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=__Chapter One: Creating Classrooms for Learners, Thinkers and Talkers__ = #1. As Kathy shared her beliefs about teaching and learning, it is evident that what we believe, our philosophy, effects the learning environment of our classrooms. How are your philosophy and your beliefs about learning evident in your classroom? ** Respond here: In my classroom we all acknowledge that we are ALL learners and we are learning here TOGETHER. I set the bar high and have high expectations for all learners even though we might not get there in the same manner. I believe that it is important for teachers to recognize that everyone can learn no matter what might be standing in their way ( special ed, emotional issues, etc....) I believe that it is important for children to sit in groups and be able to colllaborate with one another and learn from their peers. I believe in giving children choice, independent work time and reading time as well as small group settings and self reflection group time. ** Stephanie gaunt // As Kathy mentioned, it is one thing to talk the talk; however we as teachers must beable to walk the talk. I believe we do this as teachers without knowing it most of the time. In respect of my own teaching experiences each day, my philosophy of reading is intertwined into my classroom and is evident to those who enter our learning domain. Upon entering, one would see a print rich environment,with student work, charts and posters pertaining to many areas of our learning day. Due to the ability of my 5th grade students, the charts reflect advancedreading skills and practices; they are expected to have basic reading skills when entering my classroom. Other reading artifacts a visitor would see arethat of books, books, and more books! Our classroom library is one of that similar to the city library, having many different genres and subject areas. Ipersonally believe the students should have access to books that reflect themselves; this is possible with the many books in our library that featuremany multicultural characters and texts. They also have access to literature that are of fiction and non-fiction, which are two other areas that thestudents should be exposed to. The students are given choices as to which booksthey'd enjoy reading; they must also have chapter books that are of their Fontas and Pinal reading levels. Otherwise, their library book bags reflect their own choice of reading material, which is important for their advancement of higher reading skills. I agree with Stephanie that students should be givin choice of text and having the time to read them. I also think this should be done in group settings and independently, as Stephanie also stated. // // Cara1212﻿ //

** I set the climate day one, that learning is a collaborative responsibility. Our learning is based on mutual respect for each person bringing something to the table. Expectations are above the "glass ceiling" for myself and my students. I like to use the idea that learning is life and life is learning. The climate of learning starts with me. I am excited about learning and I bring that excitement in every day. As time goes on the children come in excited about what yesterdays "preview" to the day ahead or are excited to share something about what they have discovered because of the "preview". Think of the preview of a movie that is coming to a theater soon. It looks exciting. You know you must see it. We are in a variety of groupings. We take time to reflect. We are all faciltators at one time or another. ** ** Margaret Fox﻿ **

What a great question to answer during the summer with time to really reflect and the opportunity to better ground myself for the beginning of a new school year. I completely agree with Mrs. Collins that it is important for all educators to “check in with our own belief systems on occasion to make sure that what’s happening in our classroom reflect our beliefs about best practice.” She has listed some similar beliefs that I too try and adhere to in the classroom. Upon entering our classroom my hope is that you see and feel an environment safe for all, open to fresh thinking and independence, encouraging of risk, respectful, honest, and excepting of failure. The expectations should be extremely clear of not only the task at hand but also the long term goals of each child. I try hard to help every student feel excepted, valued, appreciated, and challenged throughout the day. I am demanding that each child come to the classroom ready to learn and to be responsible to make their own learning happen every day. Finally, you hopefully would see me being reflective and humble in order to best learn everyday about my students and my own teaching in order to improve. This is truly walking the talk in my opinion. I need to model the learning process constantly myself if I expect my students to do the same. - Garth Trask

I believe children learn best when they can collaborate with others, take ownership of the classroom materials, are taught at their level, and are able to make choices regarding their learning. Upon walking into my classroom, you would see students seated in tables of four children sharing supplies. Each team is responsible for their table supplies and is held accountable daily. Not only does this foster teamwork, but I lose far fewer tools than in years past. Students help to create posters around the classroom. These range from ideas of what to write about during writing workshop to procedures to follow to accomplish tasks. I not only tried reading workshop in my classroom last year, but math workshop as well. Students loved it. Those with a high understanding of the concept were able to progress through the assignment without listening to a lesson, while more time was able to be spent with those who struggled. I had some of my lowest achieving students tell me how much they enjoyed math last year. Finally, depending on when you entered my room, you may find children seated all over the place. I don’t just reserve seating choice for reading workshop times. Students are able to sit where they would like during independent work times once they demonstrate the maturity to handle this. I believe students work best when they are comfortable. Stephanie Cooper

