I feel that there are two major parts of a classroom teacher. One is to teach the curriculum and make sure that ALL students have the necessary skills to go onto the next grade. The other is to be there for all of the students and help them learn the necessary life skills to function well as an individually and in a group.

     I feel that the second part needs to be taken care of so that the curriculum can be taught effectively. In order to do this I plan to set up my classroom environment in a way that shows the students are appreciated and cared for. To show this, I will display students’ work so that I can demonstrate to them their value, which is reflected in their work. As a part of my classroom management, I will use positive directions such as "Walk" instead of "Don't Run". This will help with to make the classroom environment more respectful and positive. Another aspect of classroom management is discipline. For this aspect, I plan to use rewards and consequences that will be displayed for all students to see. I will keep up with this daily and weekly, keeping track of who has and who has not improved their behavior.

    As far as the curriculum goes, I plan to teach my students on their instructional level as much as possible. One way I will do this is to break the class into different reading groups based on instructional levels. I will also try this for Math instruction if needed. Another way I will try this is to break the class into groups for different spelling instruction. The different groups will be working on different spelling lists based on their instructional level.

As a teacher, I plan to bring into the class my love for children and learning. I also plan to be fair and consistent with my students. I want my classroom to be a place that children feel happy, safe, and excited to learn.