The purpose of this standard is to keep teachers knowledgeable and accountable for creating a positive and student-centered learning environment. The goal is to create an environment that is beneficial to students’ productivity. Teachers can reach this objective by fostering a welcoming and engaging environment, promoting diversity in the classroom, and creating empowering lessons for students.
High Engagement & Positive Attitude
Teaching is my passion and it’s evident in the way I teach. I make an effort to get to know my students and their interests. I do my best to show enthusiasm about my subject area and facilitate engagement. Here are some student testimonials about my teaching styles, attitude, and engagement.
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Diversity in the Classroom
I scatter examples of diversity and culture throughout my lessons. I use people from different backgrounds and cultures when providing examples for students. Some examples of this include analyzing Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech for persuasive writing techniques as well as a blog post from a parent with a student who has autism imploring kindness to children with disabilities. I chose diverse political cartoons with the students to analyze messages and tone. Here are a few examples that opened conversation to diversity:
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Empowerment
One question that I consistently ask the students is “Why are we learning about __________?” I strive to relate my content to real life situations. During a Great Depression unit, I taught about how American citizens wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, asking for aid. To correlate, I asked the students to write about an issue they cared about to the current President of the United States.
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