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Sheila Crane

Corbo

Capstone Research Paper

21 January 2021

Elementary Education Research Paper

What I knew:

Teachers today have a major influence on the growth and development of younger

generations. Four years ago, I never would have seen myself wanting to teach children how to

grow up in the modern world. However, throughout high school I found myself watching after

kids and growing strong relationships. I have been a nanny for a family next door to me for three

years. I have been able to watch them grow, and I was able to help wherever I could. They have

taught me patience. Which I realized is necessary to have when taking the career path of

becoming a teacher. I had learned time management and how to keep my personal life away from

theirs. I also now know how to use my imagination to put myself in their shoes. This made

solving conflict between 8 year olds not very hard. Throughout these three years, I was able to

expand my creative thinking skills in order to keep the kids busy and solve any conflicts they

had. The experience I have had with these kids has developed my passion to become an

influence upon other kids.

When the capstone project was assigned, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in order to

expand my knowledge on teaching society’s future. It is extremely exciting for me to have the
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opportunity to learn from someone who has dedicated a lot of their time to teaching the youth. I

am thrilled that I will get the chance to find out if this is truly the career path I want to take.

What I Want to Know:

When thinking about what I want to study in college, many ideas come to mind.

However, I want to study something that I will truly enjoy later in life. I realized that being a role

model for the younger generations is something that I am extremely passionate about. In order to

find out if this suits me, I have many questions that I need answered.

I wonder what specific opportunities being a teacher brings to me and the students. Also,

what are the major challenges educators face? Based on those questions, my mind began to fill

up with so many more. One of my main curiosities is, how do you keep such young students

wanting to learn? Based on my experience with kids, it is not an easy task to get them to study. I

wonder how to develop a beneficial lesson plan that is educational but engaging as well. How do

teachers keep their kids motivated? There is such a thing as poor teaching skills having an effect

on students. I want to know how to make sure that students will be taught well. School also

comes with a large amount of stress. I want to know how to make a classroom less stressful and

more comfortable. There are many other smaller questions that have come to mind based on the

bigger ones. I am very excited to have the opportunity to hear all about teaching the youth, and

have all my questions answered.

My main goal of this project is to be able to expand my creative thinking skills and learn

all about what it is like to be a teacher. I hope to find out if this is the path I want to take or not. It

will be interesting to see if this changes my mind or makes me even more passionate about

teaching. I plan to use all the time I am given to set myself up for success rather than treat this
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like another high school project. This will help me understand what path I want to take in college

and maybe the rest of my life.

What I learned:

Experience with kids and teaching plays a major role in becoming a great teacher. As I

have some experience, I realize I have a long way to go. Throughout this experience, I learned

many different ways to become a successful teacher. More specifically, a teacher that changes a

students life and teaches with a purpose. As I began this journey, I had two main questions in

mind. What does it take to be a great teacher and is this something I truly want to do later in life?

I believe I have found both of those answers throughout these past months.

The book I chose is called No More Teaching Without Positive Relationships by Jeleel R.

Howard. I chose to read this book because I thought it would give me a great understanding of

the challenges and realities of student teacher relationships. In this book the author provides

different strategies for building and maintaining strong relationships with their students.

"Although ensuring students' academic achievement is an essential part of this job, it is not all of

it" (Howard 3). The layout of the book I am reading has three different sections, a Not This, a

Why Not, and a But That section. The first section, Not This, is about how creating strong

relationships with students can be very challenging because you may have a lot of students, not

enough time, and not enough information about them. "Relationships are not easy. It often feels

easier to walk away from the difficult relationship than to work through the difficulty" (Howard

5). However, I learned if your main focus is to get through the curriculum without creating

relationships with your students, it is not an effective way of teaching. "When we focus on

teaching without relationships, we are making our jobs harder, and in some cases impossible"
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(Howard 5). I am surprised how big of a challenge it is to build relationships with certain

students. I never expected it to be easy, but I have never thought about it on a deeper level. The

author's purpose of this section in the book is to connect with the reader by explaining what gets

in their way when teaching and creating relationships.

In the second section of my book,Why Not, I learned how more time with students

improves relationships and creates greater achievements. Great relationships cannot begin and

end with a simple student to teacher relationship. "Teachers need to recognize the daily

challenges many students encounter with their peers, and the positive benefits that come from a

sense of belonging” (Howard 18). I also learned that educators need to be very aware about how

damaging bullying is to children. The perpetrator and victim of bullying need to be given the

same positive adult relationship and self esteem. This is because bullying comes from insecurity.

