Week 1: My Ideal Classroom

First off, my ideal classroom would be happy. It always made me sick to walk into a classroom with bland walls and no color whatsoever. My classroom would have enough on the walls to be exciting, but not so much that it would be distracting. I would have a comfortable rug in the corner with a chair for me to sit in while I read to the students as they would quietly sit on the rug. That corner would be the reading corner (but with a more fun name than "reading corner") and I would have bookshelves full of books for the students to choose from. I would try to make that area as comfortable and relaxing as possible, because it is hard for anyone to concentrate on reading when they are anxious or uncomfortable.

I would also have an art center. This wouldn't be a major area, but it would be where I kept the scissors, markers, glue, tape, etc. so the students would know where to find everything. I would NOT keep a stapler over there, because that would stay on my desk. I know scissors are probably what I should be most nervous about, but I have this huge fear (and I don't know where it came from) of a student stapling their finger! :/

My desk wouldn't be cluttered with the students' work; there'd be a special area for that behind my desk. The students' desks and chairs would be in groups, and I would rotate these groups ever month so the students could get to interact with all of their classmates throughout the school year.

The students would be, well, children. I don't expect them to act any differently than I did when I was their age: excited, talkative, curious, energetic, hungry, etc. Kids are kids, and I don't like it when 3rd grade teachers expect their students to act like proper 40-year-old Englishmen. I knew a teacher like this, and she was constantly disapointed in herself because she felt as though she has failed as a teacher since the students were acting out. I think it's important to be honest with yourself and accept that the students won't always be great, but it depends on the classroom management techniques used that will really be reflected by the students' behaviors.

I would love for the parents to really care about their children and their children's education. Weekly to biweekly communication, I feel, is very important (more or less, depending on the student). Naturally, I feel I'll worry about the students when they leave my classroom and go home. I'd like to know that they are being loved and told by their parents that they are proud of them.

I would like my colleagues to behave in a professional way, but still be friendly. I think gossiping is immature and doesn't promote a healthy work environment. The students aren't the only people I would see at work, and so I would like to maintain good relationships with my colleagues, as well as see them put forth the same effort in maintaining the relationship. I just think I'd like my job a whole lot more if everyone was pleased with everyone else (even though this isn't always what happens).

I would use several teaching techniques. I have a crazy imagination, so I think it'd be fun to dress up as an old woman and suprise the students when they come in for recess, and I would read to the students in character. Or if we were learning about Egypt, I could dress up as an explorer or a mummy. I will also try to adapt my lessons to all types of learning styles, and if I were teaching a younger grade, I would do this by having stations/centers.

As far as technology goes, I would use computer programs (if computers were available in the classroom) for the students to use during free time/indoor recess. I would also do a class website for the parents to follow (and students too) so they know what's going on in class and what their child is learning. Maybe I could even scan their work onto the computer and have pages devoted to each student.

What content will I teach? That depends on the grade! I plan to follow the curriculum, so, that really depends on the grade. At the begining of each school year, the students will come together as a class to create their own class list of goals for that year. Then, at the end of the year, I will bring that list out and we, as a class, will see if we achieved the goals we had set. It's not really a matter of what I teach, I just want to teach the students and touch their lives. Of course, I would like to teach what the curriculum expects me to teach, but I really hope to teach the students much more than what is in the curriculum. I hope to teach them about themselves, about relationships, and about so much more. About the video... I don't know if too much technology should be part of the classroom. I think that if it is limited to only accessing it in the classroom, that's fine. But this video really got me thinking about those students who don't have computers at home. I think that it is only fair to have technology in the classroom that is only required to access in the classroom.