What a great way to read and reflect during the summer about my classroom and my job as a teacher. I truly believe that there are so many opportunities to change and learn in teaching. During the summer you can reflect on what the previous year had with challenges, success...and work on making it a new year in the Fall with a different class, grade or a new curriculum. In my classroom every child needs to feel safe and I make sure that they know that I believe in them and love them no matter what. Currently I am teaching Pre-K and so this is so important for them to feel that they are comfortable in my classroom because for some of them it is their first exposure to a "school setting." Consistency is so important in my classroom so they can feel safe and have the best possible place for learning. I want them to LOVE school even starting at the earliest stages of learning and have them know that I love them as much!! Jill Baker

I believe all students will learn as much as we believe they are capable of learning. To do this, students must have choices through the day and feel a valued part of the classroom In my classroom, students are scattered about the room in a variety of seating arrangements. This allows students to choose where they work the best. This may change throughout the day, depending on the needs of the lesson. Because I believe that students need to be taught where they are, students have individual folders that hold different activities based on the students needs and reflects their level of what we are working on. Materials that are needed for tasks are stored in a common area and all students have access to supplies as they need them. The group is responsible for monitoring the use and care of the common materials so that everyone has what they need to complete daily tasks. Procedures are posted throughout the room, usually made by students so everyone knows the common expectations. Students feel comfortable in the classroom, as it is as much their space as mine. Sue Ronning Chapter 1 from Bobbi Friend #1 I believe that all children can learn and I hold all students accountable for their learning and have very high expectations for all students. My classroom structure and management policies reflect a learning environment based on respect – both for one another and respect for students themselves. As a teacher of third graders for the past twelve years, my expectations will be different as I begin teaching sixth graders this year. I do believe that a predictable structure and routine are vital for most students. I always keep my schedule the same from day to day. Consistency at school for some may be the only predictable structure they have in their lives. I value a community of learners who are willing to share with one another, who are willing to take risks, and there is an atmosphere of trust. I want to be able to trust all of my students, just as I want them to be able to trust me. When students feel safe and surrounded by people that make them feel secure, the learning atmosphere is greatly enhanced. I believe in an atmosphere that reflects a love and passion for reading. My reader’s workshop classroom is going to be filled with pillows, lamps, bean bags, carpet squares, and hundreds of books available to my students. Our classroom says so much about who we are and what we value. We need to be sure that our students feel comfortable, invited, and most of all valued.

After reading this chapter, I too agreed with the five beliefs Kathy outlined in the chapter. Each of the five beliefs seems to be interwoven so I would be hard pressed to choose just one. What really hit me was a quote on page 12 where the author says “…it’s easy to talk the talk with regard to beliefs and philosophy. But the real test of our beliefs is when we walk the walk in our classrooms. It’s one thing to say we believe, but it’s quite another to do what we believe… ” This reminds me of the sermon at church yesterday. There are many areas in a person’s life (home, work, child rearing, relationships, diet exercise, and so forth) where we may talk the talk but we all strive to walk the walk. I feel that the only person who holds me back is myself. There have been many times where I have had a strong belief about something and I’ve let it be overshadowed by someone else’s thinking. I have to be strong in my convictions and beliefs and I have to be prepared to present the research to administrators, colleagues, and parents in order to teach the children in my care. I definitely hope that it would be apparent to anyone who would walk into my classroom that education, high expectations, predictable routines, and independence are highly valued. Without these I believe the learning in my classroom would suffer. —Jodee Tuttle

Due to a trip out east, and heading summer school program I feel a bit late to the game. On the positive side I am able to read everyone's entries at the same time. Reading this book as I teach is a great advantage. I appreciated how Collins opened the book. It made you stop, reflect, and name my beliefs about good practices in teaching. Many of you have expressed them. The list I began included Fran Olesen
 * build the class into a community
 * create a relationship with each student
 * home visit before school begins in the fall
 * student run class meeting every day
 * student generated rules
 * consequences
 * choice
 * high individualized expectations for every child
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">field trips that include community service
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">home like classroom environment with the library as the focal point
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">whole class, small group, and one-on-one lessons
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ongoing assessments so I am keeping the child challenged

