My goals

I know that this has been said in other posts, but I truly believe that it is an integral part of the classroom environment... RESPECT. Lets hear it for that respect y'all! I have talked to people in this cohort about having three basic expectations set in stone from the first day of class onward. These expectations are respect for yourself, respect for others, and respect for the classroom environment. I think that these cover the major bases of rules that other classrooms may have listed out. This goes both ways within my classroom. I believe that children (their beliefs, values, and opinions) need to be respected by the teacher as well. Once this mutual respect is established, the classroom will be a safe environment for the child to thrive in.

Following nicely after this is honesty. I am thinking more about honesty that I have to have as a teacher. By modeling honesty with the children, the relationships can be so much more trusting. I am going to be a teacher that is honest about when I don't know something, honest about there being more ways than just my way, honest about who I am and where I come from (also about how this affects my teaching). This will help the children know that it is ok for them to not always know the answer or the best way to do something as well.

Finally, I want to have a way to connect the home with the school. This does not just mean involving the parents, which I also find very important, but it is about including the child and their home life within the class. I remember when I was in first grade, we had the "Star of the Week" program. During this week we made a poster about ourselves. Our life at home, family, pets, interests, and were able to share that with the class. It also included other various aspects through the week, but I feel that it is important that the school and home life not be two separate worlds that the child occupies, but and environment that overlaps and complements the other.

These will be just some of the goals that I will stick by when I have my own classroom.