Standard 2: Establishes a safe, inclusive and respectable learning environment for a diverse population of students.
I have always tried to create an environment in my classroom that is accepting of all viewpoints and cultures to accommodate the diverse population of students I am in contact with. The art classroom specifically should be a place where students feel safe to express their ideas and opinions and I strive to foster this comfort in my students. Respect is one of my most important values and I think it is achieved in a classroom through reciprocity. I feel that students and teachers are on a team with the joint goal of learning and expanding our world views, so I try to organize my lessons to avoid a “sage on the stage” situation where the students are vessels to be filled with content and rather recognize the importance of fostering the development of important life skills over basic attainment of content. I feel this is done largely through personal practice. That is, if I model these skills or behaviors, my students will learn that they are the expectation. I also believe in a democratic classroom where the opinions, wants and needs of the students are taken into account in classroom management and lesson planning. I am a firm believer in teaching for artistic behavior and emergent curriculum which encourages helping students develop skills in creative problem solving and persistence by designing art projects based on the gauged interests and intrinsic motivations of students.
I feel that I am developing towards proficiency in this standard. Although I strive to create a classroom environment that is inclusive and respectful, I sometimes get carried away with the casual nature of an art classroom. I have gotten feedback from students that I am sometimes not strict enough and while I believe a level of freedom is essential to an art classroom, I know that some students benefit from more structure and leadership from a teacher. I also think that my students would benefit from clear communication of my expectations early in the class so we all know the requirements for behavior in the classroom.
In light of the current threats to school safety at RMHS and schools around the nation, I feel it is important to mention that efforts I have taken to prepare myself for potential safety threats. After the un-scheduled school lock down and unexpected threats close to the anniversary of the Columbine tragedy, I felt I was lacking in my preparedness to follow lock down protocol, so I attended the school’s meeting where they addressed what exactly happened, why, and how to move forward. I gained knowledge not only on how to be prepared at any moment to protect myself and my students but advise on how to assess and alleviate any negative impacts students may be feeling. Developing a community within our schools is one of the most efficient ways to combat these threats to safety and the resulting impact on students. Keeping the classroom, a place where students can feel comfortable voicing concerns is essential and being a compassionate supportive influence is my goal. The following is my write up on said school safety meeting.
I have always tried to create an environment in my classroom that is accepting of all viewpoints and cultures to accommodate the diverse population of students I am in contact with. The art classroom specifically should be a place where students feel safe to express their ideas and opinions and I strive to foster this comfort in my students. Respect is one of my most important values and I think it is achieved in a classroom through reciprocity. I feel that students and teachers are on a team with the joint goal of learning and expanding our world views, so I try to organize my lessons to avoid a “sage on the stage” situation where the students are vessels to be filled with content and rather recognize the importance of fostering the development of important life skills over basic attainment of content. I feel this is done largely through personal practice. That is, if I model these skills or behaviors, my students will learn that they are the expectation. I also believe in a democratic classroom where the opinions, wants and needs of the students are taken into account in classroom management and lesson planning. I am a firm believer in teaching for artistic behavior and emergent curriculum which encourages helping students develop skills in creative problem solving and persistence by designing art projects based on the gauged interests and intrinsic motivations of students.
I feel that I am developing towards proficiency in this standard. Although I strive to create a classroom environment that is inclusive and respectful, I sometimes get carried away with the casual nature of an art classroom. I have gotten feedback from students that I am sometimes not strict enough and while I believe a level of freedom is essential to an art classroom, I know that some students benefit from more structure and leadership from a teacher. I also think that my students would benefit from clear communication of my expectations early in the class so we all know the requirements for behavior in the classroom.
In light of the current threats to school safety at RMHS and schools around the nation, I feel it is important to mention that efforts I have taken to prepare myself for potential safety threats. After the un-scheduled school lock down and unexpected threats close to the anniversary of the Columbine tragedy, I felt I was lacking in my preparedness to follow lock down protocol, so I attended the school’s meeting where they addressed what exactly happened, why, and how to move forward. I gained knowledge not only on how to be prepared at any moment to protect myself and my students but advise on how to assess and alleviate any negative impacts students may be feeling. Developing a community within our schools is one of the most efficient ways to combat these threats to safety and the resulting impact on students. Keeping the classroom, a place where students can feel comfortable voicing concerns is essential and being a compassionate supportive influence is my goal. The following is my write up on said school safety meeting.
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I also was required to attend co-curricular activities at RMHS to familiarize myself with the school’s culture and diverse population of students. Although I was drawn to attend sporting or musical events because these are the co-curriculars I participated in in high school, I tried to challenge myself to attend activities that highlighted Rocky High’s diverse population of students. Below are two write up’s detailing the meeting I attended of “Girl Rising” and the RMHS Cultural Diversity Festival.
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