//** Kristy Weberg **//
 * My philosophy and beliefs about teaching and learning are made more evident and explicit during the first few weeks of school, and then are modeled and shown as we go through each day together in the classroom. I work in schools and with students who many people believe will not ever be successful because of the place they are coming from in life: high poverty neighborhoods, some with families who are struggling, who may not appear to hold high expectations for education. My students may not have had someone flat out tell them they will never make it in life, but they have gotten that impression from many. Even former teachers have put that across to students by having a lack of expectation for them. So the deepest piece of my philosophy is that all of my students can learn and are going to learn, at just as high a level as any other student in any other school around. I let them know there are certain things they just HAVE to be able to do in life in order to go to college and be successful in a career of their choosing. Obviously the 2 biggest things impacting this are reading and math skills. In the first 3 weeks of school, I talk to my kids about how much reading we are going to be doing during this school year. They really don't seem to believe me at first, but they soon see that we are doing a large quantity of reading daily. This is why being a part of Reading Workshop over the last year has been so helpful to me. It has taught me so many of the structures and practices to put in place to help make sure kids are doing real reading, growing in their reading level, and truly understanding what they read. **

As Kathy Collins points out of her team-teaching partner Jessica, “consistency creates comfort, which leads to better opportunities for learning,” (Pg. 6). I’ve discovered over my career how true this is. Our daily routines follow the same flow. The structure of reading and writing workshop are nearly the same. (I would like to continue to improve the structures for other subject areas so the format is consistent, though.) The children don’t have to spend much energy on figuring out how something will go that day. They can use their brain power for the harder work of delving into our literacy lessons. I strive to hold high expectations for mutual respect in the classroom. Like Collins pointed out, “We need to not only teach our students but also show them exactly what we mean by respect…” (Pg 6). I often will reflect back to a child what eye-rolling or smirking or sassiness looks and sounds like after he or she has done it and then show a more respectful way to interact. Also, in my classroom, like Collins and others here have pointed out, my classroom is print- and talk-rich. Kids’ hand-made signs, co-created class charts, and tubs and tubs of books let others know that print is valued in my room. I also give kids time to turn and talk to their partners during many parts of the day. My philosophy and beliefs about learning in my first-grade classroom are also evident by children having time for unstructured play in the classroom. I know kids need time “to talk to each other without some curricular agenda” (Pg 11) and to process what is going on in their worlds, letting their imaginations and real-life episodes guide them. Like Jodee T. commented, //“I feel that the only person who holds me back is myself. There have been many times where I have had a strong belief about something and I’ve let it be overshadowed by someone else’s thinking. I have to be strong in my convictions and beliefs and I have to be prepared to present the research to administrators, colleagues, and parents in order to teach the children in my care.”// As much as I hold onto my philosophy about play in the primary grade classroom, I find myself at times holding back and buckling under the weight of district and state mandates, other teachers’ beliefs, and parents’ opinions even though I have ample research to support the benefits of play. So, as Collins points out, “The real test of our beliefs is when we walk the walk in our classrooms.” (Pg 12). I’m hopeful that surrounding myself with other professionals who are committed to walking the walk that we will uphold each other through it all! Sara Sabourin My room reflects my educational philophy by it appearance. First, students should read, therefore there is lots of books, time to read independently, with partners, some book clubs and places in the room to read besides traditional desks. Second, items in the room are student accessible—reference materials and manipulative. Third, I believe in praising students verbally and my displaying their work—that can be seen in my classroom. Fourth, I believe 2 heads are better than one—I encourage and organize partnerships on all subjects. Finally, I believe in a student centered room—I try to have very little that is not available to students and have the work revolve around student growth. KDN

Respect. Pride. Effort. Learn. These four words are what we live by for the school year. I hope everything I do in my classroom reflects back to these four words and my students understand what they mean and how important they are in life. Expectations are huge in my classroom. We talk about procedures for everything and then I post them. We practice them. I am consistent in expecting them to follow them. Before last year, I used Daily Five. I loved it for many reasons. The students had choices. They felt in control of what they were doing. They worked together to help one another out. They read together. The listening station was by far the favorite. It gave me time to work with smaller groups. If I really wanted and really pushed hard, I could confer in writing with almost everyone in one day. It was amazing! I also loved the mini-lessons. They weren't too long. Students stayed focused because they knew what a mini-lesson was and trusted me to follow the schedule. They felt safe and loved learning. TGaribay

