Classroom Relationships
Teachers must always have withitness! Withitness is the idea that a teacher is always aware of what’s going on in his or her classroom. Classroom Relationships taught me about this term as well as other essentials to being a proactive teacher. I took Classroom Relationships for my honors course, therefore was able to research and do a project on Harry Wong, a theorist whom I find very insightful and helpful. I learned that classroom management is the key to being an effective teacher. I was surprised when my class discussed how much classroom management and organization can affect teacher stress. I am going to use the theories, strategies, and specific ideas, such as “withitness” to run the incredible classroom that I’m striving for.
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“All kids need to know that their lives have value and they can be successful. They need to believe that their efforts can make a real difference in their lives.” – Allen Mendler (Discipline with Dignity). This is what Allen Mendler and Richard Curwin believe as discussed in their book “Discipline with Dignity”. A group of 3 including myself researched these two theorists to get inside their heads and discover what it means to discipline with dignity. I learned a lot about how to create a professional Power Point presentation and discipline students while still maintaining their dignity. I agreed with their idea of having the students help come up with the classroom rules. This project along with hearing about the other theorists gave me great insight into things that I may be able to use in the future to discipline my own class.
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As an honors student in Classroom Relationships, A group of 5, including myself, completed a Power Point presentation on theorists, Harry and Rosemary Wong. I learned not only how to create a professional Power Point, but also some wonderful classroom management tips. I personally researched Wong’s ideas of professional development and I learned how important it is for a teacher to continue their education in order to help their students. I will take this away from my honors project and continue my education and be a lifelong learner throughout my future of teaching.
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My future classroom will look like bright colors and a comfortable environment, sound like well mannered children and positive reinforcement, and feel like a community. This artifact is my philosophy thus far in my education about what I want my ideal classroom to look like. I learned many things from my mentor teacher during service learning this semester that I can apply to my classroom when I become an elementary school teacher. I did research on, and listened to presentations on different theorists of classroom management and found one that I feel, best suits how I want to run my classroom. I am positive that as I gain more knowledge and hands on experiences my idea of an ideal classroom will change, but writing this piece of work helped me start my journey to discovering what my classroom will be like.
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