A Squatting Down Approach......

One of the most important things to remember when dealing with children is to respect them. I respect a child’s feelings as important and honest. I respect his/her fears as being real and looming large. I respect his/her imagination as being very real and the key to the expanding of the mind. In this way, I am able to relate to my students.

o       I am open with them in what I expect of them, and I am honest in a way that they know what they can expect of me.

o       In our classroom, above all else, I expect them to show respect and compassion for their fellow students and me. I will always give them the same respect and compassion in return.

o       I provide an environment for this self-respect to be deepened with self-esteem and self-love. From this self-respect, they will further show respect for their physical well-being, emotional well-being and psychological well-being.

o       In our classroom I provide students with a well-maintained, safe, orderly and stimulating environment to learn and grow in. We will talk as a group about ways to maintain and care for our environment so that we all can enjoy it.

o       In our classroom, I will guarantee all children a place to have space, be quiet, and still. This place will be separated from the normal learning environment so that students will feel comfortable to go there at any time to reflect. This will help all types of children enjoy the stimulation at their own rate.

o       In our classroom, there will be an understanding of community. Everyone shall contribute to this place. They will feel pride in their hard work and effort, and they will feel attachment to the growth that they have come to experience here.

o       All children’s race, religion, ethnic background, social class and gender will be one and the same here. By that I mean that the differences we have in these areas will be celebrated, never shunned, and always cherished. I will not accept anything less than respect for others beliefs, morals, values, and ethics.

               All students will be continually praised for their hard work, efforts, attempts, and other displays of courage, determination, effort, and motivation. These efforts will be held in high regard to further encourage this type of positive behavior. Negative behavior and poor choices will not be entertained by dramatic acts of any kind.

              At the beginning of each year the students and I will sit down and create a list of guidelines (rules) to go by. These guidelines will be created by the students as will the consequences. By doing so, the children are clear as to what is expected of them, they are confident in these guidelines, and respect them. They are also aware of the consequences, and know that they will all be treated equally in accordance to these guidelines. All parents will receive a copy of the student’s guidelines as they are developed so that they can take part in this concept with us.