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">#2. The Pursuit of Knowledge <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Kathy, in this section, reminds us that our learning is never ending. As I reflect on my early years of teaching, I realize how much more I know now. I have a more thorough understanding of learning and learning styles that impact my approaches now. I still reach for any new book to keep me updated. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">Observing students, video taping self and students and having colleagues observe are powerful tools as we seek to improve. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; text-indent: 0.5in;">How do you continue to self-evaluate? <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Respond Here: ** // I thank you for posing this question to us in participating in this wiki; it is in itself a way of self-evaluating. It forces us to think about our own teaching practices and skills we use as teachers of reading. Personally, I don't do enough self-evaluating, not enough of including others within my learning community. The only way I'm evaluated from my peers is that of formal observations from my administrators. I have their opinion to use an evaluation tool from another peer. // // Another way I self-evaluate is to include the informal observation of my peers and parents. In addition to the administrators, I can use the comments from either;parents usually comment on my teaching style during parent-teacher conferences.My parents tend to be very open and able to communicate their feelings and comments regarding my teaching. I’ve received both positive and negative responses and then I can reflect from there. My peers are another source ofe valuation; my grade level partner is also a great source of evaluation. She is another person that is not afraid to comment on my lessons or activities we do as a classroom. I appreciate her feedback and request her opinions very openly. // // The other ways I can self-evaluate is that of using my students’ opinions. This upcoming school year, I plan on using a written type of evaluation from my students. Due to them being of upper elementary age, I can trust their opinions as ones of merit. I will create a small evaluation slip they can state onething they learned from the day or from the lesson at hand. This will allow me to observe and evaluate myself, according to their responses. If they can state the main idea of what has been taught this will allow me to assume that the lesson went well or if they met one of the objective of the lesson. // // Cara1212 //

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Self-evaluation or reflective time is based on my knowledge of my children. I talk to my colleagues about a child that will be with me for nine months. I look at their records for clues to help them have a positive experience. I talk to the children during lunch, recess, in the hall, where ever the opportunity arises. I am a keen observer. I invite colleagues in to observe to give me feedback on how to be an effective educator. I also include parents in my self-evaluation. I then use this information to create a classroom that is inclusive. This is a daily process. I'm a proactive educator. Before I enter that "cubicle" I call my classroom I have a variety of thoughts that are noted in my plans for the day based on the previous days experiences. I share this with my students as a tool that they can use now and in life. ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Margaret Fox ﻿ **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** There are 2 components to my self evaluations. One is professional development, my personal self reflection and evaluation. I am constantly taking classes, workshops and working/talking to my curriculum director and my principal regarding curriculum, my teaching and of course the students and their learning. I am a LIFE LONG LEARNER and am continually seeking to better myself as a learner and an educator! Secondly, I evaluate and monitor students' emotional, social an academic progress via a variety of important sources and resources. Of course, I look into the CA 60 if need be, call teachers/schools from last year and use my counselor, administrative team and parents as a valuable tool for information. Observing in both classroom and outside if the classroom is an important resource, as well as the specials teachers and other staff who interact with the children as well. ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Stephanie Gaunt **

<span style="color: #76923c; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 115%;">Teaching in my experience has been a relatively isolated job with regard to my colleagues. This makes self-evaluation a little difficult and an area that I feel I need to improve on. I try to have good collegial conversations with other teachers in the building discussing best practice and seeking advice. This has certainly helped me improve my teaching but it never seems to be enough. Learning from my students happens often and this too has contributed to the teacher I am today. I am married to a very supportive wife who is also a teacher and she not only puts up with my “shop talk” at home but more times than not puts perspective and great wisdom into my daily reflections. She certainly helps me self-evaluate. I try to be on committees in my district which often leads to self-evaluation through collaboration. Constant professional development and professional reading, like this book club, helps me be reflective and self-evaluate. Garth Trask

