This I Believe
Students are truly at the root of my practice as an educator. I believe that the most important responsibility I have is to develop a genuine relationship with each child that I have the opportunity to teach. Children who have this type of relationship with a teacher feel cared for, supported, and know that someone is invested in them as whole person, not just another name on a class list.
When students first enter my classroom in September, the desks are in a circle, highlighting that we are all equal in this space. There is no beginning or end or front or back to a circle and everyone is visible. Students create their own name tags that are hung on the front of their desks so that names can be learned quickly and are seen by all. I then pull them to the floor, in a circle for those same reasons, as early on that first day as possible. This is the time to begin growing respect and understanding for one another and ourselves. Early in the year, time is spent getting to know one another; as the year progresses, the circle time is a place to share, problem solve, and celebrate one another. Developing relationships with each child is only made easier by creating a community that is accepting and understanding of one another.
I work relentlessly throughout the year to develop strong relationships with my students. I observe what makes each child tick and identify their passions, dislikes, and how they view themselves.
Pulling each child close to me at some point each day, I envelope them in a hug, and whisper, “I believe in you, you are important to me!” Even the most challenging students hold a spot in my heart, because I really do care about each and every one of these children I teach and want them to know they are loved no matter what choices are made.
I stop and have conversations with them about them. I value their thoughts, concerns, and ideas. This allows me to connect with them very personally and helps me determine the topics and learning goals that match the kiddo’s that help create each year’s learning community.
I work to build more than just a learning community, but a support system and “classroom family” in which students feel they are safe to take risks and share their ideas without the fear of ridicule or judgement.
“You are each working to be the best 4th grader you can be!” is a comment you’d likely hear if you stopped by my room on any given day. I definitely want to see growth from my students, but I measure it in so many ways besides their obligatory testing. Watching a more self-centered student hold the door for someone with their arms full, seeing students check on another classmate whose eyes are filled with tears, and observing them listening to one another and add on to what a peer has said are just a handful of the ways I measure the growth of my students. One of the best pieces of evidence I have to show that a student and I have a genuine relationship is when he or she walks up to me and says, “Mom, …”.
I know that the relationships I have taken the time to build and sustain benefit my students academically and personally because they return year after year to visit and tell me how and what they are doing. They come with smiles and hugs and stories of their lives.
This I Believe!
