Ellie VanLandschoot

EDUC 300: Cultural Pluralism

Dr. Ubeda

In a Perfect World Paper

I am Ellie VanLandschoot, a 19 year old white American citizen of the United States of

America, a student at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA, a Peer Campus Minister on

campus who wants to be an excellent role model to others and promote campus ministry and

everything it has to offer. Everything from mass, rosary, and other clubs such as Bees for Life,

Ambrosians for Peace and Justice, and a community of people where you can find life long

friends, because I truly believe I have! I am a devoted Catholic who wants to learn and develop a

relationship with the one who created, saved and gave me life, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am the

daughter of Mark and Michelle VanLandschoot, friend to many, on the volleyball team, and a

girl who wants to find her place in the world by teaching tiny humans in the future. I am trying to

make an impact and I want people to remember me by my kindness, and as a difference maker

who stands up for herself. I am afraid of doing the wrong thing and tell myself that I am not good

enough or capable of anything every single day of my life. I want my students to feel loved,

valued and have their education grow by coming into my classroom. I want them to develop

strong relationships and feel safe and comfortable being themselves for other people to see in my

classroom.

The perfect school to me would include characteristics such as strong community

involvement, including positive parent participation, a lot of flexible areas, incorporated

technology, supportive staff, and student oriented classrooms. I want to work in a school where
we pride ourselves on maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for each individual

by differentiating instruction to meet the needs of each student.

In the way of strong community involvement, I would want the schools’ goal to bring

together companies around the area to create better opportunities for students. In a middle or

high school setting, students could work with companies to get a more hands on experience that

coincides with a career they may want to pursue in the future. For example, a school could team

up with a landscaping company and send a few students to learn different skills (being on time,

responsible, working collaboratively, how to landscape) to get a job done well and see if that’s

something they would want to do full time in the future.

I also think flexible areas are a great way to help the students who are struggling and give

them a better opportunity to get the extra help and one on one experience that they need and

deserve. I would set up these areas with tables and some sort of technology device to help

students who have learning disabilities or need more time to complete tasks.

Technology is advancing every day. I think that incorporating technology into the

classroom by using SMART boards, some sort of computer such as Chromebook or IPads would

be helpful. I think that using a dry erase marker and whiteboards in math is a great idea, it

definitely helped me to write out and solve the problem.

The last two characteristics I want to include in this section would be supportive staff and

student oriented classrooms. I would hope that the staff would be onboard to meet on a biweekly,

or more basis to make sure there is consistency between us as teachers, what is happening in our

classroom, and broader, our grade and what we are doing to meet our grade goals, standards, and

that everyone is on the same page. This leads to more student oriented classrooms. I would want

the teachers to focus on the students as individuals rather than a collective whole and cater to the
needs of each student because everyone is skilled in different areas and learns in a different

manner.

A good school has an involved staff working together, pushing themselves and their

students to be the best. Failure is not an option for the teacher or the students. The best teachers

work to improve their ability to teach. Effective teaching demands that the teacher be

knowledgeable in all subject areas.

Effective schools have a warm climate that students want to be there. Students feel

welcome and know that the staff cares about each of them. Although there is pressure to perform,

it comes in a way that promotes learning, with an expectation that students will excel and the

support is provided to make it happen.

A perfect school would consist of high expectations for the school, teachers and students.

Only the best is good enough. Quality is expected, and nothing less is acceptable. Passion for

excellence is a driving force each and every day.

Discipline should not be an issue. Students must respect others and failure to do so cannot

be tolerated. Students must understand school and class rules and expectations, and adhere to

them. When discipline is necessary, it is not vindictive, but just a consequence when a student

does not do what is required.

No two classes, or two students are identical. An effective school has teachers that

understand this and differ instruction to best help students be successful. Key concepts are

presented in ways to enable visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners to grasp it. Students are

actively involved in learning with a variety of opportunities to grasp key concepts.

