Blog #1: Ideal Classroom Reflection

To be honest, my "ideal" classroom is something I have not considered until now. Throughout the week I have been thinking about my ideal classroom and it has helped me realize what I need to work on before I can become the ideal teacher and have my "dream job." I wish I would thought about this a long time ago!

My ideal classroom is located at Dixie High School in St. George Utah. I have always wanted to live somewhere warm and I think St. George would be the perfect location because it is not too far from my home in Draper, Utah. At Dixie High School, I teach 5 health classes, 2 aerobics classes, and the Dance Company. Because health is my main content area, I will describe this class in detail. The room I teach in is comfortable and welcoming. I have one wall that has huge windows all across it, looking out at the beautiful grass and tree landscaping of our High School campus. My room is decorated with various health-promoting posters, inspirational quotes, and lined with pictures of happy, healthy individuals. I know this is a positive learning environment for my students where they can feel safe and energized. My main goal in my health class is for the students to learn how to be good decision makers and live a healthy lifestyle free from avoidable illnesses and addictions.

My students are sophomores who are somewhat rowdy because they still feel like they are forced to be at school. Although they are a noisy class and sometimes hard to keep under control, they have kind hearts and a ton of personality. My students like to do learning activities, which I also enjoy because I hate to lecture. We do hands-on learning activities at the end of every week, but only if the students earn them by being "obedient" for several class periods before hand. My students have a real interest in the topic of nutrition, exercise, and human sexuality. I am guessing this is because their bodies are all changing right now and they want to know what is happening, but do not know who to ask about it. I love teaching these three subject areas and communicate the information to my students through overheads, assignments, quizzes, hands-on activities, webquests, researching various exercise/nutrition websites, and informational videos.

My students are mostly white with some racial differences. I can tell that a lot of them have parents who stay involved and interested in their lives because I get a few e-mails each week with parents asking about their child's grades and behavior.

My colleagues are wonderful at Dixie High School. Everyone is respectful of others' opinions and teaching theories, and most of the time we are able to collaborate and share ideas with one another to create a better learning atmosphere for our students. Overall, I love my job and though it is difficult and stressful at times, I would not change it for the world!

Video Reflection:

The video I watched this week was entitled "Do you believe in me?" As I began watching this video, I was quickly surprised at the content. A young, colored boy walked confidently on a stage in Texas in front of 20,000 Staff and Faculty members. This young boy asked the crowd if they believed in him and the audience went wild. He then asked if they believed in his classmates and the audience went wild again. This boy continued to explain how important it is to him that he believe in himself, as well as others believe in him in order to succeed in life. I loved how easily this boy captivated the audience by using his confidence and personality. I believe these factors caught the attention and affected the emotions of the audience more than an adult could have in a similar speech. Through watching this video, I realized how important it is as educators to love and support our students because we might be the only ones who do. We sometimes will not know a child's home situation and that is why we need to take on the responsibility to love the students like our own children and encourage them to graduate high school, get a college degree, and find a career doing something they love. This is the reason I want to be an educator. I want to make a difference in someone's life.