Building

Relationships in the Classroom 1

Building Relationships in the Classroom:

Promoting Diversity, Encouraging Creativity, and Creating a Positive Atmosphere
Ravneet K. Boparai
University of Calgary, EDUC 430

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What is teaching? What is learning? These are essential questions that a student teacher
explores throughout the duration of the education program and possibly later for a large portion
of his/her teaching career. It might take years to develop ideas about teaching and choose a
philosophy that correlates with ones values. Sometimes the examples from our lives as students
can help us better understand good teaching. One teacher who I felt was a fabulous teacher with
great teaching methods and behaviors was my grade six teacher, Ms. McCullough, who had been
teaching for many years previously. In 2003/2004, the year I was in grade six, there were only
two grade six classes in the school. We used to switch between two teachers; Ms. McCullough
taught language arts and social studies while Ms. Marshall taught math and science. Ms.
McCullough was a very enthusiastic teacher whose teachings on a spectrum would lie in the
middle of standardized and progressive education. Ms. McCullough worked with diversity in the
classroom, she was constructive in her teaching practices and was able to successfully create a
safe space for her students. These practices helped her build relationships with the students and
among the students. Thus, for me her teaching practices are illustrative of good teaching and are
reasons me and my fellow classmates still remember her today.
As discussed in several classes in the education program, a big challenge for teachers is
the diversity that exists in classrooms, such as ethnic diversity, learning disability, and different
teaching methods focusing on the different types of learners. The 9GAG website showcases an
image of the different types of learners in a classroom (The Types of Learners). It is important
for teachers to incorporate different methods of teaching such as the ones shown in the image to
satisfy a diverse group of individuals. I feel teachers should not focus on a norm in the
standardized classroom, but rather progress and explore the different abilities that each individual
has. Ms. McCullough focused on these different learning abilities. She incorporated different

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methods of teaching to reach out and engage as many students as she could. The three main
teaching methods from the 9GAG website that were used by Ms. McCullough were visual
teaching, auditory teaching and kinesthetic teaching. This was done by watching videos about the
concepts being discussed in class or by drawing webs to make connections and by reading as a
class. I do not remember doing many worksheets and instead we did a lot more interacting and
learning from one another. Sharing our ideas as a group in class, encouraged diversity of thought.
There was a new immigrant, Martha, in class who had difficulty speaking and understanding
English and Ms. McCullough worked with her individually at times and sometimes we worked in
groups to help her understand the concepts in class. In this way, we all excelled while helping
Martha overcome her weakness. A video that exemplifies the idea of students learning according
to their differences and students building off of each other is the Diversity in Alberta Schools: A
Journey to Inclusion video. In the video students inclusively accept the differences within a
classroom and work together to help each other out (Inspiring Education, 2012). Overall, the
interactions with students and the different teaching methods used by Ms. McCullough kept
majority of the class united, interested, and taught us about the differences in the real world.
Also, ethnic diversity was explored in Ms. McCulloughs classroom. That year the theme
in our class was the song from Walt Disney Pictures film Pocahontus called Colors of the
Wind. The song is about all the different things in nature being connected. We used this theme
to not only explore the differences in nature but also the different ethnicities in the classroom. We
discussed and also did a mini project that we presented. It was about the different holidays that
we celebrate, such as Christmas, Diwali, Chinese New Year, and many more. This way, the
students were the source of information in the class. That project encouraged us to learn more
about different cultures in the classroom. This idea of building relationships by learning about

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one another is explored in Tabbatha Elmores Diversity in the Classroom Video. The video
addresses the concept of having children interacting and initiating the learning process by
learning about one another (Elmore, 2013). Therefore, I believe it is important for teachers to
engage students in citizenship education and allow them to do the teaching to provide students
with more knowledge about the ethnic and cultural communities around them (Nielson, 2014, p.
9).
Furthermore, allowing creative thinking in a classroom allows students to branch out and
construct their own ideas. As mentioned by Nielson (2014, p. 57), having wonderful ideas
isthe essence of intellectual development (p. 57). Oppressive pedagogy, in which the students
are seen as empty containers to be filled with objective knowledge, does not allow them to have
critical consciousness, making them passive individuals (Freire, 1970, p.71). Ms. McCullough
best illustrated the practice of creativity. In class we did many creative things; such as creative
writing or thinking, creating masks using a type of gauze, and creating our own projects about
Ancient Greece. According to Ken Robinson, creativity is important in education. He says, kids
take a chance and if they dont know they arent frightened of being wrong (Robinson, 2014).
As we grow to be adults we lose this creative side and become frightened to be wrong[as] we
educate children out of their creative capacities (Robinson, 2014). We cannot even think outside
the box as for us a paper clip is simply used to hold paper together but for a child that paper clip
has several uses (RSA, 2010). I am a prime example of this, as I was and still am quite an
introvert and did not like presenting but the interactions in class and from the modes of creative
thinking employed by Ms. McCullough I become more comfortable with my classmates, building
great relationships that are still with me today. As I moved up in to the next grades, I began
losing confidence and become more introverted. Being a science and math child most of my

