Erin Miller
October 10, 2002

Classroom Environment/Climate

 I believe that Classroom Environment is so important to the students and it is almost crucial to have a great one in order for students to feel comfortable and succeed. I have been thinking about my environment for my own classroom for a long time. Every time I see a classroom environment that I like, I usually know it right away. Sometimes though, I think you are limited to the things you are given. The Kindergarten classroom at Bethel would not be my ideal setup/situation. I say this because when I imagine my own classroom, I think about certain things. I like it when Kindergarten classrooms are completely carpeted. Bethel’s is not. Sure they have the signature rug, but so does every other Kindergarten classroom. I’d like to get my hands on a vacuum to clean their rug too. I imagine really creative centers for my classroom. Bethel has some centers but they are not learning centers, they are more like centers you would see at a preschool. Sure, you’ve got to have fun centers but I want learning centers as well. The best thing about Bethel’s Kindergarten classroom is the enormous amount of books that they have. And they are all labeled such as: Holidays, Fairy Tales/Classics, Animals, Franklin/Arthur, Caldecott, Insects, Alphabet, etc. I also think they are in a really good spot, right next to the rug. I can only dream of having so many books in my classroom. I love books and I hope my kids do as well. Since it is Kindergarten, they have tables instead of desks. The tables are set up so that there are a couple of children to each table. On the tables there are boxes with scissors, pencils, crayons, and glue sticks.  I think that this is a good idea because it is always right in front of the students and it teaches sharing. I might have a similar setup in my own classroom.  There is a lot of color in the classroom, which I think is very important. The alphabet is on the wall several times, the numbers from 1-10 are on the wall several times, and the colors are on cabinets. There are a lot of visuals in the room. I like the idea of having tennis balls on the bottom of the kids’ chairs because they don’t scratch the floor and make an awful sound when you move them. The teacher’s desk and the aide’s desk are in the front of the room next to the door. I’m not sure if I would arrange the room this way or not. There are some centers right next to the door and I know that I will not place centers right next to the door. I would be afraid that I would lose a child out the door.
 The kids are always praised for right answers. For example, the teacher might say “Good job Taylor, you remembered that from last time. That’s good listening.” But if a child is wrong they are not told, but encouraged to try again to come up with the right answer. This works because it does not embarrass the student and they usually get the problem right if they try again or look at it closely. The teacher may say “Let’s look at this again” and repeat the problem or question or say “Why don’t you call on one of your friends to help you out.” I believe this is a good learning environment for the kids. I will develop a comfortable learning environment for my classroom by making it the norm for students to express their answers, thoughts, and ideas whether they are right or wrong. I will make sure my class is comfortable with each other so that we can talk without making someone uncomfortable.
 Kindergarten children are very active and attentive. In my classroom I would have activities for the children to move around, but in a 5th grade class, there would be less. Visual Aides are so important for a Kindergarten classroom. My classroom would be very colorful with lots of things on the walls.  Fifth graders like stories and like to daydream about the future so we would do more writing activities and more small muscle activities such as art.
 Overall, I want my classroom to be fun, exciting, challenging, comfortable, and safe.