 Students’ abilities and needs are different. To effectively teach all students, the school

staff must understand this. The teaching and interactions with students must reflect the needs of

each, with the understanding of each as an individual.

The building principal must have the respect of the students, parents, and staff with a

vision, high expectations, and the ability to help others succeed. This person must be able to

understand people, and motivate them, creating a positive attitude throughout the building.

Successful schools have a sense of trust built on the back of an honest and caring leader.

A good school is a place where children learn enough worthwhile things to make a strong

start in life, where a foundation is laid that supports later learning, and where children develop

the desire to learn more. It makes children think of themselves as people who find strength,

nourishment, and joy in learning.

There are five common attributes that make up an effective school. Leadership, high

expectations, ongoing evaluation, goals and direction, and secure and organized.

Students perform better when the principal and school board members provide strong

leadership. Effective leaders are visible, can successfully convey the school’s goals and visions,

collaborate with teachers to enhance their skills, and are involved in the discovery of and

solutions to problems.

High expectations of students have repeatedly been shown to have a positive impact on

student performance. Students are somewhat dependent on the expectations placed on them

during this period of their lives, as they are still shaping their personal sense of ability and

esteem. Teachers who are expected to teach at high levels of effectiveness can reach the level of

expectations, particularly when teacher evaluations and professional development are geared

toward instructional quality.

 Schools should use assessment data to compare their students with others from across the

country. Effective use of assessment data allows schools to identify problematic areas of learning

at the classroom and school levels, so that teachers can generate solutions to address the

problems.

The successful school principal actively constructs goals and then effectively

communicates them to appropriate individuals (students, teachers, and the community). School

principals must also be open and willing to incorporate innovation into goals for school

processes and practices. So it is important to invite input from all stakeholders in the process of

developing school goals. Student performance has been shown to improve in schools where the

entire school community works toward goals that are communicated and shared among all in the

learning environment.

For maximum learning to occur, students need to feel secure. Respect is a quality that is

promoted and is a fundamental aspect of an effective and safe school. Successful schools also

have a number of trained staff and programs, such as social workers who work with difficult or

troubled students before situations get out of hand.

A perfect education system looks like a place that is student centered, that tailors learning

methods to individuals and provides time for discovery learning, while also implementing direct

instruction.

It would take guidance and determination of every individual in the school community to

make all this happen. This would be incredible and inspiring if one school had all these

characteristics to hold all students and teachers accountable. Knowing what I know now, I would

really focus on differentiating instruction because every student learns differently and I need to
pay attention to how my students learn and take opportunities to teach in a way that each student

can relate and understand to.

As a future educator, I would make positive contributions in my classroom by thinking of

all the things I do that could be done by my students. This could include anything from designing

and hanging bulletin boards, having door greeters, even teaching some lessons. I think assigning

these tasks to students would help keep them engaged, interested and feel like they mattered in

my classroom. They would also have a lot of fun with being a helper to me in the classroom and

doing things that a teacher would normally do. The second thing would be to verbally appreciate

how much they contribute to the positive classroom atmosphere and thank them. I want my

classroom to be encouraging and where students are welcomed and want to come every day. The

third thing I would do is to involve students whenever possible. For example, I would say,

“Students, we are having a problem with disruptions right now. I need your help solving this

challenge.” I would also have “jobs” for students to complete in my classroom. Classroom jobs

give students an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging and significance by contributing in

meaningful ways. I would create a room full of helpers to make my job easier while encouraging

my students to feel needed and capable. Then, I would brainstorm enough jobs for everyone. For

example, water plants, empty pencil sharpener, pass out papers, straighten bookshelves,

playground equipment manager, clean up monitor, meteorologist, recycling manager, attendance

and office messages, morning greeter, etc. I would also have to add the job “Job Monitor” who

oversees the completion of the jobs. This would rotate through every student weekly. I would

then post the job list in my classroom and rotate jobs so everyone becomes proficient in all jobs.