The perpetrator, the victim, and the bystander all play a role when it comes to bullying.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, “ When bystanders intervene,

bullying stops within 10 seconds 57 percent of the time” (ASPA). Students spend nearly six to

seven hours a day at school. If a student does not have good relationships in place, they suffer. I

also read about the importance of being aware of each student's self esteem. “Our words should

encourage students’ efforts and convey an honest and persistent belief in students’ ability to be

successful”(Howard 24). Students all around the world go to school full of uncertainty,

insecurity, and doubt about themselves. It is extremely important for teachers to be aware of the

way their students are feeling about their work and themselves. Each teacher's goal is to make

their students feel successful and being aware of the way they are feeling about themselves plays

a major role in that. Teachers need to learn to say things like you are important, I value you, I am
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here to support you, and you are cared for. In order for students to feel secure, teachers need to

teach without judgement. Of course everyone has judgement towards things, but there is always

a way to hide it. “Many young people want to share their lives with adults but are afraid of our

judgement, especially if they know their lives and decision making do not fit traditional

expectations'' (Howard 29). Students cannot learn or feel successful if they are feeling judged by

their educator. I think the author's purpose of this section is to create awareness of the way you

can make others feel. As I continue to read my book, I learned about how resilience grows

through relationships, and the power teachers can have over students. “The implication for

schools is that they should spend...more time trying to think about how their offerings could help

students develop a purpose and passion” (Howard 32). Teachers have lots of power over students

because of the way they make them think about the world and what they teach them. If teachers

are focused on getting through the curriculum rather than focusing on teaching for a purpose, the

students will not develop a purpose and passion for learning.

The final section of my book, But That, there are strategies and ways to move

relationships forward and maintain them. Whereas in the past sections of my book we learn

about how students think and how teachers go wrong. Rather than teachers just simply teaching

to get through the curriculum, they need to learn to teach with a purpose. They need to have a

goal of teaching to give each student a purpose for learning. I read about how each student wants

to be known and valued. “Students' disengagement is often a defensive response to feeling

misunderstood, invisible, or not valued” (Howard 40). Some students will not do their work or

be disruptive because they do not feel valued. As those relationships are challenging, teachers

tend to ignore the relationship which leads both people into a circle of frustration. The frustration
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seems impossible to break. However, it is not impossible, it just simply requires choosing

vulnerability. “Openness is necessary for connection and transformation; avoiding vulnerability

is a form of self denial”(Howard 40). This is proving how teachers and students need to be able

to be open and vulnerable with each other without judgement. This has a lot to do with the

language teachers use and how it is delivered. “The language we use does not just describe our

existing relationship, but affects how students respond to us, both academically and socially”

(Howard 42). Saying things like, your brilliance is contagious or I am so glad to see you today

we missed you. There is an extreme importance to being kind and positive when talking to

students. If we are not positive, the response we will get from them will be negative. Being

positive includes greeting students as they walk into class. It is important to greet them by their

name and make them feel welcome. “Students need to know we see them as individuals and

value the unique contribution they make to our classroom”(Howard 50). The best way to make

them feel welcome is ask questions about their day or the weekend. We can also give

compliments. As long as teachers are positive, they will get positivity in return. I learned about

another way teachers could connect with each student individually. This strategy is called

Dialogue or classroom Journals. It is a way for students and teachers to write letters back and

forth to each other. Each journal entry would be about whatever the students feel they want to

write about. The teacher can give options, but in order for a relationship to form, the student

must be able to express what they are feeling. I believe the author's purpose of this part of the

book is to give teachers guidance into helping their students learn with a purpose and creating

better student-teacher relationships.

