As I’ve stated previously, the students in my class not only represent themselves

and their classmates, but also represent me. I hope that by planting this thought into the

minds of my learners, I can let them know that we are a team. A team that works

together and is honest with one another. That being said, I hope to get to know each

student individually and understand what might work for them. Over the course of the

year, I’ll track engagement and how well knowledge presented is retained. If knowledge

and engagement is low, during prep time I will find some activities to do that touch on

said lesson. This will be something more hands on such as a team kahoot or booklet. I

also believe in order to be a good teacher, one must constantly be reflecting. If I know

one thing didn’t work one day, I might mix things up within the lesson to make it more

eventful and exciting for the children. Students can also give feedback on what they

learn and the activities that they participate in. I think student feedback can offer good

advice as to what might be needed to make a lesson hold more meaning and offer more

engagement.

In many of my lesson plans, I make a large point to implement community into

the classroom. That being said, on top of community, culture and race will be discussed

in the classroom. Active anti-racism practices will be present with teachings being

inclusive and culturally relevant to the students in the classroom. It’s important for

children to understand culture in terms of who they are, where they come from, and

about those who are different from them. This also includes a safe space for students

with dis/abilities. While we might all come from different cultures, we will cherish

experiences in the classroom and learn from others to understand the world around us.

Like said before, this will happen with lesson plans. It will also happen with the content
of our classroom library and classroom environment entirely. Students will be exposed

to a variety of culturally relevant texts about cultures they might have never heard

before.

Severe misbehavior isn’t tolerated in the classroom. As stated in the classroom

expectations, I have a low tolerance for behavior. Yet, I understand students might be

having a rough/off day. Severe misbehavior will happen on 3 levels. The first level will

be the removal of recess. I understand that recess is an outlet for children and I’m

hoping that by removing recess, the severe misbehavior will not persist. Depending on

the punishment, I might allow the student to gain recess back if they can let me know

why what they did was wrong. Students learning from their mistakes is a greater reward

for themselves and me in the end. The 2nd level is a note written home. This will be a

formal letter stating the misbehavior that happened at school that day. The parent or

guardian of the student will have to sign the letter and send it back with their child the

next day. The final level of misbehavior will involve the meeting of parents/guardians

after school or a call home. I strongly believe that students should be learning if they are

in the classroom. That being said, students will never be sent to the office or removed

from the classroom unless absolutely necessary.

An important part of being a teacher is understanding that we have biases.

Whether they are present and shown or hidden, it’s important that we reflect on

ourselves every single minute of the day. That being said, self reflection needs to

happen on a daily basis in order to become an equitable and aware pedagog. I plan on

using sticky notes and a journal to locate and record any reflections I might have on

myself. I also plan on having other teachers come in and observe me teach. This will
allow other teachers to help me reflect on not only my own teaching but how I interact

with the students.

I’m hoping that building a community with my students and helping them to build

confidence in themselves allows for positive relationships. I want to make sure I come in

everyday with a smile on my face despite something happening the day before that

bothered me. I want to be someone my students look up to and feel like they can come

to if they need help. That and build trust within the four walls that hold us for hours each

day. I know that each student will come in with their own strengths and weaknesses. I’m

hoping to engage in student strengths, making the students feel empowered and eager

to learn. Weaknesses will come with time and shouldn’t be something we hold against

the students. All students have the ability to learn and grow.