Classroom+Environment

//Teachers establish and maintain a purposeful and equitable environment for learning, in which students feel safe, valued, and respected by instituting routines and setting clear expectations for student behavior. //

__ Artifact 1 - Physical Education Class Rules __ Clear expectations are a necessity for any teacher to establish organization and order in a classroom. Kids crave structure, so they too want to know what is expected of them when they walk into class. I feel that class rules should be visible for students to see each day when they come into any classroom. As a physical education teacher, I have established rules, as well as policies and procedures for the way that my class is conducted. These expectations are discussed with students on the very first day of class. Students and parents/guardians are responsible for reviewing the policies and procedures and signing and returning a form. This makes everyone aware of what goes on in my physical education class. Rules are displayed in the gym so that students have a constant reminder of the setting they are walking into as they arrive in the gymnasium. This not only helps me to manage my classroom, but it also makes students feel comfortable knowing what to expect.



__Artifact 2 – Rachel’s Challenge __ On January 14, 2009 our school participated in a program called “Rachel’s Challenge.” Check out the link to our district website below to fully understand the program. Rachel Scott challenges people to do the following:

Eliminate Prejudice Dare to Dream Choose Your Influences Kind Words Start a Chain Reaction

I have printed out the attached signs and hung them as posters in my Health classroom. I feel that these posters help to remind us each day of Rachel Scott’s message. In doing this, a warm, friendly, and compassionate environment has been set for my classroom. The posters encourage positive actions and treating people with respect. The day of the program, I noticed that there was not a dry eye among our student body. Our students and staff were all greatly affected by Rachel’s story and we all try to live by her words each and every day at our school.

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[|Rachel's Challenge]