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Throughout this experience, I had the opportunity to meet with a third grade teacher,

Mrs.Mott. I was able to have one on one time with her to ask her many questions. I also got the

opportunity to watch two of her classes and meet her students virtually. Being an elementary

school teacher is a very hands on job. Therefore, it was definitely difficult to not be in person

with Mrs.Mott and her class, but we found ways around it. I still learned a lot. I was a little bit

nervous before our first one on one meeting. However, we began talking and I felt very

comfortable and prepared. To begin, I had many questions about her background, what she

studied in college, and teaching. I have been talking a lot about student and teacher

relationships. Which is clearly very important. However, I spent two of my interviews with

Mrs.Mott going over what the philosophy of the school is, and what exactly the students are

learning. Bergen Valley's philosophy is, “The Bergens will educate and empower the whole

child."​The PE teacher at Bergen Valley had a big part in creating this philosophy. They believe

that music, PE, art, and tech are what create well rounded individuals. These classes include the

mind, body and soul. Which is very important for any student to have. "We have five values that

we work on with kids every week, community, gratitude, perseverance, integrity, and kindness"

(Mott). There are workshops every week where they work on those values. It is especially

important with COVID. There is also another important aspect to creating a positive learning

community at Bergen Valley. This is the restorative circle. This means everyone is included.

Whether you are being bullied or bullying, you get talked to and brought back into the circle. "It

is much easier to be positive when a child does something wrong, then to be negative and get

them in trouble" (Mott). There are very few circumstances where Mrs.Mott had to send a child to

the principal's office.

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I observed Mrs.Mott's class and I was able to make many connections between what I

have been reading about and the way she manages her classroom. I have been reading and doing

a lot of research on creating a positive and engaging learning environment, and I was able to

watch how Mrs. Mott uses those strategies in her classroom. “It can be hard to balance and give

attention to the struggling students, the average ones, and the above average students" (Mott).

Mrs. Mott told me this during our one on one interview, but I noticed she has multiple ways to

make sure she is reaching each student. I watched how she constantly asked questions to make

sure her students understood what was being taught. During individual work, Mrs.Mott made it

very easy for her kids to ask her a question comfortably. I also learned a strategy to keep the kids

calm and collected. Mrs.Mott has a fish tank in her classroom. One of her students explained to

me that, "It helps us with stress and sadness. It is calming to look at because of the fish and water

flow." I learned her teaching style is to have a group lesson and go over answers together to

make sure everyone understands. Then, she lets them do their individual work and ask questions.

When they are all learning together in a group she is able to teach them to double check their

answers and go over the directions. She goes over all the wrong answers first and explains why

they are wrong. This is for the students who are confused and do not understand why they may

have gotten it wrong. Overall, being able to watch these classes has given me an amazing

opportunity to put my research into real life scenarios.

After I watched Mrs.Mott’s class, a few questions came to mind about the technology in

her classroom. I remember when I was in third grade we did mainly everything on paper. Now

each student has their own computer. She explained to me how technology is a major help

because "the kids are very tech savvy, and we can get through things much faster than when half
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of the kids had a computer and half of them did not"(Mott). All the kids having computers makes

it easier for her as well because all of the assignments are in one spot in front of the kids. Rather

than having a bunch of different papers.

We also covered the importance in having meetings with other teachers and parents. In

faculty meetings a lot of information is covered. Which includes going over their restorative

justice circles and making sure everyone is included. They also cover dates, celebrations, or

issues that need to be discussed. Then the teachers have an opportunity to meet in smaller groups

to discuss more personal issues happening in their classrooms. Mrs. Mott told me in our last

interview that she looks up to the people that she works with and they inspire her. Therefore,

each of these meetings are important to get new ideas and solve problems with fellow workers.

As far as keeping in touch with parents go, they have many opportunities to show the students'

parents what they have accomplished or problems the student is having. They have two parent

conferences throughout the school year, and they make it easy for each parent to reach the

teachers. Throughout my entire mentorship, Mrs.Mott has helped me understand teaching on a

new level, and it was definitely beneficial to be able to find out what a third grade classroom and

teacher is like.

I read many outside sources about characteristics of great teachers and different strategies

to manage a classroom. Then I thought, well what better way to learn than hearing from actual

teachers and school staff. I watched a Ted Talk from a principle about different ways to deal with

students' emotions. It was about one student who would get very angry. He would flip desks, run

out of the school, and even put the school on lock down. The principle said at the time he needed

to be kicked out. However, she wanted to make a change. "To get young kids to thrive in school,
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we need to do more than teach them how to read and write, but also how to deal with and

manage emotions'' (Olympia Della Flora 2:18). She began to make a plan for this student. She

created a comfort area at school for him, away from the other kids. She also realized he enjoys

helping younger kids, so made him a kindergarten helper to benefit those kids and himself. She

