Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

My Classroom
I want a major focus in my classroom to be teamwork and communication. I believe that students
should learn from their peers and be able to have the opportunity to work together to solve tasks.
My current hope is to become a 6th grade math teacher and that is part of the reason I want to
focus on teamwork and communication in the classroom. I believe that communication between
the students and I is just as important as the communication between classmates. All middle
school students are very impressionable and I believe in giving students the chance to make
connections with their peers and using each other as resources when they have questions will
benefit their communication and teamwork skills in the long run. I understand that with the
focus of communication and allowing group work comes with problems. I know that if students
are given time to work on classwork with their peers, disruptive behavior and off task
conversations will happen. I will have a plan set in place to discourage those acts and reward
those who work on the task at hand. I would set my classroom up with the desks in a semicircle
shape all facing the board in the front. This way the students can see one another and also I can
grab their attention and see all the students. I was inspired by the book Mathematical Mindsets
written by Jo Boaler. She had many inspiring topics in her book but there were two topics that
stuck out to me. She discussed the importance of mistakes and how mistakes spark a growth
mindset. After reading about the importance of mistakes I plan to stress this idea in my future
classroom. In math, mistakes are always going to happen and I want my students to see mistakes
as a growth opportunity and not a negative thing. