Emily Jeninga

Leading and Managing a Classroom Learning Community

Education 302-303

Leading and managing a classroom is a key component of being a teacher. It is a
component that often goes unnoticed by others, but it is a vital component nonetheless.
Why is it so important? Leading and managing a classroom makes a bold statement about
who the teacher is and how they view themselves, their students, and learning. This
exploration delineates the way in which I view learning, my students, and myself as well as
the way that affects how I teach, and the environment I hope to create in my future
classroom.

Rationale:
I want to begin with an excerpt from the song Kings and Queens by Audio
Adrenaline. It says,
On their own, on the run when their lives have only begun
These could be our daughters and our sons
And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating
I know my God wont let them be defeated
Every child has a dream to belong and be loved
Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in Your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these.
This song has been resonating in me throughout this whole semester. I have seen so many
of my students encounter so much bad stuff in their life that I havent even experienced in
my 19 years of life, and they are only 6. This quote stands out to me in expressing how
much love can affect these children. All children want are to belong and beloved. That is
something that I have the power to create as a teacher, and I pray everyday for the strength
and energy to be Christs hands and feet in my classroom. In Matthew 19:4 Jesus says, Let
the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of
heaven (English Standard Version). Jesus loves His children, and as a teacher I am called
to love my students just as Christ did.
Before I jump in to how my worldview relates to my teaching, I want to explain my
worldview. I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth fully human to live a perfect life to die
the most painful death on the cross, to raise from the dead conquering death, and to save
mankind from sin. This amazing feat demonstrates Gods amazing love for us before we
were even born. It demonstrates the great lengths that God was willing to go to ensure that
we were saved. Before Jesus came down to earth, way before that, I believe that God
created the world perfectly. Most importantly I believe that God created man in his own
image, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them (Genesis 1:27, English Standard Version). Those beliefs impact me
in my everyday life.
This greatly impacts how I view my role in the world. I believe that God created me
in His image as His daughter. Because I believe this, I believe that God has called me to be
His hands and feet in the world serving His children. I am a daughter of Christ who hopes
to shine Christs light to those surrounding me. I pray that my love for the Lord in all that I
do overflows to my relationships with others. The world is a broken sinful place, but there
is good too. My job here on earth is to work to reconcile this broken place back to its
original state in perfect harmony with God. That sounds really lofty and unfeasible. I
believe that to work hard at that job requires me to be Gods light to my students, in my
school, and in my other relationships. My relationships are also impacted by how I view
others and myself. Everyone is made in the image of God therefore God values everyone.
This directly relates to my future students. Not one of my students is greater than another,
nor is one of my students of lesser value than another. They were created in Gods image;
he or she isnt some worthless thing roaming the earth.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself
(Mark 12:30-31, English Standard Version). These verses shape so much of what I envision
in my future classroom and my personal view of people and why knowledge is so
important. I believe knowledge is important because it helps us to love God better. The
more we know and understand the better we can serve, love, and worship our Lord God.
Anton Chekhov said, Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. Knowledge
is all of the things you know. It is how to spell the endless list of words in a language, it is
being able to recall the details of World War 1, it is knowing how to add and subtract.
Knowledge is all the stuff in our brain. I believe that knowledge is important, but going
back to Checkhovs quote, it is nothing without action behind it. All the things that one may
know are useless unless applied. It has no meaning unless given some important
connection to the world around us. Anything that helps us be better servants in our world,
better neighbors, better hands and feet of Jesus, is worth knowing and learning. If being
able to multiply and divide will help love God and my neighbor it is worth knowing.
John Dewey said, We do not learn from experience we learn from reflecting on
experience. (2001). Dewey did research to show that learning occurs through experience
and inquiry that would lead to more experience and then again more inquiry. From
personal experience, I believe that learning occurs when you experience something new.
For example I learned how to play volleyball by playing volleyball. I didnt just sit and
watch videos or read books about volleyball, but I actually played. Watching videos did
help me learn a little, but a majority of the learning occurred in the doing. This is where I
believe that learning occurs, in the doing.
Froyen and Iverson say, Make the classroom a place where children feel at home.
They can be their best and do their best because it is obvious someone feels they are
important and wants them to succeed (1999). When I child feels at home, they are most
willing to do their best, try new things, and put themselves out there. That is when
learning happens. If no one is willing to try new things or do their best, learning and
greatness wont happen. Teachers and students both contribute to a positive, comfortable,
great learning environment through loving one another, holding each other accountable,
and learning from mistakes. Those are three key ideas that I hope to implement in my
classroom to create positive learning environment. First, I want my students and I to feel
like another family. I want everyone to know that they are loved and encouraged by their
peers and myself. This leads into the next part of holding each other accountable. This is
created when each student is challenging each other for the benefit of the whole class to
become better, not so one student can get all the credit, or do really well on a test, but so
that everyone can grow together in knowledge. Lastly, in creating a positive learning
environment it is important to let everyone know it is ok to make mistakes! I make
mistakes; they make mistakes. My students need to know that it is ok to makes mistakes; it
is just vital that we learn from our mistakes as we move forward.
Policy Statements and Procedures:
The teacher will
Create a positive learning environment for all students (content)
Be aware of all students and students needs and adjust accordingly (covenant)
Challenge every student to do their best (conduct)
Scaffold students learning to access each students proximal zone of development
(content)
Create authentic learning tasks to engage students (content)
Enforce Class-created rules and consequences to promote learning (conduct)
Greet every student every morning with more than hello (covenant)
Get to know every student on a personal level (covenant)
Pray for every student (covenant)
Be prepared for every lesson with materials and enthusiasm (content)
Create a classroom community (covenant)