lightened up, made him laugh, and sang him songs. She knew that would have been too much

work to do that for every kid who is struggling. Therefore, she created a plan to incorporate

movement breaks, allowing kids to jump up and down in class. The teachers began doing shorter

lesson plans with a single focus, allowing the students to engage. After making these changes she

said, "I saw teachers say, what happened to you? instead of what's wrong with you? or how can I

help you? instead of get out" (Olympia Della Flora 10:56). This talk has shown me the

importance of creating a positive learning environment for kids. I also watched a Ted Talk about

the magic of teaching. Christopher Emdin explained how there are teachers just teaching to get

through curriculum and feel like they are making a difference. However, there are other teachers

who are teaching to make a difference, and those are the teachers with the magic.Edmin stated, “I

make the argument that we reframe teacher education. That we could focus on content, and that’s

fine. We could focus on theories, and that’s fine, but content and theories with the absence of the

magic of teaching and learning means nothing” (Emdin 4:57). The magic he is talking about is

the ability to have an impact on each student, and change their life within the time they have

together. Without that magic, a teacher can feel like they are making a difference, but they are

not. The final Ted Talk I listened to was about how every kid needs someone who will not give

up on them no matter what and helps them to become the best they can be. Pierson explains that,

“you won't like them all, the key is they can never ever know” (Rita Pierson 6:30). If teachers
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make their dislike of students known, students will respond in a negative way. While some

relationships may be challenging, every student needs an adult to never give up, to lean on, and

to trust.

I read an article about effectively managing a classroom. The two ways to do this is to

start a relationship with each student and maintain it. I learned different strategies in doing both.

“The goal is to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging that is characterized by trust,

connection, and understanding”(Edutopia). Strategies in doing this are creating one on one

meetings with every student at the beginning of the school year in order to create a connection

that avoids conflict in the future. In those meetings, teachers should be warm and welcoming to

every student. In order to avoid bad behavior, teachers need to acknowledge the good behavior to

set an example. Teachers should continuously check in with students and take mental notes of

negative and positive behavior. “Effective classroom management starts with relationship

building. When students feel a greater sense of belonging, they’re more likely to be academically

engaged and demonstrate positive behavior” (Edutopia). Bad behavior is mainly triggered by

insecurity and uncertainty in the classroom. If teachers can create a comfort and belonging in the

classroom, it will reduce negative behavior. Adding on to effective classroom management, I

also read an article about three different ways teachers can change a student's life. ”It is not

always easy to change a student’s life, which is why it takes a great teacher to do so”(Teachers

Change Lives). Teachers can change lives through education, inspiration, and guidance.

“Students often look to their teachers as mentors with experience and knowledge, and, as an

educator, you will almost definitely be asked for advice at some point during your career”
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(Teachers Change Lives). It is important to understand the effect teachers can have on students,

especially if it is a great teacher that is trusted and prepared.

I also read a few articles about the characteristics of a great teacher. “A great teacher will

devise a way to give the students an urgent reason to learn skills or knowledge and then let them

show they have learned it by what they can do. This is called project-based learning” (Edutopia).

This method of teaching is very effective because it gives each student a purpose to what they are

learning. Students learn best when they are in control of their learning and doing it on their own.

However, some lecture and direction is necessary for understanding, but it should not be the only

way of teaching. It is very important to "engage students by making them look at issues in a

variety of different ways" (Greatschools). If students are able to look at what they are being

taught in different ways and perspectives, the teacher is doing something right. Teachers also

should be, “Creating a positive learning atmosphere and developing a good rapport without

showing favoritism. Having the ability to engage and involve students with your personality”

(“Becoming A Teacher: What Makes A Good Teacher”). Teachers should be patient, organized,

adaptable, and imaginative. Those characteristics will be what gets students engaged and

involved with your teaching style and personality.

In order to be a successful teacher, you need to prepare your students for an exam. I read

an article about different tips on how to do this. One of the tips included giving students

manageable goals to reach. “Goals help students make progress by being specific, measurable,

achievable, relevant, and time-bound” (Cambridge English). Another tip was to use preparation

resources. “Make sure you help students practice in a number of ways – incorporating

exam-style activities in the classroom, setting practice tests for homework and running a mock
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exam" (Cambridge English). There are many things that go into giving students enough

confidence to do well on an exam. In order to give students enough confidence, they need to do

more than just give information. Teachers need to have the kids apply the information they

learned into a more creative way of teaching.

