Diversity in the classroom is what keeps my classroom buzzing with

productivity and a high level of learning. Students come from varying

socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, intellectual capabilities and
personality types. I believe it is what makes my class and my school whole. Some of
our students start school and do not speak English and amazingly the same student
becomes best friends with another student who does not speak his language nor
does that student speak English. My school is a wonderful place with a microcosm
of diversity and we thrive on inclusion. Every single child is our child and each child
possesses a special talent or strength. Some are just waiting to be discovered.
Inclusion precedes the relationship. Each child has to know that he or she is a
critical part of the whole and the classroom community. Learning actually flourishes
when the child feels like a part of the whole. Everyone is valued and respected. The
normal class has a great mix of needs. I begin with a standard and from there I
incorporate each student and their unique learning abilities. The next step is
creating a common learning goal with varying or differentiated instruction.
Getting to know the students, the data and the observations is very helpful in
a classrooms differentiated instruction schema. I examine Lexile scores,
summative test scores before my students start class so that I understand the
whole. I rely on my observations and the students initial performance in the
classroom to create differentiated instructional activities for each student. My
advanced students, my students who are better served in small groups, and my ELL
students who require repetition, pictures and text all benefit from knowing that I get
it. I prefer to proactively understanding when to intervene, when to probe for
answers and when to change the activities to meet the growth of each student. I
always challenge the students and most of all: convey that I have high expectations

for everyone. I also understand and appreciate that not all students learn in the
same manner. If for example, some students are independently working on thinking
maps and some are working in preplanned pairs, my advanced students are able to
move on to analyze the thinking maps of their elbow partner. During this time, I am
working in small groups to complete the same thinking map using a larger
laminated version and a Vis a Vis marker. The use of pictographs and graphic
organizers are very useful tools in my classroom. Differentiating the lesson sounds
like a constant hum or buzz in my classroom. Performance and attendance
significantly improve when students are well adjusted and happier in school.
Understanding that there are multiple ways to teach the same lesson and that it is
all about a student-centric environment is the key to my students success.
Everything that happens is all about the student. Their growth is the why for all
that is planned and al that happens in the classroom.