The students are expected to
Come prepared to learn (conduct)
Respect their peers and teacher (covenant)
Encourage one another to do their best (covenant)
Work together in small groups (covenant)
Follow classroom rules and school rules (conduct)
Complete work on time (conduct)
Hold teacher accountable for authentic learning tasks (content)
Students will ask engaging questions to dive deeper into the material (content)

Procedures:
Students will work in small groups listening to each others inputs as they work to solve
a problem (conduct)
Everyday there will be a class meeting to discuss the plan for the day, and to discuss
who is loving their neighbor as themselves (Oakes, Lipton, Anderson Stillman, 2013)
(covenant)
Students and teacher will clean up the classroom at the end of the day (conduct)
Students and teacher will be aware of their resources and how they are affecting those
around them (content)
Students and teacher will help out friends in need in the classroom, hallway, gym class,
art class, etc..(covenant)
There will be no put downs harsh words, or bullying (conduct)
Everyone will encourage one another to do their best and keep trying even when it gets
hard (conduct)
If a student misbehaves, the teacher and student will have a discussion to decide what is
the appropriate way to remedy the situation (conduct)
If students abide by the rules and expectations, more privileges will be available to the
whole class, as determined by the class (conduct)

One thing of the many things that I have learned so far on my education path is the
importance of the first weeks at school. It has been very evident to me how important
the first two-three weeks are in ensuring a great rest of the year. This is the time that
rules are established and followed. This is the time in which students come to
understand the expectations they need to achieve. This is where students learn to
become comfortable with each other. When I begin teaching I plan on working very
hard the first couple of weeks to really instill the procedures needed to be the most
efficient and beneficial to my students. I plan on working really hard to lay the
foundation of a positive learning environment in which everyone feels at home. I plan
on setting up my room in a way that community is a priority and students are the focus.
I plan on creating a home feel so that students feel most comfortable and willing to
work. I also plan on creating a space in which the students contribute to the set-up so
that students feel some ownership of their own classroom.
References:

Chekhov, A. (2014). BrainyQuote. Retrieved from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/antonchekh119058.html

Froyen, L. A., & Iverson, A. M. (1999) Schoolwide and classroom management. Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Hammond, L. D., Austin, K., Orcutt, S., & Rosso, J. (December 27, 2001). How people learn:
Introduction to learning theories. The Learning Classroom: Theory into practice.
Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/class/ed269/hplintrochapter.pdf

Max, K. (2013). Kings and queens [Recorded by Audio Adrenaline]. On Kings and Queens.
Tennessee: Fair Trade Services.

Oakes, J., Lipton, M., Anderson, A. & Stillman, J. (2013). Teaching to change the world (4th
ed.). Boulder, CO: Paradigm.