How my philosophy will affect my classroom (an excerpt from my final paper)

From day one, my students will know that my classroom has a zero-tolerance policy and so do I. Students will be expected to respect one another at all times and under no circumstances will any deviance be tolerated. That is the only rule regarding classroom management that I will set myself. The rest of the rules will be created by the students themselves. From my experience as a resident assistant, I familiar with this method and feel it can be applied to many situations. This act of getting people to set rules together is referred to as creating “community standards” and I will employ this same concept as a teacher. During the first class I will explain that the classroom is a democracy and that students will be expected to participate and take responsibility for their actions. From there I will help them create their own set of expectations for each other and help them create a classroom they are comfortable being in. Once the rules are created (which can be anything from the consequences of tardiness or talking out of turn to confidentiality and absent homework) they will be posted on the walls. I think this practice gives students ownership and control over their environment and also builds community.
The classroom will not only be a safe place, but it will be a comfortable place as well. Desks or tables will be in a circle so that students can all see one another. There will be plenty of books for students to read and a quiet corner for them to escape to order to work on projects and books. My students will be allowed to eat in my classroom and I will adopt only the school policy on bathroom breaks because it is a basic truth that students cannot learn unless their basic needs are met. My goal is not to make every student love reading and writing, but to help them discover their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their likes and dislikes in terms of literature and writing. Again, it is about helping students make connections to their world and further their self-awareness.
I want students to have input into what they are learning. As a rule, there are always standards within a school system that need to be met and goals that need to be accomplished. There are required texts and S.A.T.s and graduation requirements. I believe that some structure is good and helps guide students towards success, but I feel that how students reach those end goals should be in a way that works best for them. This learner-centered philosophy closely mirrors my own, for I feel that students should have the power to choose their future and find a way to reach their goals. After all, who knows our students better than they know themselves? Why should we direct their lives until the graduate and then expect them to be able to stand on their own? That doesn’t seem fair. This is why I feel that independence and autonomy need to be valued in the classroom and students should always have input in everything they participate in at school. As a class, we discussed alternative schools where students had different levels of control over their education. Through my research I encountered institutions that were rigid, like military or rehabilitation schools and I also encountered schools that were more open, like Summerhill in England and Souhegan in New Hampshire. I realize that being able to choose your education is a powerful gift that not all students have the opportunity to take advantage of. This is why I will be dedicated to giving students a voice no matter where I end up teaching in the future.
As far as assessment goes, the majority of the marks students earn will come from the process and not the final product they produce. While I feel the final product is important, the process is just as important, if not more so, because it is the backbone of the work itself. I want the work my students produce to be a reflection of how they are thinking. That way, I can truly gauge their level of understanding. The only way I can see how much my students are really learning is by seeing them apply the content I teach. This is why my instruction and assessments will be differentiated and range in style. While I personally value hands-on learning and respond positively to it, I realize that some students are more comfortable with more traditional methods. My objective will be to balance both. This will allow all students in my class to benefit from the content and it will give them the chance to highlight their strengths without being penalized for their individual learning style.
As a learner, I was often stereotyped by school administration and peers alike. I was recommended for many tracks, ranging from special education to advanced placement. As a result of this, it is vital to me that no student be tracked unless it will directly benefit them to be in a certain group pertaining to their individual needs. I believe that students of all abilities and backgrounds can learn together in a classroom and it is my job to ensure that success. I will rise to the challenge by getting to know my students, understanding who they are as learners and varying my approach so that I may meet their needs.