In my opinion teaching is not about lecturing, but guiding and molding the students you work with. It's very important to me to be a positive role model for students and help them to find out what they want to do in the future. In order to be a good role model and help guide my students towards being productive and happy members of society I will create a classroom that is an open to all students and encourages creativity and exploration. Along my journey to become a teacher I've seen several keys that are vital in order to accomplishing my ideal atmosphere for students. These keys much be continually developed, in order for the classroom to become a welcoming learning environment
The first key is behavior management. After my student teaching experience, I was able to see first hand the influence that poor behavior management can have on a classroom. It took a lot of time and effort and constant revisions to begin to develop a behavior management plan that works. In my classroom this will be a large priority, so that my students are safe and are in an environment where they can be able to learn without negative influences. I believe that there is no cookie cutter approach to behavior management and that it is responsibility as a teacher to develop behavior management plans that fit the students in my classroom.
The second key is diverse curriculum. My classroom will continually change and the content in it will also change. It is a priority of mine to look for new developments in agriculture and in the world and bring it to my students. As a teacher, I believe that I can bring my students closer to happenings around the world by staying up to date on technology and policy changes and bringing them this diverse knowledge. I plan to change my curriculum and lesson plans often so that I'm not just teaching the basics, but building on those basics to help them develop the critical think skills that they will need in their futures.
The final key is enthusiasm. I plan to have a classroom that encourages students to get excited about what they are learning. I will accomplish this by being enthusiastic myself and in my teaching practices and by allowing them to decide on what they would like to learn. A lot of research has been done showing that students who are able to choose their own lessons, are more likely to learn the material and become more motivated about their education. I feel that enthusiasm is a valuable key in the successful education of students and I will be incorporating it into my students' ideal learning environment.
