I believe the classroom should be a safe space to welcome all students, and should allow them to make mistakes and grow. Students should be allowed to explore not just academic concepts, but themselves. I want to help teach my students a sense of self, while instilling other life-long skills such as responsibility, empathy, respect, and accountability. 

When helping students learn I believe it is essential that they not only learn how to do something, but also why it is done that way. This cultivates a deeper understanding in students, and will assist in developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. For example in one of my practicums I was working with two 6th grade students to help remediate their math skills. They were struggling with converting mixed numbers, improper fractions, and decimals. I first assessed them with various problems, and found that these students did not fully understand what and why we multiply. In three 30 minute lessons I worked with them on understanding why we multiply and what multiplication is. I used manipulatives, charts, and white boards with markers to help them improve their skills in a variety of ways. In my final assessment both students improved from their first assessment. I encourage deeper thinking, and learning conceptually with procedure. 

In my teaching, I like to use a variety of methods. By using a wide range of teaching methods, I can better reach and engage all of my students and meet their individual needs. Teaching with different methods helps students develop their skills, as well as improve understanding for content. Teamwork and communication are essential of students to learn, so I implement and encourage group work and discussion in my classroom. When asking a key question to a lesson, I will often have students turn to a neighbor and discuss their thinking first, then ask for answers. This also allows for me to hear various discussions and understand students’ discernment. Inquiry is a method I enjoy using at the beginning of a new unit. This allows time for students to explore a concept, before I begin teaching it with other methods. It requires students to use critical thinking, problem solving, and allows students to generate their own ideas. Data-driven lessons are also essential in my teaching. Data will help me decide how to create reading groups, what I should teach next, and if I need to reteach content. Collecting data based on what my students enjoyed is also important to my teaching. For example, after working with a small group for remedial literacy I asked them what they liked and what they would want me to change. This helped me with my next lessons, as I better understood what students enjoy and what helped them learn. 

I believe classroom management should be based around my students, and their needs. When creating class rules and procedures, I would have them assist me in the process. When I was the lead teacher in a school age room at La Petite Academy, I sat the entire class down and we created a comprehensive list together of classroom rules. I then had everyone sign it at the bottom, that way they would be able to hold themselves and each other accountable. I believe a teacher role in a classroom is to manage and facilitate a safe and engaging environment. Students should not be controlled or forced into behaving, it should be based on self-control and self-management. I work with all of my students on creating and practicing these strategies on a daily basis. I have worked one on one with students who had more serious behavior issues, and together we created and implemented a behavior plan. This plan allowed the student to express what they did during the day, why they did that, and what the outcome was. We created a chart that tracked how their days were; good, okay, or bad. We would discuss how we could continue good behavior or fix bad behavior. By the end of my intervention the student had improved their grades, and their behavior. Finally, I often turn to Glasser’s Choice Theory when thinking about my classroom management. I want to ensure that I am providing my students with basic needs, and providing opportunities for choices. This builds student-teacher trust, classroom engagement, and a safe community for all students. 

My goal as a teacher is to better not only my students by myself. I will often try new approaches, with the understanding that they may fail. However, I use these failures as learning experiences, and a  guide to improvement. As I gain experience in teaching I want to start growing as a leader. I aspire to become a grade team leader, and eventually go into administration. I often look to experienced educators for advice, new skills, and for support. As I gain experience, I look forward to sharing my expertise with new teachers.