Standard III: Teachers are responsible for establishing and managing student

learning in a positive learning environment.

In addition to the curriculum and content that I teach, it is important to create a positive
learning environment that makes students feel welcome, comfortable, and ready to take
risks in their learning. The ways in which I accomplish this are through 1) the physical
environment of my classroom, 2) the positive class culture that I set in the first week of
school, 3) the relationships that I build with students throughout the year, and 4) the
relationships that I build with families.

I believe that ones classroom should be similar to ones home- organized, clean,
purposeful, and representative of the values that one upholds. Throughout my
classroom, you will see this. My posters of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma
Gandhi serve as motivation to my students and me, always reminding us to make
ourselves better people, and therefore our world a better place. My motivational quotes
around the classroom also serve this purpose, especially the ones connected to my Go
for the Gold Olympic theme. The back of my classroom includes the symbolic Olympic
rings and quotes from successful Olympic athletes. This serves as a constant reminder
that my students should always try their best and reach for success. The rest of my
classroom, including the organized desks, the plants and flowers by the windows, and
my personal pictures near my desk, all help create a more home-like feeling, which in
turn helps students feel more comfortable in the environment that theyre learning
(Artifact 3a).

My positive class culture is also created through the activities that we do in the first week
of school. I believe that the first week sets the tone for the rest of the semester. By
participating in community building activities, the students and the teacher get to know
each other and start to break down barriers and build trust. This can be seen in my first
weeks presentation slides (Artifact 3b). I also create a culture of learning and an
environment in which its ok to take risks. I accomplish this by applying the Cold Call
method to my classroom. Students are given multiple dice that they roll in order to
randomly call on students. By doing this, students are fully aware that they are required
to participate if the number lands on them, creating an equitable learning environment
that gives everyone the opportunity to participate. I also create a positive class culture
through my five-minute Warm Up in the beginning of class, which I call my 5 Minutes of
Zen. By participating in a peaceful, zen-like starter, the tone of the class is properly
set and students feel ready to learn.

Lastly, I am able to establish and manage student learning by creating positive, caring
relationships with my students. Similar to Standard 1, I get to know my students
individually and who they are- their likes and dislikes, where they come from, their
culture and background, their interests and hobbies. By creating these relationships,
students are more prone to complete their work and support the assignments given to
them. Students are also appreciative of the support you provide them, which can be
seen in the artifacts from Standard 1 (Artifacts 1i, 1j, 1k) as well as through Artifact 3c.
While I work hard to support all of my students and make everyone feel welcome, the
reality is that some students have a more difficult time in a structured class environment.
As this standard states, it is also my responsibility to manage student learning. I work
hard to ensure that the novels we read are diverse and interesting, always connecting
this to their personal lives. I also work closely with parents and guardians to ensure that
the success of each child is a group effort- the effort of the student, the teacher, the
parents, and the counselors and administrators at our school (Artifact 3d). I believe that
every child has the ability to succeed, and the environment created in and outside of the
classroom helps support this success.