they are doing so that
they know that I love and care about them. When talking with the students I have been able to
gain a greater connection with them based on what they like and enjoy doing. This helps
teaching them go by smoother because I can use their interests in the lessons that I teach to make
it more fun.
One way that I make meaningful connections with my students is by greeting them every
morning when they walk into class. This makes them feel safe and comfortable and I di it to let
them know that I am there for them and I am excited to see them. Another way that I make
meaningful connections with my students is by talking with them one on one and seeing how
they are doing. There have been a couple days where some students weren’t themselves and I
was able to pull them aside and see what was wrong and how I could help them. One thing that
my teacher does that I am with in my practicum class was before the school year started, she
went to every child’s home that she had in her class and she met with the child and their family.
This is something that she does to make connections with the parents and her students before
they come to school so that they feel more comfortable.
One thing that I want to do when I have my own class is greet each child as they come in
with either a high five or a fist bump to let them know that I care about them. I also want to do
home visits like my practicum teacher because making connections with your student’s parents is
also very important to me. I want their parents to know that I am there for their child and I will
do everything that I can to help them succeed in my class.