Climate

Room Arrangement:
Because I want to focus so much on community in my future classroom, my ideal classroom
would have a large open space for class meetings, flexible seating, and tables (rather than desks)
for collaborative work. I also want my room to have a lot of color and fun posters/artwork while
still looking neat and organized. This will be especially important to me if I teach math and
science. A lot of the students I've worked with are used to math and science classrooms being
kind of boring and basic, but I want my classroom to challenge those stereotypes and
communicate to students that math and science don't have to be boring and basic. From the
moment students walk in, I want them to know that they are in an inviting environment.

Student Work:
My cooperating teacher had a binder with her classroom list and all of the grade 2 standards. As
she assessed students on the second grade standards and benchmarks, she would check off
whether or not they met the standards. If students did not meet that particular standard, she
would put them in a small group and work with them at a later date to see if they could develop a
better understanding of that standard. This seemed like a really simple way to make sure that
students were not falling through the cracks and receiving the education they needed.

In terms of student expectations, my cooperating teacher was very firm with her students. At
first, I found it difficult to form relationships with students because I felt as though I could never
let my guard down. However, as the weeks went by, I realized that being so black-and-white
with students really did pay off in the long run. Students understood that you held them to high
expectations because you believed they were capable of meeting and exceeding them. They also
understood that you were fair and that any unwanted behavior was unacceptable; disciplining
students wasn't because you didn't like them, but because you believed they should be held to a
higher standard. I used to think that all of this contradicted building a community with students,
but now I know that setting clear expectations and holding everyone accountable to those
expectations (including yourself) is how you build trusting relationships with students.
Procedures and Routines:
Because transition times seem to be the most difficult for students, these were often the points in
the day with the most procedures and routines. Students had a morning routine that left them
with plenty to do until it was time for the morning meeting. When lining up a the door, students
were held to very high expectations and did not leave the classroom until everyone was in a
single file line, with their hands to themselves and their voices off. After students came in from
lunch/recess, they were expected to come into the classroom in silence and begin their 30
minutes of daily reading. At the end of the day, students were given a list of tasks they needed to
accomplish before sitting down at the carpet. The goal during each of these transitions was for
the entire class to get everything done without needing reminders from the teacher. When first
establishing these routines at the beginning of the year, my cooperating teacher modeled
everything for students and gave them plenty of verbal reminders as to what they needed to be
doing. Later on, she directed students to the Smart Board non-verbally, where all of their tasks
were laid out for them. When students were doing something they weren't doing, she was quick
to correct them and tell them what they should be doing instead. All of this is a prime example of
Interactive Modeling - a concept taken from Ruth Charney's Teaching Children to Care. When I
have a classroom of my own, I hope to use many of these transition procedures to establish
routine for my students. I really liked how my cooperating teacher always had the same list of
tasks to accomplish for students displayed on the Smart Board for the morning and end-of-the-
day routines. This way, students only ever needed to look at the board for a reminder of what
they needed to be doing. This was a great way to allow students to take charge of their
responsibilities and stick to the established routines.

Rules and Consequences:

My cooperating teacher was stricter on this especially with the students being in third grade. She
really had a good relationship built up with the students and the students respected her rules and
her classroom. If the students didn’t do their homework, she would let them come in during
recess to it. Day one she made her rules clear and understood. For the first few weeks we
practices a lot of routines and what it should look and sound like.