The most powerful tool I use to self evaluate would likely be my own reflections. I will often jot notes in my plan book about things that went particularly well or that need to be changed about a given lesson. Observing the high and low achieving students during a lesson is another way to self evaluate. The lesson was a success if students at both ends of the spectrum were able to learn something new and/or advance their skills. Collaboration was also a huge tool at my last placement. I would run many lessons by the teacher I teamed with to gain insight on how to help my struggling learners since she came from teaching kindergarten and I from fourth grade. Stephanie Cooper I use a variety of tools to evaluate myself in the classroom. The first and most important is the growth and progress of my students. As I watch students use the information we have shared during lessons, I learn what I did well and what I need to improve on. I also collaborate with my grade level peers. Because I teach in a resource room, it is important that I know what the expectations are in the gen ed classrooms so I can hold my students to those same standards. Many lessons have been improved upon by sharing them with my peers and asking for their honest input. Another way I self-evaluate is by continuing to take advantage of professional development and add the new skills to what I already am doing. Being a life-long learner is the best way I have found to continue to improve on what I do in my classroom. Sue Ronning Chapter 1 from Bobbi Friend #2 Self-evaluation is a very important part of being a quality teacher. It involves self-reflection, formal and informal evaluation, asking colleagues to observe our teaching and provide suggestion, taking continuing education courses such as this one, and using data such as test scores to reflect on our teaching. When we self-reflect, we simply evaluate how things are going in a given school year, in a specific subject area, even down to a certain lesson. The key to self-reflection is making changes in our instruction and instructional practices when we need to make changes, and sharing with others in our profession when things are going well. Reflection needs to be used. It is useless to reflect on how we are doing if we aren’t going to make changes due to the reflection. Formal and informal evaluation should help guide decisions and changes we make as educators. We need to be certain that we are able to take advice and suggestions as teachers, just as we want our students to take our advice and guidance. Having colleagues observe our teaching and using their input can be very enlightening as well as a valuable way to sharpen and enhance our skills. We should always be looking to improve through professional development; as soon as I think I know enough about the art of teaching it will be time to retire! Finally, we need to use data to guide our teaching as well. All of these make up self-evaluation and hopefully result in positive changes in our teaching.

Unfortunatley after 22 years of teaching, mainly in two specific grades, I am currently making a move to a new school district, building, and grade. Throughout this process of being laid off and the transitions that I have had to make in my life and in my teaching career have had a big impact on me. As much as I miss my "old" job this has been a time for me to reflect on what it is that I really want to do with my life. I have considered many different things that I thought I would never have to think about or possibly change in my life. For 22 years I have had one constant thing in my life and now all of a sudden there is a huge amount of change happening. As we all know, change can be very difficult but I have found that it also can be a very good thing in my life. Through this past year I have been able to take a step back and really think about me, and have listened to friends and colleagues, and will be able to start "new" again this school year. People always say that things happen for a reason, and I think that I am beginning to understand that message. This self-evaluation process has helped me become a better and refreshed teacher so that I can in-turn improve my teaching in the classroom. Jill Baker

I feel that we all are life-long learners. I am very fortunate to have a great network of educators in my life. I try to take any opportunity I can to get ideas and feedback from my peers. There are 9 first grade teachers in my building, which means 9 different styles each with their strengths and weaknesses. I feel very comfortable laying it all out there if I had a lesson that was a flop and asking how someone else did it. I appreciate other teacher’s ideas and usually there is an idea thrown out there that clicks with me and off I go. I do think that I get better every year—sorry to the kids I taught at the beginning of my career! Looking back, I can’t believe how much I didn’t know when I started teaching! I am glad to be in a field where continuing my education is valued. Kathy said it so well when she said, “We teachers have a huge responsibility to know our subject matter, our students, and our teaching. These three things are always evolving, and it’s our job to keep up with the changes.” This remind me of Mary Jo and Mike who were in a couple of the face to face sessions, they both estimate that they will only be teaching for 3 more years and yet here they are doing book studies on their own time in order to keep up on the field of reading and do the very best that they can for their students. –Jodee Tuttle

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I agree with Collins that "teachers have a huge responsibility to know our subject matter, our students, and our teaching." I also feel we need to know we still have the passion for both our subject matter and for teaching. If one doesn't have the passion none of the other three matter. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am my own worst critic, like many of you, I am constantly reading professional books, attending workshops, seeking advice, especially if I have that one student that doesn't seem to be making enough progress. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My special ed teacher is the one I typically turn to when I need to brainstorm ideas. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fran Olesen

