Jessica Zahnd

Professor Ahrens

Building relationships and classroom culture

I used to think becoming a teacher was someones calling when they

just loved the field they were studying so much that they wanted,
needed to teach it! Or perhaps those people who get never get out of
the high school glory days and relive the experience of having
summer vacation.
Starting my student teaching experience however, flipped my
perspective to the point where I realized teaching knew me better than
any other career ever could. Yes, I had entered teaching with an anger
and resentment to how unfair the systematic categorization of placing
children in paths of entitlement vs. paths that lack all and any
opportunity to advance themselves through education. I had never
dreamed however, that I would gain so much out of the relationships
that I have formed with my students, and how much they gain out of a
mere act of build rapport and showing interest in their lives.
I currently work in a school where the spread of socio economic status
is at its extreme. My heart has always been with low-income kids as
this population as I grew up only ever surrounded me and their trials
and tribulations became my trials and tribulations. Ive witnessed first
hand how sitting down with a student and asking are you ok? can
transcend our relationship from authority figure and student to care-
giver and student who just needs to be cared. It shocked me to my
core, how this almost instantly translated into so many different
factors; higher achievements in the classroom, higher degrees of effort
on academic work, higher levels of engagement both mental and
physical in the classroom, and more.
I realized more and more that for some of these students, school and
the confines of a classroom are their only getaway, their only place
to breathe amidst the chaos and often tragedies of their home lives.
Some of the stories I have heard, even in my first year, have forever
changed me and left a deep impact on how I view this young
generation. The strength, the determination and the power of will that
some of these students demonstrate on a daily basis should be
recognized and celebrated by people in their lives however we as
teachers are often the only ones who will. From this, I recognized that
my classroom should be this safe haven, it should be this getaway, it
should be the place they come to, to be celebrated and recognized.
Every conversation I have with my students I try hard to incorporate a
subject that pertains to their life outside of the classroom, and their
willingness to share and unload acts as a constant reminder to me that
teaching content is a second priority to me, when relationships and
creating a comfortable environment for them always takes precedence.
I try to create this environment in a few ways. Firstly, amidst every unit
that we study in biology, I have my students fill in a tell me something
I dont know sheet. So far, my students have filled out 4 and in each
case I can tell their tellings get more and more personal and
sometimes even cathartic. I try to remember every thing written by
every student and comment while passing by on something they have
noted, just to let them know, hey, I read it and Ive remembered it and
your words are important to me. I also play music in my classroom that
each student gets to pick every day on a roster. In doing this, I hope to
give the students some level of control over their environment. Ive
recognized that a lack of control is something that is really frustrating
to a lot of them and if they can feel even a little in control of the
culture of the classroom, I have succeeded. Similarly, when we end a
unit early which is often the case, I leave it up to the class to deliberate
and pick an interesting sub-topic from the overarching unit that we can
study. Perhaps a question that has always bugged them about biology
or even just a wonderingagain, in attempts to make them the driver
in their own learning and give them the control in what they learn. Its
amazing how much more engaged the students are in topics that
theyve not only chosen, but are genuinely interested in. Lastly, I
emphasize and encourage students to develop skills that will last them
beyond the confines of the classroom. Skills such as debate, basic
manners, thinking for themselves and being skeptical with a mind to
critically think. I hope to show them that I care for their well being and
sustained achievements beyond the one year in their life that I have
them in my class.
By doing these things, my hope for my dream culture of my
classroom, is one in which learning is driven by the student. They are
here because they want to be here and its a place they feel
comfortable, welcome and appreciated. I also want them to feel and
see that the control I give over to them is because of the faith and
trust I have in their competency and ability in academics. Placing faith
and trust in my students is a high priority for me, as I believe it is one
of the biggest esteem boosters! If my students feel that I have their
back, and I want to see them succeed and refuse to let them fail but by
being a facilitator of learning instead of an authoritarian instructor,
than I have succeeded.
I am far from this dream culture as of yet however I try and build it up
each day. I have made many mistakes and had learning experiences on
the way the biggest one being to prioritize care over content, and not
letting my assumptions of why a student behaves in the way they do,
take over my attitude and perception of them. I am sure there are
many more learning experiences to come and I hope each one of them
only helps this culture grow stronger!