Of my list of expectations for students within my classroom, the one that I take the most seriously and would

put the most effort into both teaching and modeling is that students must be respectful of others. The reason this is such a crucial expectation for me is that because in a social studies classroom much of the higher order learning comes through discussions and exposure to viewpoints that vary from their own. This requires respect to be a crucial aspect in the classroom. In my classroom, I plan on teaching and modeling this largely through group discussions and activities that regard controversial content matter. First, I will lay down a list of rules at the beginning of the years first such activity and include stipulations such as no attacking an individual for their viewpoint, not using derogatory language, and not interrupting other students thoughts. I would also model such behavior through my daily actions by showing respect for students and trying to allow for all students, especially those who do not speak up in class to express their views and opinions. Picking out the rule about respecting others as the most essential in my classroom because I feel like this expectation is crucial to every aspect of learning within my classroom. I did find creating other expectations slightly challenging because although every teacher has in their mind the way their classroom should run, I found it difficult to take this and turn it into concrete and concise written expectations for my students.