It was my first year as a certified teacher, excited is in
no way an accurate descriptor of my feelings. I looked at my mess of a room
with chairs stacked high and tables flipped atop of one another I realized that
the first lesson in my classroom would be one I learned and not that I taught.
How the heck was I supposed to set this classroom up from scratch? I had been
in several classrooms, but I never actually designed one independently. Where
should my desk go? What should go on this bulletin board? Where should my rug
be placed? I needed help and I knew it. I wanted the perfect learning community
for my students and I knew it began with the environment that I created. I
decided to set up my student’s desks in groups of four, and set up other
unassigned stations for other activities to take place.
Once my students found their seats and found their places in
our classroom I was better able to picture our community and who it was made
of. With the students already in their small groups I was able to see who the
leaders were in each group and how their personalities worked together. From
there I used what I observed to create a systematic community that could run
smoothly with or without me. My students learned what I expected and how to
work together. I also learned that the students themselves were a key component
to making sure the classroom community ran smoothly. In an article I read entitled,
The Six Secrets to a Happy Classroom, Gilbert made some great points. Among
them was this quote, "One of the greatest resources is untapped – the
students themselves," William says. "I don't think teachers should be
afraid of asking the students for advice." The idea is controversial;
however, some believing it undermines the professionalism and authority of
teachers.” Once I accepted the fact that the students themselves (even though
they were only first graders) could actually provide valuable input in carrying
out the vision I had for my classroom, my job became that much easier. Think
about it. Don’t you like participating in activities that you had some input in
creating? Or better yet, what if you could let your superiors know the most
enjoyable parts of your job and they actually put forth effort to make sure
that you had more of an opportunity to enjoy them in various ways. As I figured
the puzzle out, I notice that not only was our classroom community working, but
it was a pleasant fun place to be.
During one of my regularly scheduled classroom observations
I sat in the back of a more the “experienced” teacher classrooms and I could
literally feel the difference. The community was on task, but boy was it tight.
Every child sat quietly in their seats doing the same exact assignment (some
successfully…and others not so much). There wasn’t much “fun” or color in the
room, and the teacher was clearly the rigid dictator. While classroom
management was a definite strength, other teaching methods that have been
proven to increase learning, self-confidence, and high level thinking were
absent. The teacher was excellent, but I noticed the student’s voice was
absent. Although I had a classroom community that “worked” I decided to do some
research and figure out a way that my student’s voice could be heard even more
in my classroom. I read another article called, “Incorporating Student Voiceinto Teaching Practice”, and it declared, “When students have a voice in
classroom processes, they share in decision-making and the construction of
knowledge. The teacher, consequently, becomes a co-learner and facilitator as
well as a source of knowledge.” My entire teacher planning career I had been
trained to operate as the dictator and primary decision maker, this isolated
quote challenged my whole perspective. I would have to think for our classroom,
not my class. I would have to rearrange my thinking in order to be successful
at maintaining the classroom I envisioned. As much as I would like to say I’ve
mastered this concept, I humbly admit that I haven’t.
Between standardized tests, benchmarks, unexpected tasks and
much more the student’s voice is sometimes lost in our community. Standardized
tests aren’t differentiated to their capabilities, neither are the test preparations
assignments. I finally came to the realization that giving the students a voice
in the classroom was much bigger than me as “the teacher”. It starts at the
place that I get my instruction from. Overall, our educational system is
clearly in the need of reformation. I was very moved by this valedictorians
speech as she articulated her feeling toward the issues raised by being
educated in a test driven environment, and to be honest I couldn’t have said it
better myself. Take a look!
Well said young lady…well said.
