Reflection 11

To me, being a teacher, the most important thing would probably be to create a safe learning environment for my students. I think that creating a space were children feel safe will help them branch out further. If they are introduced to the world having great confidence and opinion skills, they will be untouchable. As a teacher, I would help provide a space where they can be “free” to express what they feel about absolutely anything on topic. I remember my 7th grade teacher was an eccentric woman. She didn’t believe in confining her students to a desk all day long. We were allowed to sit on the floor, sit on a rug or even sit on the desk will dong our work. She would let our creative juices flow and wouldn’t want anyone to hold back what they were feeling. I remember when we were learning about the Holocaust, she made the classroom into a gas chamber. She blind folded us and asked us to reflect and go through the emotions the Jews might have felt in that same situation. People cried, screamed, or stood silently and took in the atmosphere. I will never forget that experience. I learned so much because I was in control of what I was learning. I was never told that was I was feeling or creating was wrong. She taught us that every human being has a wide set of emotions, but how they are expressed is what makes everyone beautiful and different. Everyone was accepted for who they were. Everyone in that classroom was united. We were like a family. We went through so many emotions and challenges that even if we were all different races, religions and genders, we all had a common ground in her classroom. As a teacher, we should be able to show the students that differences don’t matter. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to flourish and grow. Teaching children at a young age that they matter will increase their chances for survival in the real world. They should never be put down or shoved to the side because they are “wrong”. We should instill the knowledge they need in order to discover they truth for themselves. I know this job will not be an easy one, but overcoming the challenges will make me a better teacher. One day I hope to make an impact on my students like she has made on me. I want to be one of those teachers that you never forget.