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creative side had diminished as I tried to meet personal goals of getting high scores on my tests
and exams in junior high and high school. If there were more teachers like Ms. McCullough in
junior and senior high school that would have encouraged constructive thinking, I feel that my
creative side would not have died down and I would have more confidence in my ideas. I hope to
instill creativity in my classroom to ensure that students do not lose that creative aspect and they
want to continue to inquire and come up with their wonderful ideas.
Moreover, the classroom climate that Ms. McCullough created as a teacher was
commendable. I do not remember anyone having to leave the classroom for misbehaving. We
used to have active moments, in which we took breaks to stretch out and do a little dance.
Sometimes we would go outside and talk about nature or do little activities as a break since we
did not have recess that year. This strategy kept the class going and engaged; students were
always full of energy. Our brains need to have a rest in order to focus better and be more
productive (Schwartz, 2014). The more breaks students get throughout the day, the more space
and time their brains will have to let new ideas and ways of doing things arise (Schwartz,
2014). By giving kids their time and space to breathe, teachers are able to form a relationship
where the students trust the teachers and students are satisfied. For Ms. McCullough building
relationships with her students was the most important part of teaching. Without a relationship
the teachers lose the students attention. Also, it is important in a classroom environment to
develop trust and respect between peers. Ms. McCullough did this effectively through her
teaching methods. The relationships we built in class have lasted for years. I have never been in a
class previously before grade six or after in which everyone in the classroom interacted with each
other. I have never been so comfortable with each student in the classroom. Ms. McCullough
often got us to sit in a circle to discuss concepts as a class and share our ideas. We used to sit in

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groups of four otherwise, which used to change every month so that we all got to know each
other and work with one another. Thus, from Ms. McCulloughs teaching methods, I feel a
classroom environment that excels the most is one that is safe, fair, in which positive peer
relationships are being formed, and students can freely express themselves. According to Dr.
Jason Conway (2012), with positive classroom environments the academic achievement and
efficacy rises in students. Giving all students the chance to talk is important for them to feel a
sense of belonging and remain engaged in class (Conway, 2012). Once a positive classroom
atmosphere is established, everything falls in place academically.
Ultimately, having Ms. McCullough as my grade six teacher was a great experience and
the connections made between all sixty students helped build relationships that have lasted till
now. Diversity may be a challenge for teachers but it is something that should be inclusive in all
classrooms. Constructive thinking is important for students to be able to be creative and develop
their own ideas about things in the classroom. These practices and others that Ms. McCullough
used were wonderful and helped her create a positive environment in which students respected
and trusted her and their classmates. Unfortunately, we lost Ms. McCullough in her battle to
cancer in 2009, but the everlasting impact that she has had on me and most of my fellow
classmates will always be remembered. Till this day, the classroom environment that she created
has kept most of my classmates from the class in touch. The positive impact Ms. McCullough
had on her students lives with her teaching methods and personality was incredible. Hopefully,
in the future I can employ similar teaching practices to help the future generations be engaged
and excel personally and academically in their school profession. I would love to be able to
inspire my students the way Ms. McCullough had. I want to be able to inspire, to engage and to
be able to make a positive difference that will last forever.

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Resources
Conway, J. (Tedx Talks). (2012, April 12). Classroom Environment: Its not about You, Its
About Them [Video file]. Podcast retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcQjnpmFns

Elmore, T. (2013, April 16). Diversity in the Classroom Video [Video file]. Podcast retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKRNvfviBdk

Freire, P. (1970). Chapter 2. Pedagogy of the Opressed. (pp. 71-86). New York, NY: The
Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.

(Inspiring Education). (2012, January 13). Diversity in Alberta Schools: A Journey to Inclusion
[Video file]. Podcast retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c-3YCr7zR0

Nielson, K. (2014). An Introduction to Teaching, Learning, and School Culture. Dubuque, IA:
Kendall Hunt.

Robinson, K. (2014, January 31). How Schools Kill Creativity [Video file]. Podcast retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKubORY65IE

Shwartz, K. (2014, October 6). Why Daydreaming is Critical to Effective Learning. Retrieved
October 6, 2014, from: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/10/why-daydreaming-iscritical-to-effective-learning/

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(The RSA). (2010, October 14). Changing Education Paradigms [Video file].
Podcast retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

The Types of Learners. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from: http://9gag.com/gag/aPvVrbR