Future Classroom

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014

For years I have been imaging what my future classroom would be like. I think it is important to think about what the classroom physically looks like but more so how it FEELS. We will start with how it looks though. I can picture a classroom that is very home-like. I can see bean bags in the corners for reading. If my students feel like going by themselves to get work done then they can go to  those sections of the classroom. The desks will be arranged in groups. I have always been a huge supporter of grouped sections in classrooms. I have always been shy the first few weeks of school, however when you are in a group it almost forces you to make friends with those people or atleast communicate with them. This is how a classroom because a family, when people communicate and laugh with one another. I want to have a lot of posters in my classrooms and flowers. I am used to being in classrooms in high school where the walls are blank and there is no decoration. My classroom is going to have a personality because I truly think that influences a better vibe to the students. I am also a huge supporter of current events. Even though I am going into English, I would love to lead a current event class. To start, in my classes I am going to have a board with newspaper clippings or internet articles about different events around the world. 

Most important is how the classroom feels. I want an environment where people feel welcomed and loved. They can feel comfortable speaking in front of the classroom and feel as if they are not being judged. I want us to laugh and have a good time in class but while being productive. Most of all, I want my students to see me as a mentor and an example.

Goals as a Teacher

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

When I think back to my past teachers I remember only a few that really left an impact on my life. They are not the teachers that taught me the most material, but the ones who provided life lessons that I still reflect upon years later. I am not saying that learning material is not important; in fact it is crucial. However, I also want to be a teacher that my students think back on. I once had a teacher in my sophomore year of high school. She taught biology; something I struggled with. Oftentimes, I came into the classroom feeling nervous or stressed about the material. However, she made the class feel like a family so if we struggled... we all struggled together. What I remember most are her "talks." She would open up class asking if we had any issues in life we wanted to discuss. The classroom was such a carefree environment that many actually spoke up. She told us how we spend so much time in life worrying about things we will never even have to face in our own lives. She said how if we counted all the hours in our whole lives; we would be astonished on how much time and joy we wasted being sad, stressed, or worrisome. She said things that really left you thinking. I have have had many teachers that I felt like I could connect with outside of the curriculum. I felt as if they saw me as the struggling teenager I was and not just as student for once. This really left a mark on me. One day I hope to be the teacher who students will go to for advice. I can only hope that I will be someone who they think back on and smile about.