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Preparing for a Future in Teaching

Katlyn Vuillemot

Grand Valley State University

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Preparing for a Future in Teaching

As I prepare myself for a future in teaching, countless ideas and possibilities are brought

to my attention everyday; so many in fact, that it seems near impossible to decide on how I want

to run my own classroom. It’s overwhelming thinking about what my future holds as a teacher,

but it’s incredibly exciting to know that one day, these methods and ideas will be apart of my

own classroom. Every day I take notes on new ideas that I hope to execute myself, be it a

teaching method, a classroom management tool, an organizational system, or even the skills

necessary to pull a student from the bottom of the pile, to the top of their class. It’s with these

many methods that I hope to become the teacher that students rely on to be their number one

supporter, the teacher who accepts nothing but the best of each of her students, and the teacher

who would never turn a student in need away from her door.

When I think about my future classroom and all of the possibilities it holds, my mind

stops on the topic of student-teacher relationships. After spending nine weeks at Cedar Springs

High School, I have come to realize how important student-teacher relationships are within the

building. The community is so incredibly strong because of the teachers and administers who

provide constant support and encouragement for every person in the building. I have watched my

teacher comfort her students when they needed a shoulder to cry on, cheer for them when

challenges were accomplished, and push them to be their absolute best. I know most of this

wouldn’t be possible if she didn’t truly care about each and every one of the students who filled

the seats of her classroom. Due to this experience, I plan to make student-teacher relationships

one of my classroom focuses.

I strongly support healthy student-teacher relationships, because I find them to be the key

between students who could care less about their schoolwork, and student who find meaning and
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purpose in every assignment they turn in. By building a lasting and effective relationship with

my students, my lessons will be more effective because I will have to spend less time on

classroom management and more time with the material. According to the article “The Link

Between Responsive Classroom Training and Student Teacher Relationship Quality in the Fifth

Grade: A Study of Fidelity of Implementation,” “students who had closer student-teacher

relationships had better school adjustment and academic performance in later grades” (Baroody

et. al. 2014, p. 69). Not only does student-teacher relationships increase comfort in a classroom,

but it helps student academic performance, which in turn helps with their motivation, enjoyment,

and overall focus while in the classroom.

As a high school teacher, I plan to incorporate strong student-teacher relationships into

everything I do including my classroom management techniques, many of which I have learned

about, done myself, or observed other teachers implementing. The style that I found that would

work best with my future classroom is the method of Capturing Kids’ Hearts. According to the

article “Implementation of a School-Wide Adolescent Character Education and Prevention

Program: Evaluating the Relationships Between Principal Support, Faculty Implementation, and

Student Outcomes,” “Capturing Kids’ Hearts not only identifies a process designed to build

high-quality relationships, but also provides an implementation of a school-wide adolescent

character education and prevention program opportunity for participants to learn and practice

skills that exert a positive impact on classroom management” (Holtzapple et. al. 2011, p. 72).

This management style will allow me to focus on both teacher-student relationships as well as

positive reinforcement classroom management. Teachers are focused on stopping the problem

and finding a solution before it even begins. This allows teachers to focus on all of their students

and students to dedicate their time to their classwork.

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One of the main aspects of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts management styles that I plan to

incorporate into my classroom is the time set aside during the hour to discuss the “good things”

happening in everyone’s life. This allows the classroom to start the day with a breath of fresh air

before digging into the material that truly matters. Students need time to take a break from their

education and allow themselves to express what makes them happy with their classmates and

teachers. I have seen this done in many classrooms, and the students are always willing to start

the day on a softer note instead of diving into the material. Students traditionally are excited to

share their news especially when the teacher shows interest in what they shared with the class.

By doing this, the classroom is building that safe environment and creating lasting relationships.

Additionally, Capturing Kids’ Hearts focuses on showing students that you as the teacher, care

about their overall well-being, which can start by standing outside of the door and greeting

students as they enter this classroom. This helps set the tone and show that the teacher is excited

and ready to see everyone for the hour. Students need to feel welcome and important in the class

just like the teachers need to feel like they are important to the school district. By using this

management technique not only am I establishing an environment of respect and rapport, but

establishing a culture for learning.

