Creating an Inclusive Classroom Environment
Community-building, expected dispositions, positivity, and a focus on whole-child development create the foundation of my ideal classroom.
I envision a place where students feel valued, respected, and responsible.
In my future classroom...
Students will be held accountable to dispositions such as respect, commitment, integrity, and kindness. During the first week of school, these expectations will be discussed and described using methods such as role-playing and group discussions.
We will begin building our little community by sharing about ourselves.
- I plan to use "Me Stew" as an introductory community-building activity. During "Me
Stew", students bring in 5 things from home that help describe who they are. Everyone
gets a chance to share and ask questions of those presenting.
The emphasis will be on developing the whole child. I plan to weave brain-and-body warm-ups, engaging games, and critical thinking questions throughout the day. The focus in my classroom will be on developing healthy, engaged, and competent 21st-Century learners.
WHY I WANT TO TEACH AT AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
Teaching is not just a career for me, it is part of who I am. Every day my goal is to help students become life-long learners, not just pass a test. The first thing that stood out to me about one of the independent schools I applied to was this line on their website: “...[in elementary grades] children begin their lifetime work of learning how to learn,” (emphasis mine). The time that children spend in lower grades is very precious and vital. The attitudes and perspectives that students acquire towards learning during these years will impact the rest of their lives.
When students fall in love with reading, when their curiosity and sense of wonder is sparked, they experience an intrinsic motivation to learn. Too often, teachers inadvertently destroy children’s motivation to learn by turning the learning process into a chore. Instead of having students complete meaningless work, I want to make learning into an adventure. Every lesson will be an exploration that leads to new and exciting discoveries. I realize that my students depend on me to inspire them, lead them, and help them along this journey. I too must be an explorer, a life-long learner, in order to inspire them to follow me.
With students across America falling behind based on standardized test scores, public schools are implementing more and more programs that restrict teachers and often prevent us from practicing the art of teaching. One teacher I spoke with told me that the principle at her school forbids the second-grade teachers to teach social studies or science. They only have time to focus on reading and math skills.
I do not know how restricting teachers and taking away our freedom to lead students on learning adventures will help students achieve state and national goals. If students are not motivated to learn, they will not learn, and they will keep failing. So I want to work for a school system that understands the importance of developing the whole child, not just their reading and math skills. Test scores should simply be measurements of progress, not the ultimate goal.
I envision a place where students feel valued, respected, and responsible.
In my future classroom...
Students will be held accountable to dispositions such as respect, commitment, integrity, and kindness. During the first week of school, these expectations will be discussed and described using methods such as role-playing and group discussions.
We will begin building our little community by sharing about ourselves.
- I plan to use "Me Stew" as an introductory community-building activity. During "Me
Stew", students bring in 5 things from home that help describe who they are. Everyone
gets a chance to share and ask questions of those presenting.
The emphasis will be on developing the whole child. I plan to weave brain-and-body warm-ups, engaging games, and critical thinking questions throughout the day. The focus in my classroom will be on developing healthy, engaged, and competent 21st-Century learners.
WHY I WANT TO TEACH AT AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
Teaching is not just a career for me, it is part of who I am. Every day my goal is to help students become life-long learners, not just pass a test. The first thing that stood out to me about one of the independent schools I applied to was this line on their website: “...[in elementary grades] children begin their lifetime work of learning how to learn,” (emphasis mine). The time that children spend in lower grades is very precious and vital. The attitudes and perspectives that students acquire towards learning during these years will impact the rest of their lives.
When students fall in love with reading, when their curiosity and sense of wonder is sparked, they experience an intrinsic motivation to learn. Too often, teachers inadvertently destroy children’s motivation to learn by turning the learning process into a chore. Instead of having students complete meaningless work, I want to make learning into an adventure. Every lesson will be an exploration that leads to new and exciting discoveries. I realize that my students depend on me to inspire them, lead them, and help them along this journey. I too must be an explorer, a life-long learner, in order to inspire them to follow me.
With students across America falling behind based on standardized test scores, public schools are implementing more and more programs that restrict teachers and often prevent us from practicing the art of teaching. One teacher I spoke with told me that the principle at her school forbids the second-grade teachers to teach social studies or science. They only have time to focus on reading and math skills.
I do not know how restricting teachers and taking away our freedom to lead students on learning adventures will help students achieve state and national goals. If students are not motivated to learn, they will not learn, and they will keep failing. So I want to work for a school system that understands the importance of developing the whole child, not just their reading and math skills. Test scores should simply be measurements of progress, not the ultimate goal.