During my educational journey I have spent more hours in classrooms cramming information that I will most likely not remember, than actually being in environment where learning was not forced, it just happened. This is the type of classroom I would like to create for my Junior High School students.  Teachers ,during my educational journey, would shove information at us and test us every week or so to essentially see how well we could regurgitate it back to them, not if we would remember it or apply it to our life someday.  I want to create a classroom where my students learn every step of the way and are able to connect mentally and verbally with the world around them.

     Another aspect of my future classroom will be the air of comfort.  In addition to information being dumped on us sometimes the classroom environment wasn’t that of nurturing and more along the lines of humiliation and seclusion. I never want my students to feel that way and I would like the classroom to be an inclusive community.  Mara Sapon-Shevin in the article Because we can change the world: A practical guide to building cooperative, inclusive classroom communities states “In well-developed communities, people feel a part of the whole. They know that they are needed, valued members of the group. They know they will be missed if they are not there. They know that others are depending on them to put forth their best effort” (Sapon-Shevin, 1999, p. 17).  Giving students this sense of community and friends within the classroom allows them to feel more comfortable learning.  If they they have questions or are searching for deeper meaning, I encourage them to ask a classmate and strengthen their interpersonal connections with those around them.

     In addition to teaching culturally relevant and making the classroom a comfortable environment, I would like to search and praise all the different strengths in my students and use that as an aid to help them learn and retain information.  Brian D. Schultz states “I allowed a student who was interested in basketball to brainstorm questions related to this topic.  Questions about current players, averages and other statistics led to other questions that delved deep into history and social concerns about the sport (Schultz, 2008, p.19).  This is exactly the kind of information dialogue I want to happen between my students and I.  I believe a common misconception about students today are if they are not good at the subjects in school they are considered less intelligent which I believe is false.  

     I have come to the realization that the profession of teaching is not for the faint of heart. As educator we take on a very large responsibility to cultivate the masses in a place where they spend hours each day.  As a dance educator we wear the many hats of therapist, doctor, teacher, stage manager, costume designer and administrative staff just to name a few. All of this can seem like a burden to some but I have realized that I love my students no matter who or where they are and I will do anything in my power to make sure they get everything they need and if that includes all of these alternate jobs, then so be it.