Emotionally Safe Classroom Analysis

In Chapter 1 of The First Days of School, Wong discusses that a teacher’s success during the school year is determined by the first few days of school. In this chapter, the author speaks about structuring your classroom to have a successful school year. This chapter informs us that the most effective teachers spend time organizing and structuring their classroom in order to keep the students in control of their future actions. Wong states, “ The most important thing to establish in the first week of school is consistency.” I believe that this statement is correct because students like a routine.

As a teacher, it is important to know and understand the racial and cultural identities of both yourself, and your students. Knowing about your students’ backgrounds is a great way to make the classroom a safe and welcoming environment. Not all educational settings emit a feeling of safety to its students, and that needs to be changed. In this paper, I will discuss how my racial and cultural identity may be the same and may differ from my students, as well as some ways in which the institution of education can be changed to be more racially and culturally inclusive.

Further, this simplicity in her teaching approach led to a published a book called The Art of the Classroom. Haughey takes all educators back to some of the basic elements of classroom management that is currently being fine-tuned by classroom teachers as we just started the 2017-2018 school year. “Student achievement at the end of the year is directly related to the degree to which a teacher established good control of the classroom procedures in the very first week of the school year.” Harry Wong, The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher.

Dimension 3.1, classroom environment, routines, and procedures, the teachers is expected to organize and maintain a “safe, accessible, and efficient classroom” (TEA, 2016, p. 15). Dimension 3.2, managing student behavior, focuses on establishing expectations for behavior. And dimension 3.3, classroom culture, consists of creating a culture of mutual respect in which all learners are engaged (TEA, 2016). The focus of this domain is to ensure an orderly and safe environment for all learners by maintain high

Our reading for this week is from the uniquely formatted book written by Harry and Rosemary Wong titled, “The First Days of School; How to be an Effective Teacher.” The focus section of our reading is based in Unit C of the text, which focuses of Classroom Management. Chapters 11-16 were read, and these chapters focus on the topics of how to have a well managed classroom, effectively preparing the classroom, how to introduce yourself to students, seating arrangement/assignment, starting a class, and the proper timing and execution of taking roll. Essentially each chapter of this text follows the same format. There will be a few paragraphs discussing what “effective teachers” would do followed by a few paragraphs about what “ineffective teachers”

Public schools are beginning to see a shift in demographics in the United States. There is now a culturally diverse student population and educators need to respond to this shift in order to ensure an equal education for all students. Culture aids in determining how students learn, and culturally responsive teaching is a way teachers can educate culturally diverse students and provide an equal education for all. Culturally responsive teaching is defined by Geneva Gay as using the various characteristics, perspectives, and experiences of many cultures to effectively teach culturally diverse students (2000). Culturally responsive teaching prepares teachers to work with and teach a culturally diverse classroom of students and allows teachers to create a classroom environment that is similar to their students’ home environments so students do not have to assimilate to the dominant culture or change from their home culture to their school culture depending on their setting (Brown). Multicultural education is not only important for ensuring equal education for all students, but also creates youth who will be able to function and be effective citizens in a pluralistic society (Gay 2003). In order to implement culturally responsive teaching, teachers must acknowledge potential biases and reconstruct their attitudes, create a diverse knowledge base, be caring and empowering, and create a classroom environment that is conducive to a culturally diverse

In a diverse classroom each student will be attended based on their individual need and teachers will meet each child at their level. Student will be treated equally regardless of their cultural background or socioeconomic status. By providing a good classroom management system, we will have a respectful and inclusive class culture. Establishing good classroom routines is essential to creating a positive environment for students to focus on learning. The follow sections cover those routine in our class

This paper will be discussing a recent fifteen hour field experience I participated in which I observed a classroom which included many students of diverse ethnic and cultural groups. I will discuss any prejudices/discriminations I observed in the classroom based on ethnic and cultural diversity. I will also describe how this experience has made me determined to try to create a positive learning environment for students of diversity in the classroom.

