As a teacher I believe that all students have the ability to succeed and it is the job of the

teacher to give all students the tools to do so. Some key factors in ensuring that I give all students
such tools, I place high value in creating a safe learning environment, supportive community
with emphasis on open communication, and fostering a growth mindset. In my classroom, a safe
learning environment means that all students are given the space, tools, and encouragement to
learn and grow not only academically but socially as well. This takes the form of allowing
students to collaborate with, not giving answers to, peers to build a classroom community that
places an emphasis on succeeding together. As students advance through the grades, they begin
to view grades as a hierarchy and internalize them which brings about competitiveness. This
competitive nature, although good in some situations, is detrimental to the students as the gap
between some student’s success and their peers widens leaving many students falling behind for
reasons out of their control. By instilling in students that they can succeed together at a young
age, students will begin to help each other succeed, thus, bridging that gap. Along with that,
students will gain a better understanding of the content when talking it through with others.
A supportive community with an emphasis on open communication means that students
are communicating with each other. It is no secret that conflicts arise in the classroom, and even
outside the classroom, but through open communication these conflicts become much easier to
overcome. If a student experiences a conflict with a peer, it is my hope that the classroom
community that we have built will help students talk things out themselves over time. Naturally,
I will always be a support system to all students but as they grow older, communication is
critical. Going off that, I believe that communication with the teacher is crucial as students know
themselves more than I ever could. I want students to feel comfortable with me to bring to me all
their comments if something is not working for them or if something is. Having this open
communication with the teacher allows for students to advocate for themselves and be a part of
their learning.
In doing all of these things, it is imperative that I and all my students build a growth
mindset. Learning is never fixed, no one knows everything, and no one knows nothing. Making
sure that the students understand that, and that I am being an example of this, is vital to their
learning in any grade. As a teacher, I never want to give the students the impression that I know
everything and that they don’t. I want students to understand that I am there to help them build
on the knowledge they already have and we are all learning from each other.