This week’s lesson was a good way for me to begin the conclusion of this class. Character education is rooted in everything we do, and a good EBD teacher will need to take this part of education to an extreme. For me, character education is the perfect way to tie all of the other instructional strategies together.
I am beginning to pull together, in my mind, what I would like the first few days of school to look like in my classroom. It still feels like a pretty vague concept but I know that I want to help my students find successes where they have previously failed.
I want to examine the character education statement of my new school and have students define what these things mean to them. Of course I will have an idea of what this will look like in our classroom so I am prepared to guide students in the right direction but the goal will be to help them have ownership. I want our classroom to become a place to be proud rather than a place to be ashamed. I want to give my students a sense of community where they have responsibility and learn accountability. Students will have jobs in my classroom. They will play their part in whatever way they can and everyone’s role will be integral.
Maybe I am just a young new teacher thinking I can change the world, or at least the worlds of a few kids. Right now I firmly believe there are no bad kids. I believe that they have learned the wrong lessons in life. In the past their negative behaviors have been reinforced by negligence or naivety. I believe every child wants to be good and to be successful, some have just never been taught how. Maybe this time next year I will decide that it was me who was negligent and naïve in believing these things. The possibility exists that these kids will eat me alive and I will have to quickly change my philosophy or move on but I don’t believe that. I know in my heart that ownership and a sense of community with consistent modeling and feedback is the key. My students will follow my lead and my attitude is what will determine how far we all go. I’m ready!