There are many things that go into a successful, well-managed classroom, but one of the biggest determining factors is establishing positive procedures for daily tasks and activities. Students crave a stable and predictable environment where they know exactly what to expect and how to succeed, and teaching procedures does just that. Procedures provide structure to both students and teachers, ensuring that the classroom is a familiar and secure place that everyone can rely on. Obviously choosing the right rules and procedures for a classroom is entirely up to the instructor; but no matter the procedure, teachers must clearly define what they expect from their students from the very beginning. It is essential

Peer interaction and relationship is one of the most important interpersonal skills that really support true multicultural education. According to the article, Interacting with Children and Youth on Issues of Diversity and Bias, “Children do not develop their attitudes about differences in insolation”. Children have to interact every day in order to learn more from their classmates’ cultures and traditions. The everyday interactions are very important because they help children have a connection with other children from different cultural groups. Professionals are responsible in creating a convenient environment with the appropriate equipment and furniture for social interactions. The furniture has to be in the correct setting. Students have to be able to work with different peers. They also have to have eye contact and direct interactions with all their classmates. Educators have to be aware that children communicate differently and in some cases educators have to be active participants in those interactions.

Emotional safety in the classroom is a vital element for students. If a student does not feel emotionally safe in the classroom his or her learning is greatly effected. I have learned this first hand this school year when my student got transferred to a different school within the district. On the first day at the new school her original learning support teacher was there to greet her. Being in a new environment was overwhelming for her, but having the familiarity of her learning support teacher for her original school and myself was reassuring to her. However, this teacher was only there for the morning of her first day, this made the afternoon more difficult. After reading the article Creating an Emotionally Safe Classroom, I realize this

In order to establish an effective role in high school student lives, teachers must create a positive environment in the classroom, engage the students with a variety of materials, and provide different variations of learning techniques that will accommodate the needs of every student (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010). While also, displaying the personality of a culturally competent teacher that is able to effectively incorporate diversity in her curriculum. On the other hand, some teachers lack the ability to influence their students, and cultivate a positive learning environment. These teachers typically do not incorporate theorist ideas and techniques for creating a meaningful classroom environment (Flinders & Thornton, 2013). For that reason, students lose interest

Once students and teachers are aware of cultural differences, they become aware of racism and can fight to eradiate it. Through their unbiased understanding of the differences between cultures and races, they are able to come to a point of acceptance of themselves and others. If you noticed in my previous paragraph, I mentioned the different types of diversity. Diversity emphasizes how different students and teachers are, but when explored in a classroom, can be used to reveal our similarities. Once students and teachers grasp the concept of diversity, displayed through everyday interactions with diverse groups of students and teachers, racism begins to disappear. In addition, positive sense of self can be developed once students and teachers have an understanding of their own uniqueness through experiences and understanding of diversity. Once teachers and students

A teacher should teach, demonstrate, establish, and enforce classroom procedures and routines at the start of the year to manage the classroom behaviors. Rules and procedures support teaching and learning and provide students with clear expectations and well-defined norms. Teachers can create a respectful, supportive learning environment when they have an understanding of the diverse learning in the

I believe a successful learning experience is engaging and valued by the students. I believe students’ will value what they are learning if they believe what they’re learning is relevant. Relevance is important to teaching and learning because it is directly related to student engagement and motivation (Frymier & Schulman, 1995; Martin & Dowson, 2009). Marsh (2008), states a positive classroom environment provides a sense of security, community, belonging and identity (Marsh, 2008). Based on my experience as a practicing teacher, I have found establishing clear expectations within the classroom assist in maintaining control and discipline, to create a safe learning environment (Fatt Hee, 1996). I believe within all classrooms, students’ diversity should be valued. This creates a discrimination free environment and ensures students feel safe and included (Philips, 2010). According to Stanford & Parkay (2007) students are more engaged in class when learning experiences are satisfying, challenging and friendly.