Important Parts of the Principles

My ultimate goal as a teacher is to create a positive learning experience. My second graders should have daily opportunities to feel safe, comfortable, and challenged. Each principle below is very important to me. In order for learning to take place a child must feel like they are a part of our classroom community. They need to feel comfortable with their peers, their learning environment and their teacher. In my classroom I try to meet these needs with a positive outlook and smile. I feel that my students know that they can come to me with any questions or concerns. I gain this trust through constant involvement. I am at their lockers to greet them every morning. I walk around the classroom and offer assistance or encouragement during work time, I dance with them and participate in classroom games and activities. As a class we build our classroom community through games, sharing and goals. Our class only has positive incentives. The kids earn points to play a game of their choice on Fridays. This incentive works for me! I think the kids feel safe and comfortable with positive incentives.

Another one of my principles states that all kids should feel challenged. Learning should take place for every child in class. It is my goal to provide lessons and activities at every level. I do this through literature groups, leveled games, and mini lessons with specific groups! The kids are constantly provided with different lessons and activities. I want them to be comfortable with themselves. I want them to understand that we all need different things to grow.

CHALLENGES!

At this early stage, my students already understand who is getting the high level work. How do I make every child feel good about what they are working on and what they are learning? I try to give each level something exciting, but they are still looking at the work of the other groups around them!

Recess and Lunch!! My kids respect each other for the most part in our classroom. I rarely see conflict in our class. The reports that they give me from recess and lunch are different! Some negative decisions and attitudes are coming out at recess and lunch. It is so hard to deal with these conflicts, because I am not there.

As the year goes on, I hope that our principles within the classroom will over flow into recess and lunch.