Throughout my first year in the classroom student teaching, being a kind teacher was something that I always wanted to be. I never wanted to be that mean teacher who always was raising their voice, being rude, or making snarky comments to their students. My goal was to be that teacher that was loved by his students, but also maintaining that level of respect in the classroom back to me.
Something I have struggled with thus far as a new teacher, has been classroom management at times. I have been attempting to be stern, but not be too mean to the students. As a result of this, I feel like I have been too nice at times. I have gotten better. with it as the school year has progressed, but I still am a kind teacher because that is who I want to be.
I truly do want my students to be in an environment where they can succeed, and Denial makes a point that I agree with very much when she says “I’ve found that kindness as pedagogical practice distills down to two simple things: believing people, and believing in people.” I want my students to think that their opinion matters, and that it is not just me running the show entirely. I know my students are only 10-11 years old, but I believe student feedback is important. Never underestimate your students because they are smarter than you think they are.
I want my classroom to be an environment where the students know I want the best for them no matter what, and that to not take advantage of my kindness because the switch can be flipped and they will not like what happens next. I have done it a couple of times, and they did not enjoy that kind of person when I was being stern and giving them that type of talk. Some principals would not appreciate my approach to teaching, and would want me to be more stern. The other 5th grade teacher across the hall is that type of teacher and her results are great in terms of state testing. Kindness is going to be a pillar in my classroom is going to be very important to me in my pedagogy. I want my students to be able to remember me for the kind, loving, and understanding type of teacher that I strive to be.
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