While focused on student-teacher relationships, its also important as a teacher to help

students feel safe and comfortable in their environment. For me, that starts with my

responsibility to be on-task and organized in my subject area and classes in order for my students

to do the same. This structure starts the first day of school and progresses through the school year

allowing students to establish a routine. According to Harry Wong and Rosemary Wong (2009),

authors of the book The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher, “students want a

safe, predictable, and nurturing environment – one that is consistent” (3). If I cannot be
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organized and consistent in my classroom each day, I can’t expect my students will feel the need

to be responsible for consistently listening to instruction, following guidelines, and finishing

homework. I am their role model, which means it’s my responsibility to do as I say.

Furthermore, when thinking about how I can organize the classroom in order to help

students feel safe and comfortable, I plan on organizing the desks in a “U” shape around the

room with everyone facing forward to provide a run-way type middle section of the room. This

will allow me to see all students and provide space for me to walk through the middle to access

everyone in the room. I plan to have my desk on the side of the room instead of the front in order

for students to see that when I am in my work area I am working and when I am in the from of

the classroom, I am teaching. Additionally, most of my time when the students are in the

classroom, I will not be at the desk, but in the front of the room or in the middle of the room

working with the class. Wong and Wong (2009) explain that not only does this closeness prevent

the loss of time in already short classes, but also it helps minimize classroom behavior problems

(p. 97). This close proximity will help show students that they have my full attention and when I

am teaching, they are my number one priority. The desk will be the only area in the classroom

students are not welcome to, the rest of the classroom will be theirs, which includes the books,

pens, pencils, paper, and a cellphone nook. I want my students to feel welcome and part of the

classroom.

In my future classroom, I want students to feel a sense of independence, because just like

in real life, I can’t be there to hold their hand every step of the way. This starts with allowing

students to know the classroom is both theirs and mine. However, this also means that they have

responsibilities to keep the classroom environment and their learning effective. According to

Robert J. Marzano (2011), author of the article “Art and Science of Teaching/Classroom
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Management: Whose Job is it?” “Students must be willing to engage in designing rules and

procedures within their school and classrooms as well as to support enforcement of those rules”

(p. 85). By allowing students to come together as a community and establish their own

expectations, they understand what is expected of them. This helps students learn their

independence in the class and discover what I as the teacher will accept and what I won’t. I want

my students to understand that I create these expectations in order for them to get the most out of

their education as possible. I never want them to feel targeted or underappreciated, but the

complete opposite.

In high school classrooms today, cell phones are unavoidable. Due to that, a cell phone

nook will be created and used as a way to enforce classroom management as well as for students

to fee a sense of control with the matter. Currently my mentor teacher has a cell phone system

that allows students to keep their phones on their person or in the nook, but if they are found

using the phones they are given a detention. In my classroom I plan to use more of a positive

reinforcement, by creating a nook and using it as a way for students to earn extra points in class.

Again, they make they choice, but if they are caught using their phone I will take it away for the

hour. By allowing students this responsibility and freedom, if they do have their phones taken

away they understand why.

When I first began my student assisting, my mentor teacher asked me what type of

teacher I wanted to be. I looked at her with a blank stare, clueless as to how to answer such an

important question. How could I not know what kind of teacher I hoped to be? Now that I am

two months into my teaching, I probably still couldn’t produce a quality answer, but I’ve come

closer to understanding the question. I’m still working to become the teacher I want to one day

be. Teaching isn’t a job; it’s a lifestyle that requires constant effort in order for the young minds
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in your classroom to succeed. Every day in my placement is a new adventure that requires me to

prepare for a day full of failure, success, laughter, tears, questions, answers, and most

importantly, learning. I am so excited for the adventures that are to still to come, both in my

placement, and in my future as a teacher.

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Reference Page

Baroody, A. E., Rimm-Kaufman, S., Larsen, R. A., & Curby, T. W. (2014). The link between
responsive classroom training and student-teacher relationship quality in the fifth grade:
A study of fidelity of implementation. School Psychology Review, 43(1), 69-85.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1536854506?accountid=39473

Holtzapple, C.K., Griswold, J.S., Circillo, K., Rosebrock, J., Nouza N., & Berry, C. (2011).
Implementation of a School-Wide Adolescent Character Education and Prevention
Program. Journal of Research in Character Education. 9(1). 71-90.

Marzano, R.J. (2011) Art and Science of Teaching/Classroom Management: Whose Job is it?
Coaching: The New Leadership Skill. 69(2). 85-86.

Wong, H.K., & Wong, R.T. (2009). The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher.
Singapore: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.