//** Kristy Weberg **//
 * For me, I really began to evaluate myself as a teacher and started to grow my knowledge base when I became a Literacy Coach under the Reading First grant. I started this position after only 4 years of teaching and had to go through extensive training to serve in this role. While I disagree with various aspects of the Reading First model, going through all that training early in my career did give me a huge amount of knowledge related to reading instruction that I really had no idea I was missing before this time. Now I would say that the biggest way I self-evaluate is by talking with other educators and being in trainings with other educators. Just listening to what other people have to say about what they do in their classrooms can really help you to see what you are doing well with, what you aren't doing at all, and what is a really great way of thinking that maybe you need to learn more about. I have often bought books that others have recommended to me or signed up for a professional development opportunity suggested by someone else (Reading Workshop) and been so thankful that I allowed them to influence me in the way they did because of the great new knowledge I gained from their recommendation. Kathy Collins says, "Listening to those who have different ideas keeps us open-minded, and it can help us clarify, strengthen, and amend our own beliefs and practices". This is exactly what I have experienced in my times with other teachers. **

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I read over all of these responses I found myself self-evaluating and reflecting. Your building and professional community that surrounds you plays such a huge part in how you do things. For so many years I knew what I believed and what my gut was telling me was right but it is so hard to "buck" the system, so to speak. Perhaps what has always kept me going regardless of the situation I was in, was my passion, as Fran mentioned, for doing what was best for the students. They always came first. That is not always easy but very essential....Linda

As Linda said, “For so many years I knew what I believed and what my gut was telling me was right but it is so hard to "buck" the system, so to speak.” I feel best when I trust my gut as I reflect and self-evaluate. That inner voice can easily become drowned out by the louder, more “authoritive” voice of reason. However, when I draw upon what I know about my students, my beliefs about learning, and my intuition, I feel strongly that what I’m doing for kids is my best. I do use tools such as video and audio recordings of lessons. Like Cara,<span style="color: #965a5a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> " <span style="color: #965a5a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The only way I'm evaluated from my peers is that of formal observations from my administrators. I have their opinion to use an evaluation tool from another peer." I would like to invite my peers into my room more often to get another perspective.

Sara Sabourin To try to keep current I do a variety of things. I attend all MAISD workshops I possible can on the topic of Literacy and Math K-6. I try to associate with teacher and administrators that are interested in growing and highlighting best practices new or traditional. I try to help facilitate any learning communicates at the building I am currently at. KDN

I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching. I attend MAISD workshops, not only in curricular areas, but also in technology to better myself and stay on top of a world our students live in. I take many online classes, trying to learn as much as I can in a quickly changing profession. I watch my students' growth, looking out for areas they are weak in so I know where to improve. I often reflect on lessons I have taught, making mental notes of what works and what doesn't so I know what to change in my teaching. I also am evaluated by our building administrator who makes good points on what my teaching strengths and weaknesses are. I am always learning and growing. TGaribay

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">#3. Important factors impact the quality of our teaching: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; margin-left: 0.5in;">Kathy reminds us that it is easy to “talk the talk” with regard to these beliefs and philosophy. The real test of our beliefs is when we walk the walk in our classrooms. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; margin-left: 0.5in;">How do you feel about this? <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; margin-left: 0.5in;">How do you walk the talk in your classroom?
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">safe and consistent environment
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">The opportunity for students to be independent learners
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">A print-rich, talk-rich inviting classroom
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px;">clear and high expectations