Reading your blog really gave me some confidence as to what to expect as I enter my first year of teaching. Building your classroom community is definitely up to the teacher but who made a very smart decision to include your students. That is something that is very debatable when discussing the authority in the classroom. However, that is where I believe tradition needs to be altered. Teachers 20 years ago were used to being the only voice of reasoning but now these have changed drastically. Children are so much more advanced with expressing their opinion we often learn more from them than expected. In my opinion you did what works for you…and that is what building a classroom community is about. You have to evaluate your environment see the personalities and go fourth. During my student teaching my mentor teacher and I often disagreed about this subject as I always wanted to allow the students the opportunity to express themselves and give their views on the lessons. They were first graders as well and we had real student lead discussion about many topics and my mentor teacher just could not get with that technique. However, she was “old school” as I often told her but what works for you may not work for others and in teaching you learn that. The questions you proposed where very well thought. Even though they are younger they have a lot to say….always. Whether it’s relevant or not showing them that you are listening show you care in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteI found the article The Six Secrets to a Happy Classroom very intriguing as I as always looking for tips to use when I get my first class. The tips at the end are some that probably could bring some debates but I think they could be very useful in improving teaching techniques. The one that stuck out the most and that I actually used before was to ditch the grades. Often students get so obsessed with what grade they got on a certain assignment that has no value in what you taught. They are just stressing out about the grades when giving written feedback will allow them to see what needs to be improved. I really liked the way you incorporated the articles in your blogs because it gives a very clear understanding as to the route you decided to take when you were building your own classroom community. I truly feel that many of your views of a classroom community are how I often envision my own someday. I always say that being a teacher you should be firm, fair and fun. I understand the being an authority figure is important because you want your classroom management to go well but giving the students a voice is too. Often as teachers we get so stuck in tradition we forget that we may make mistakes or task more hard than they need to be and what better way to get feedback than from those you’re in front of daily. My question that I think of when I envision my classroom community being like yours, how did your administration react to this? Parents?
Very good Job!
Hi Jocelyn,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post for this week; this year will be my first year as a teacher with my own room and as that time comes nearer and nearer I am started to feel a little daunted by the entire thing. I am imagining myself to look and feel like you, surrounded by chairs and desks and bulletin boards and having to take everything I have and create a community out of it, and all the while feeling overwhelmed. I have to say that after reading this post though I feel better; it’s good to know that you have lived through it and come out better than ever. I feel confident that I too will figure out what I want out of my room and for my students, especially because I too love teaching and more than being nervous I am extremely excited to start teaching in my own room.
I really liked reading about how you were able to create a community that ran with or without you- one thing my Mentor Teacher always stressed to me was the importance of this- whether I was in front of the class, in a corner taking attendance, or out sick with a sub in the room, there should always be procedures in place so that things can continue on smoothly and without chaos. I believe that you are correct when you quoted, “The teacher, consequently, becomes a co-learner and facilitator as well as a source of knowledge.” From the small amount of time that I have spent teaching I do believe it works better when the teacher is the instigator of learning and not the dictator. In my opinion genuine learning occurs through students’ own work and discoveries, and rarely through rigid lessons and being talked at- even through college for me personally, I always learned best in classes with engaging activities as opposed to stagnant lectures.
The last thing I want to touch on is how you talk about using the students’ voices and ideas to help create a classroom community- especially because you said that you had first graders. While I do agree that activities that people are able to help build will engage them much more and create a better environment, or community, I am genuinely baffled as to how to get them involved in the planning process. I am probably not thinking outside of the box enough, but aside from asking if they liked a particular activity or not, I struggle with seeing what types of advice the students will have to offer, especially at such a young age. Also, I fear that by asking for this advice it does in fact undermine authority as you pointed out, as well as it could create a lot of disagreement between students whereby I would end up stepping in anyways and creating unnecessary chaos.
Overall I enjoyed reading your blog post. I believe that you brought up some valid points as well as I now feel inspired about the year ahead of me.
Sincerely,
Angelica
Jocelyn,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that I felt completely overwhelmed and unsure about what to do and how to set up my classroom my first year. I did my undergrad so long ago, that I only student taught for one semester. I started in January, so I missed out on anything my cooperating teacher could have taught me about setting up a classroom and I was too overwhelmed and naïve to look that far ahead and ask! It sounds like you had a vision of what you wanted and put it into action. Great job!
As someone who taught for 10 years, I can say it’s still a challenge. I had the same students for four years from grades 5 through 8. I never wanted my classroom to look the same year after year, but wanted to keep the things that “worked.” It was difficult to come up with new and innovative ways to do some of the same things with a new look. It’s also a challenge not to get stuck in a rut and do the same old, same old. Some of my colleagues would put up the exact same things year after year and copy their lesson plans with NO changes whatsoever. They weren’t willing to try new things. There is something to be said for knowing when things work, but there is also something to be said for flexibility!
