I hope to become, one day, a teacher that is well versed in the art of teaching upper elementary. I plan on teaching both special and regular education. So far in my education I have learned many teaching strategies that may be used both in the regular and special education classrooms. I want to also be a teacher who is a good role model and who is easily approachable by others.

There are two ways a teacher can reprimand a student. One is trough punishment and the other is through discipline. I chose to use discipline because it provides a learning opportunity for the student who has done some thing wrong to learn what it was that they did wrong and how to fix it. Discipline guides children through a learning process. Punishment is meant to harm the student with little opportunity to learn what it was that the student did wrong. It also inputs fear into the student.

Fallowing discipline, consequences are made. There are two types of consequences, natural and logical consequences. Natural consequences are what would happen to the childe naturally. Like a child climbs up a slide while another child slides down. What would result is an accident. A natural consequence would be some one getting hurt. A logical consequence of that action would be saying sorry to the child that was sliding down the slide.

I also belief in going that extra mile wit students who need help in school, even if the help that hey need is not academic. I belief that hidden rules should be taught in class rooms. Many students have not had the same access to different stimuli due to health or social economic status of the student or student’s family. For example how to manage money. In many low income families money is spent right away on food and bills. There are some times no savings account or credit card n low S.E.S. families. Another hidden rule is how to ride public transportation bus. Things that people use and do every day are not being taught to students.

In upper elementary many parents start to become less interested in a child’s education. It is my job to get in contact with my students parents/guardians. This means a news letter is sent home, a news letter is e-mailed, a news letter is uploaded to a website or a video tape is taken home to the parent/guardians. Being in contact wit parents not only develops social bonds but lets me know important tings about my students and my student’s family. The more in know about a students home life the more I know how teach that student in my classroom.

A method of working with others that I belief in is networking with other teachers. This allows me and other teachers a chance to exchange ideas and methods. Networking with others should never include gossip and one should be mindful of not using any names of students. Networking is a great thing to do not only with teachers, but with staff too. This way a teacher can make friends in the work place.

Teaching children is something that I look forward to one day. When that day comes I will use what I have learned in my classes and what I have learned in my practicum’s to meet the individual needs of each student.

Started January 31, 2006

Last Updated December 14, 2006