Throughout my educational experiences,
I have encountered many styles of teaching. The ones I remember the
most, however, all had two things in common, and it is these two things
that I strive to one-day posses in my own classroom. They are very
basic and many times may be over-looked. First, I hope to have a
classroom filled with excitement and secondly, a classroom filled with
respect, not only a teacher student respect, but student to student respect
as well. Once I provide these two things for my classroom, everything
else will fall into place.
Excitement, to me, stems
from doing things, and we learn what we are excited about. So, whether
it is building, drawing, coloring, or acting, hands-on activities should
be incorporated into the classroom as much as possible. I find myself
easily bored, so I want the students in my classroom to be actively involved
in order to prevent this boredom from setting in. I feel that if
the students are involved in an activity and excited about learning the
material, not only will discipline problems minimize, but test scores and
the children’s understanding of the material will maximize.
I also believe that you must
create an environment of respect for everyone and everything within the
classroom. Once the respect of fellow classmates is developed, discussions
are more inviting and group work is more beneficial. Differences
will arise within the classroom and within student backgrounds, but respect
of these differences can be a powerful learning tool, teaching lessons
the ordinary classroom can not fathom. Not only will these differences
be a learning tool themselves, but they will also encourage my use of a
variety of teaching strategies, accommodating my students individual needs.
Respect and excitement are two
critical factors in teaching. They both add so much to the classroom;
minimal behavior problems, maximum understanding, and a more positive classroom
environment in itself. Children are our future, so with respect and
excitement in the classroom, our futures are bound to be more knowledgeable
and brighter than we can ever imagine.