Home Manager Researcher Communicator Evaluator Cognitive Mediator Servant Leader

             

Floor Plan As a manager, I need to organize my future classroom in a way that students can learn most effectively.  Having a floor plan of my future classroom is sensible in order to build a room that meets students' learning needs as well as to provide a place students enjoy returning to day after day.  In the book, On Solid Ground, Sharon Taberski states, "How I set up my classroom, the way I organize my day, and the materials I provide can either 'make or break' my efforts to work effectively with children" (p. 19).  As I build my own room plan, I practice organizing how to use resources and space to my advantage.  Taberski also states that an organized classroom is like a second teacher with the students having materials and learning opportunities at their fingertips (p. 19).  My classroom will reflect my high expectations about my students' learning and reflects my understanding of the environment as a manager.

Gym Lesson Observing gym classes was an amazing opportunity to watch a variety of teachers work with students in a gym area.  Some gym spaces were very small and crowded, while others had six basketball hoops and an incredible amount of floor and closet space.  I observed and reflected in observation papers the fantastic organization some classes used to achieve order throughout their activities.  I watched as teachers used their organizational methods to their advantage.  For example, one teacher had divided the class into rows and then asked how many students would be in each row if six rows were desired and the class was made up of 36 students.  Just as Anita Woolfolk (2005) states, "The basic management task for teachers is to achieve order and harmony by gaining and maintaining student cooperation in class activities" (p. 388).  As my journal reflects, I have watched and studied these teachers, analyzing and evaluating as they work to use their environment to the best of their ability.  As the curriculum model states, the environment and use of it plays a critical part in the students' learning.

Classroom Rules Having rules in a classroom is a common wall fixture for any grade level.  Students need to have a clear understanding of expectations and consequences for certain behavior.  Rules need to be contemplated or handled with caution, because they create a kind of atmosphere in the classroom (Woolfolk, 2005).  During my Native American class, I was challenged to think of rules that encompass all diversities of people, especially Native Americans.  As I looked at their values and their class position today, my classroom rules became constructed around their moral laws.  I want my classroom to reflect humility, honesty, sacrifice, respect, compassion, honor, and bravery; these are the ideals Native Americans understand and seek to uphold.  These rules will provide a foundation to building an organized classroom for any group of students.  As my classroom becomes organized around these rules, my students will not only learn classroom material, but a way of life.

From Lost India Jewel to Future Success: Human Rights in the Classroom Homosexuality, gender issues, and ethnicity battles are just as evident in the classroom as they are globally.  Students fight to prove themselves and be treated equally, no matter what situation may arise.  Through writing various reflections in my Human Relations class, I have battled with specific situations, such as teaching Hutterite students.  I found that the aims of education should not be lowered, but must identify with differing groups and meet their special needs.  Some teachers turn blind eyes toward student circumstances, but teachers must identify and work with children and their histories; their past and present conditions must be accounted for.  Just as educator Lisa Delpit (1996) points out, teachers must not elevate one group above another due to "obedience" or "participation," because teachers are biased from their own culture.  Teachers must strive to look through their students' eyes and see the world as they know it.  When this happens, educational aims will be produced that focus on the student's ability, understanding, way of perceiving, and history of learning.  Conflict is bound to arise in classrooms with varying personalities, ethnicities, and genders.  Through looking at several human relations issues, I am shaping myself to be an authority figure that meets challenges and enforces respect.  My understanding of people and different ways of life will continue to grow as a teacher, but I will transfer what I do understand to future situations. I will maintain a learning environment in my classroom as my students learn how to respect one another.