Beatriz Murgo

Classroom Environment Philosophy

I would like my classroom to be warm and inviting as well as positive and

organized. A warm and inviting classroom is key, especially during a first impression
because it will affect the tone for the rest of the year. I would like to start by meeting
the parents during open house and inviting them to my classroom that would be set up
ready to start off the school year. For parents who aren’t able to attend, I would like to
send them a letter of introduction and link to the class website. The class website
would have pictures of the classroom, an “about me” section, and the activities that we
will be doing for the school year or first semester. For students to feel welcomed during
the first say of school and for the rest of the school year, I would start off by greeting
students everyday with enthusiasm. For the first day of school, in order to create an
inviting, safe and organized environment, I would start off by asking students to tell us
about themselves and let them know that at the beginning of each week as a class we
will share “good things” with the class. This can be anything that happened during the
weekend and the other students will be respectfully listening to their peer. To make the
classroom safe, bullying will not be tolerated. On the first day we will talk about forms
of bullying, how to spot bullying, why it is not acceptable, and what to do in case of
bullying. I want my students to feel safe and be informed of different ways of bullying
so they can spot it and report it. I want them to know that reporting it to a teacher or
an adult is not bullying. To keep organized, there will be a set of routines and rules to
prevent bullying.
Students will support other students and building a relationship by working
together. Working together as a group not only helps them with their work, but it
creates relationships in the classroom. In order for everyone to get to know each other,
groups will be rotated every few weeks. I want all students to feel comfortable with and
know how to work with each other.
My classroom will promote building strengths with positivity. Asking students to
participate even if they answer a question wrong is encouraged. In my classroom we
won’t focus on wrong answers, but emphasize on strengths instead. This creates
comfort as well as confidence and self-esteem.
Promoting respect also creates a welcoming classroom environment because
students respect each other and the teacher. Asking them what they think respect is
before establishing rules gives their peers ideas as to what they believe respect entails.
After we establish ground rules of respect, it will be posted front of the classroom
where everyone can see.
Staying organized for me means establishing a routine from day one. On day
one, they will see that I greet them everyday. Everyday our schedule will be the same, if
not similar so students know what to expect. Having a routine is key to having a flowing
classroom and minimal distractions.