I like how you created a systematic community and think it’s important for students to know what to expect. As a current substitute, I must tell you this is a real asset to your students and to someone like me who comes into your classroom. It’s also a great way for ESL kids to lessen their anxieties as well, as they begin to learn the routine and learn to expect what is coming next.
I loved what you had to say about “one of the greatest resources is untapped-the students themselves.” If we are to create an actual community in our own classrooms, students should feel valued and able to take risks. They should be able to be themselves and be comfortable sharing their needs wants and desires on their educational journey. Their input should have merit and sometimes their input helps us to see things through the eyes of our students. As educators, unfortunately, I don’t think we do that enough. I read an interesting article you may find helpful too. It’s written by Ruth Lowery and titled, David: A Protégé of Classroom Community Building. I liked this quote and thought it was worth sharing. “A safe classroom community is one in which students are comfortable showing themselves, being themselves and being honest about who they are.“
I applaud you in that you created a classroom that was a fun, pleasant place to be in your FIRST year of teaching! Most teachers are so overwhelmed with curriculum that they don’t know what end is up, let alone notice if they have created the type of classroom that is pleasant and enjoyable. Way to go!
I agree that I was taught to be the dictator and primary decision maker too. I don’t know that I was actually “taught” that, but that was my vision because that is what I experienced in my own education. “Children should be seen and not heard” was the motto when I grew up. Boy, how things have changed!
I think it’s important for students to have a voice in the classroom too. If they feel valued, that they are being heard and what they have to share is important can make a huge difference in the life of the student and the teacher. As educators we need to be active listeners and active participants in our classrooms and teach our students to do the same. By modeling how we want our students to conduct themselves, speaks loudly to our students. I had teachers say. “Do as I say, not as I do.” That spoke volumes to me as an impressionable kid. I had little respect for those teachers and what they said had little merit. By allowing students to be involved and have some input on their education, their relationships and how their class is run should help to build the kind of classroom community that should be a place where all can be themselves and be the best they can be.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how long you have been teaching because it didn’t say in your reflection and sharing, but it sounds to me like you are a great teacher and very intuitive of your students needs. I hope you can share that with your students and that they can become proficient at discerning the needs of others as well. What a great life skill to be able to share with your class!
Sincerely,
Lisa
Hi Jocelyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your work here in this post! It was great reading, and as you can tell, you inspired your peers! What a wonderful thing. Especially the new teachers seem to have gleaned a lot from your narrative. Thank you for sharing that wonderfully evocative story, of taking the mass of tables and chairs, and creating an environment that works for all!
There is much that I am intrigued by here. First, as you imply, it is the physical space that really matters in this. Or, to take it even further, it is our bodies in space. Sometimes schools treat kids as minds, waiting to be filled. But we are embodied souls (or soulful bodies), and we need spaces that recognize our need to touch, feel, look, smell, taste. The link to the article about the happy classroom confirmed this with the brilliant idea of getting kids to come to school a bit early for extra exercise (something I may try at my kids' school!).
The notion of student voice is really, I suppose, at the heart of your post. This idea, while it is currently a bit controversial, as a long and glorious history in education, in the US and around the world. It is called a lot of things--I usually just say child-centered education. It is the idea that careful observation of children themselves provides the most basic clues in terms of how to teach. Yes, we need knowledge of subject matter. But that knowledge is empty without knowledge of individual children and knowledge of the community they live in. Those together I call the capital-C, "Curriculum."
Finally, I noticed at the end you said this: "I finally came to the realization that giving the students a voice in the classroom was much bigger than me as “the teacher”. It starts at the place that I get my instruction from." This is beautifully said. From your profile, I get the real sense that you are a religious person. I assume that you referring to this spiritual sense as the justification of your vocation. I can only say: Yes! Until we can bring this language, and this sense of conviction, into our practice, we continue to risk making unwise decisions that negatively impact the lives of children.
Thank you for your post!
Kyle
PS: The link to the speech that ends your post was not correct. Would you mind sending me that link? I would leave to read the speech!
ReplyDelete