Bullying within the classroom

How are you going to enforce that bullying is unacceptable in the classroom? 

One thing I cannot stand is bullying, it drives me crazy to see how mean some kids can be to each other. In my Classroom i will 100% not tolerate it, if need be I will make lessons that revolve around students' awareness of bullying. I have seen students be bullied within the classroom and some teachers do not even address it. As a teacher one of the most important things you must do is make sure students feel safe in their environment. If a student does not feel safe, they are not going to learn. It is also important as a teacher to make sure students know that they can confide in you and talk to you about personal issues if they want to. When I was in elementary school, I had some teacher that i knew cared about me and my success and i could go to them for anything but then i had teachers who in a sense could care less about their students. I want my students to know right off the bat that I care about each and every one of them. To address bullying within the classroom an idea for a lesson would be as a class to have students make a list of rules in regard to being kind and not bullying the very first week of school. If the students do not abide by that list than I will let them know that there will be consequences. 

I am currently doing observation field experience hours for my EDU 270 class and I am placed in a 6th grade Language Arts classroom. The teacher is currently reading the story Wonder which is a story about a student who has a facial deformity and it addresses issues such as bullying and treating everyone equal no matter what differences there may be. I love seeing how the students react when hearing this story be read to them, many of them are shocked by the way some of the characters treat those who are different. I think teaching a book like this is such an amazing idea because it shows students how wrong bullying is without really drilling it into them by lectures. When I am a teacher i want to do that exact lesson plan. Bullying is a serious matter and should be dealt with very strictly in the classroom. 

What is your dream as a future teacher?

In my first blog post I wrote about my path to snhu and my decision to become an elementary education teacher, but I didn't really talk about what my dream as a future teacher would be. What do I want to do once I get that diploma and go off into the world? Do I want to teach in NH or in a different state? And do I want to just be the typical teacher or do I want to do more and be more?

Since I was young I have always said I want to make a difference in this world and leave my mark in any way that I can, and until this month I was unsure if being a teacher would fulfill that dream of mine. Yes, I would be working with children and helping to change the future, but would I really be changing the lives of my students possibly yes, but I didn't want to just settle for, possibly, so I began to make a plan for my future, scary I know. I have always been interested in going on an alternative break and when I found out snhu offered them I was ecstatic. So I applied to the program unsure if I would be picked to go on the trip, a few weeks later I found out I had been chosen to participate in a two week trip over winter break to the Dominican Republic to teach English to students in elementary school. Now I am less than 3 months away from going on a trip that I am positive will change my life. Knowing I will be a participant on this trip has impacted my life and opened my eyes to so many things I was once blind to. I now know what my dream as a future teacher is, I want to travel around the world and teach children in need in a variety of different cultures and slowly but surely leave my mark on this world. The Dominican Republic will be my first experience teaching in a different culture, but I plan to teach in many more different places around the world throughout my life. I am so excited to finally have figured out something I am passionate about in regards to teaching, now I can't wait to graduate and start on this amazing journey.