Blog #2: My Teaching Platform

A Teacher Platform, by Kayla Shanafelt (preservice teacher)

Fundamental Commitments

- Respect: I myself will hold respect for each and every student as well as faculty member. I will also ensure that each of my students has respect for their classmates and teachers as well.

- Safety: I will ensure that my classroom is an area where each student can feel comfortable and safe no matter their culture, race, class, or sexuality.

- Fairness: In my classroom, each student will feel equal. They will feel like they are equally learning the material, that they are each equally being represented and heard in the classroom.

- Communication: I will work to create classroom communication and have that be a sole focus of mine while teaching. I want to ensure that each student is understanding the work as well as feeling comfortable to communicate any confusion. I want students to be able to communicate and collaborate with their peers as well as with me. Classroom communication will happen in a variety of ways with a variety of platforms, so that I can truly gauge how my students are learning the material and how they are feeling personally.

- Each student has the ability and the right to a great school and an even better classroom community.

Core Beliefs

- Compassion: My compassion will shine through in my students and in my school. I chose the path of teaching, especially middle level, because I am compassionate about the students and their success. I am also going to be compassionate in the success of my school as well.

- Hard Work: This will show through my lesson plans and continued efforts to support my classroom community.

- Drive: I will never stop learning and trying to better myself to continue to better my students. I will work tirelessly to make sure that each student is heard and loved.

- Inspiration: The love and inspiration that I have for teaching will be a core value of mine to continue to hold onto.

- Responsibility: I will hold responsibility over my students. If they are not understanding the material, it is my responsibility to teach it to them in a way that they will learn and understand.

- Understanding: In school setting there are consistent ups and downs. There are missed assignments and forgetful coworkers. I will be understanding of everyone and assist in whatever ways I can. Most importantly, I will be understanding with myself. I will not feel amazing with my lesson, my classroom, or my students each and every day and that is okay.

- High Expectations: I will hold my students to high standards. I will push them to learn at the highest of their abilities and I will learn each of those individual abilities.

- Respect: As stated earlier, I will hold respect for my students and coworkers. I will also expect respect from my students towards each other, myself, and other teachers.

- Collaboration: I will work to collaborate with my students and increase class collaboration as well through group projects and different activities.

- Leadership: In my school, I want to be a leader. I may lead a club or coach a team and lead in that way. However, I will overall be a leader to learners and I will encourage them to lead their lives as well in the right direction.