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Respond Here: **

// Due to the nature of student I am in contact with each day, it is of utmost importancethat the learning environment be consistent and safe. According to the hierarchyof needs, safety is the building block of a quality education and necessary forother needs to be met. In my classroom, students are aware of what is totranspire each day (in terms of our day to day structure) and they are aware ofexpectations I have of them as students. This of course is built across time; students become used to what our classroom "feels" like and how it isrun. This structure is followed through with common assignments/activities,such as daily math quizzes and morning board work. They are invited to ourclassroom with print-rich text in the environment; there are words everywhere. I feel it is important to have charts and posters of the students own words,ones that are created together as a classroom. This makes the charts moremeaningful to them. When I am gone from the classroom, it is interesting to hear how the day went. The guest teacher always seems to mention that the students are familiar with the routine of the classroom; it can almost be run by itself, with the substitute there for management purposes. This is an example of my clear and high expectations I have for the students. With these previous examples, it is evident that I walk the walk in my classroom. It does however take practice and diligence with the students. // // Cara1212﻿ // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Our children come to us, from where or what, we do not know. They need to feel you love unconditionally. They also need a consistent environment. Setting a climate and taking the time to practice is built into their learning. I like to give my students opportunities to be independent learners academically and in lifeskill experiences. It is amazing how students are not given the chance to be independent learners. They are not given opportunities to deal with challenges. I share my challenges, I share how I was able to succeed. They see me as a person. ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** I do not talk down to my children. They have a print-rich, talk rich inviting environment. All the children have a clear vision of what expected be cause we talk and practice in and out of the classroom setting. **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; margin-left: 0.5in;">Margaret Fox﻿ **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; margin-left: 0.5in;"> I believe that it is essential to have a safe environment in our rooms and in the building itself. We are part of the MIBLISI grant and are putting many safe guarding features into our school curriculum and **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">**environment. It is easy to get caught up in all the stress trying to complete curriculum and state guidelines and work on the MEAP. Teaching has so many more demands than it ever used to. I began teaching 22 years ago and schools seem forever changed in many respects. However children are still essentially the same and need the basic care, love, support and safety/boundaries from their teachers. I am open with my students as well and share my challenges (appropriate content:)) and discuss my passions, interests, learning struggles, etc........... I want my kids to know that I am human and we share many common traits and characteristics! Stephanie Gaunt**

After reading all of these responses, the students' whose lives you touch are very fortunate. No matter where your students are from, I feel that the safe environment and classroom structure are vital to a learning environment. LFox

Consistency is huge in my classroom. We spend the month of September learning the procedures which make our year run smoothly. I sometimes worry about not delving into content soon enough, but know the importance of team building and getting management issues under control so they do not interrupt learning later in the year. Like Cara, I have received comments that the students in my classroom know what is excepted when I am out of the classroom. Students are exposed to print nearly everywhere you look in my classroom. I not only have content on the walls, but have worked hard to build a sizable classroom library. My mission this summer is to build upon the lower reading levels since I will have first grade for the first time. Talk time is huge in my room. Students are given the opportunity to share ideas in nearly every lesson throughout the day. I also have students share the directions with neighbors or what they are going to do first in their reading or writing. I believe having students talk to each other holds them accountable for learning. Stephanie Cooper

As I think about my classroom being a safe environment with high standards for my students, I return to a comment made to me this spring. I had to be out of my classroom for a number of weeks and when I returned the one thing I heard over and over again, both from my students, staff, and parents was that the classroom ran just like it did when I was there. My students had ownership in the classroom procedures and their learning and knew what the expectations are and continued to uphold that even though I was not there. To me, that is what a safe classroom with high standards is. All around the room are evidence of print. The classroom library is available with a variety of levels of books. There are numerous book sets that students can read together or we use as a group. There are charts available, both teacher made and student made. There are professional books on my desk (not that I get to read them as much as I would like), and opportunities for students to read daily. Sue Ronning

//** Kristy Weberg **//
 * The first factor listed above, safety and consistency, was the factor I had to put the most effort into with my class this year. Many of my students come from an environment where they feel they need to be able to defend themselves whenever something negative arises, which leads to aggressive responses and words at times. This doesn't allow students to feel safe. But what I found was that when I worked on the Consistency part in my classroom, many negative responses to situations faded away because everything was so routing and consistent throughout our day. Just allowing everything to be predictable: how and when people chose books, when and how long we read each day, how we did things during our reading instruction each day, when we worked on other subject areas, how I handled things when something unexpected came up... doing all of these things consistently made it so my kids knew exactly what was happening at all times, and there was no room for negative behavior to arise (much of the time :). **
 * In the area of independent reading, it also showed my students how important and valuable this time was to us as a class. We did not miss Reading Workshop time for anything ever. And I was very protective of the time in which we did it each day as well. Once my students knew what our schedule was for each day, I almost never allowed the Reading Workshop time to be changed for anything else. I wanted them to see what this was the most important part of our day that we would never stop doing. **