Recently, I had the outstanding opportunity to participate in a practice interview with my student

teaching principal and his colleagues. Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, this was
conducted via Zoom. I was interviewed by the Principal, Vice Principal, the Interventionist, and
the Curriculum Coach. They conducted a 60 minute long interview. One particular question that
I was asked was: “How would I describe my ideal classroom?” This question caught me a little
off guard because I hadn’t prepared for it, but it ended up being my favorite question to answer.

To answer the question, I described how I’d like to have my desks arranged in groups of two to
four arranged so everyone could see the board and easily hear my instruction. I like to wander
around the classroom while I talk, so it is important that all my students are able to see, with
minimal turning when I teach. In the classroom, I also want to have a classroom library.
Students who see books and are able to go up and check one out, right then and there, will be
much more likely to at least pick one up and start it. Starting is the first step towards making
lifelong readers. I also described the way that I’d like to have some flexible seating options in my
classroom.

With my classroom, I want to have a sort of “normalcy” to the arrangement. What this means to
me is that student supplies are in a consistent spot. They are able to get what they need when
they need it. This means the pencils are always in the same spot, as are the colored pencils and
the pencil sharpener. The sign-out sheet is also in the same spot. What this does for students is
it eases the anxiety of students having to ask where something is during instruction, or during
work time. Students also know that they are trusted enough to get their own supplies when
necessary.

The final piece that it is absolutely necessary that I have in my ideal classroom is a culture of
safety and respect. To do this, at the beginning of the year, we, as classes, would make a class
norms chart. This would be a set of expectations that students set for themselves as a class. By
allowing students to create these class norms, they have ownership over the expectations and
can reflect on their own behavior through the lense of the person who set the expectations. The
upside to this is that as a class, we can reevaluate these norms as the year progresses. If
something isn’t working, a class meeting can be called to discuss them. Students know their
opinions and feelings are respected when they are able to help set the expectations for
themselves. These expectations would be tied into the school PBIS expectations, if those are
present.

If I was to answer this question again, I think I’d add some pieces about technology that I’d like
to have in my ideal classroom. Ideally, I would love to be set up with one-to-one technology in
the classroom. Though, I understand that this is not a reality in every school. In my ideal
classroom, I’d love to have a way to have technology in the classroom, and a way to share
technology with students. For me, this looks like a projector to share information, a speaker
system to share audio-visual content, and a way for students to interact with the technology, like
laptops--even if they are a school wide shared device. By having a system that students are
able to use to interact with technology, they are not only learning how to navigate the specific
assignment, they are learning to work through if a source is reputable or not and how to cite it,
among other things. By doing this in class, we are helping students build the real world skills
that they will need to work successfully with technology later in life.

All in all, this question made me even more excited to step into my own classroom in the fall. I
can’t wait to meet my future students and classroom!