Kena Scott

Aspiring Educators

Interview w/ Miss Stanczyk

How do you create a positive classroom climate?

“I create a positive classroom climate by having inclusiveness and doing team building activities,
we have morning meetings everyday where we talk about feelings big and small, and how we
will be safe and kind.”

How do you meet the needs of all your learners?

“I meet their needs by differentiating instruction, by collecting data, and creating small groups. I
meet with small groups 3-4 times a week.”

What aspects of diversity do you have in your class? How are all the children unique?
“Out of my seventeen kids, half of them are black. To encourage diversity, I always have books
with representations of everyone. It's hard because they are just now coming out with those
books, but having these conversations are important. Showing family dynamics is important as
well. That is why we have photos of the students and their families hanging up. Some of them
are mixed, so they have a white mom and a black dad. So yes, having a visual representation in
my classroom, or any classroom is very important. Especially in kindergarten they are always
curious about skin color. When we get a new student they always ask what color they are. But
it's good to not make them feel bad for asking that, because they just want to know if they will
look the same. But we teach them that everyone is equal no matter what color.”

How do you integrate technology into your classroom?

“I basically use my actual lessons on paper and pencil, then they use technology to branch off of
those. When students are home they can do all their assignments since I can push out all the
work to their tablets. Technology makes the work flexible with extending their learning. Taking
what they just learned then applying it with technology like on moosemath or seesaw.”

What advice would you give me as a first year teacher, and as a student about to attend
college?
“I would say, ask a lot of questions. And get involved in as many educational clubs because who
you know and who you meet can take you so far. It's good to get involved and get your name out
there. Northwest is great with this. Apply for scholarships, get your gen eds done. You're in the
classroom day one. It's more of a private school, but it still gives you the experience of
teaching.”

My Reflection :
This interview went very well. I got to learn more about her experience as a teacher, and about
teaching in general. My favorite part of the interview was discussing diversity in a classroom.
Kena Scott

Aspiring Educators

Diversity is a very important topic for people, and someone like me especially. Growing up with
books with only pale skin, coloring faces with a peach colored crayon, and feeling out of place in
a classroom as hard for me. So I am very glad that her and other teachers are starting to
incorporate books with brown characters, photos of each student's family, and just speaking
about the topic around the kids. She inspires me, because I want all of my students to feel safe
and comfortable in the classroom. I am also very glad that she gave me advice on college
because she went to Maple Woods and Northwest. Those are the two colleges I plan on going to
and hearing her share tips and her experiences helps me feel more comfortable with navigating
through my college years.