Being a teacher is a difficult but rewarding job.

For me to be successful, I must

implement goals for myself as well as for my students. I want to create a warm and welcoming

environment for my students to feel safe and free to make mistakes they can learn from without

fear of being judged or ridiculed. I want every student to feel like they matter and that our class

community is better with them in it. I will model and emphasize the importance of respect and

kindness towards everyone in my classroom.

One of my goals is to have a student-centered classroom. I know that not everybody

learns the same so it is important to give students opportunities to have a variety of experiences

that can help them understand themselves better and understand how they learn best. If my

students and I both know how they learn best, I can help them be more successful by tailoring

activities to fit their needs. Technology can be an incredibly useful tool in helping students learn.

If given the opportunity, I will use technology as a tool to help students improve their skills in

both English Language Arts and Mathematics.

I will use formative assessment frequently to allow my students the opportunity to see

where they are at, where they want to be, and make a plan to reach their goal. I believe it is

important to help students understand the value of creating and pursuing achievable goals.

Helping students create goals for themselves will help them take ownership of their learning and

helps them be engaged. I will provide feedback that is specific and timely so that my students

know in what areas they are doing well and where they need to improve.

I want my students to become comfortable and confident with themselves so they can

successfully work independently and in groups. I want my students to not be afraid to say what

they are thinking and to share their ideas with small groups and the whole class. I recognize that

not every student will be comfortable with doing so, but I will provide opportunities for them to
share without making them feel like they are expected to. Opportunities will include group

activities, partner activities, and activities that allow students to say what they are thinking

without there being a “right” or “wrong” answer.

I expect that I will have a diverse classroom with children from a variety of backgrounds

and who will have different needs. I will work with my students to help them understand that we

are not all the same, whether it be our background or our level of skill in any given area and that

is okay. I will emphasize that our classroom is a community where everyone is a valued member

and has something to contribute. We work together to make our community a fun and safe

learning environment for all. I will make it known that bullying of any kind will not be tolerated

in our community.

One specific classroom management strategy I want to implement is called “Secret

Student.” With this strategy, I will pick a different student each day to be the “Secret Student.”

Nobody will know who is the Secret Student that day, encouraging students to listen and to pay

attention to the task on hand. I will say things like “I am looking for the Secret Student to have a

calm body,” or “I am looking for the Secret Student to be listening.” I will also give praise to

students following directions. This will help correct behaviors. If the Secret Student has a bad

day, I simply won’t say who it was and say we will try again another day.

Another thing I want to include in my class is flexible seating and movement. Some kids

do well while sitting in normal chairs, but others need to sit somewhere that will allow them to

move while they work. I want to incorporate movement as much as possible in the classroom. I

want to implement activities that will allow students to move around, so they are not sitting in

one spot all day. I also want to have movement be part of the morning meeting and as a brain
break later in the day. I believe movement is an important part of learning and providing the

opportunity to move outside of physical education will help students focus in class.