I read another article about how teachers need to be prepared when they go into teaching.

Teachers need to be prepared for the unknown of students. If a teacher is trusted by a student,

there is a chance that student will open up, share their dreams, and their biggest fears. ”For

potential teachers, I always suggest that they have some kind of experience with children or

adolescents before they begin education course work”(CollegeXpress). In order for teachers to

be prepared to work with students they need to have a background of working with children.

When I asked Mrs.Mott what her most beneficial college course to become a teacher was. She

told me, "The assessment course because it showed me it is not all fun, and there is actually a lot

of work to be done"(Mott). Despite all the work, I also read about the positives of being a

teacher. “If you teach a subject you are passionate about, you get to spend every day talking

about something you love and, hopefully, passing that passion on to others” (“The Joys of Being

a Teacher”). The opportunity to interact with students and teach them is extremely fulfilling.

Teachers get to go to bed at night knowing that they are making an impact and changing kids

lives for the better. Being a teacher also gets you lots of respect from community members.
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Why this is important to me/Reflection:

I have had the greatest experience with Mrs. Mott, and I have truly learned so much. It

was definitely disappointing not being able to go in person to her classroom. However, we

worked around it, and we were able to make the most of it! This mentorship was extremely

important to me because it has given me the opportunity to decide what I want to do in the

future. Mrs.Mott did a great job explaining everything to me, and she was able to clear up any

questions I had for her.

As far as the future goes, I plan to study education and research it more in college. This

Capstone project has played a major role in deciding what I want to study in college. I have

chosen to major in psychology because I think it will help me understand child development and

human behavior. Psychology will also give me the opportunity to understand the true challenges

I will be facing as a teacher, but it also does not limit me to just teaching if I decide I wanted to

do something else. I have also chosen to minor in education studies to do much more research on

it, and decide if it is the right career for me. Overall, this experience has given me the confidence

to decide what I want to study going into college.

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Works Cited

​Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). “Bystanders Are Essential to Bullying Prevention

and Intervention.” StopBullying.gov, 5 Dec. 2019,

www.stopbullying.gov/resources/research-resources/bystanders-are-essential.

Cambridge English, et al. Cambridge English,

www.cambridgeenglish.org/blog/five-exam-preparation-tips-to-help-build-student-confidence/.

CollegeXpress. “What Is Being a Teacher Really Like?” CollegeXpress,

www.collegexpress.com/interests/education/articles/what-life-teacher/what-being-teacher-really/.

Contributor, BusyTeacher. “Becoming A Teacher: What Makes A Good Teacher.” Busy Teacher,

10 Feb. 2016, busyteacher.org/3651-becoming-a-teacher.html.

Contributor, Chron. “The Joys of Being a Teacher.” Work, 20 Aug. 2020,

work.chron.com/joys-being-teacher-8607.html.

Emdin, Christopher. “Teach Teachers How to Create Magic.” TED,

www.ted.com/talks/christopher_emdin_teach_teachers_how_to_create_magic?referrer=playlist-t

alks_from_inspiring_teachers#t-281852.
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Flora, Olympia Della. “Creative Ways to Get Kids to Thrive in School.” TED,

www.ted.com/talks/olympia_della_flora_creative_ways_to_get_kids_to_thrive_in_school#t-761

384.

by: GreatSchools Staff | August 20, 2012 Print article. “A Great Teacher Makes All the

Difference.” Parenting, www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/what-makes-a-great-teacher/.

Jeleel R. Howard. No More Teaching Without Positive Relationships (Not This But That.)

Heinemann

Johnson, Ben. “Great Teachers Don't Teach.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation,

28 June 2013, www.edutopia.org/blog/great-teachers-do-not-teach-ben-johnson.

Mott, Kim. Personal Interview. Elementary Education. Teacher, 2 March 2021.

Pierson, Rita. “Every Kid Needs a Champion.” TED,

www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?referrer=playlist-talks_from_ins

piring_teachers#t-446376.

“Teachers Change Lives.” Teach, teach.com/what/teachers-change-lives/

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Terada, Youki. “The Key to Effective Classroom Management.” Edutopia, George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 27 Feb. 2019,

www.edutopia.org/article/key-effective-classroom-management.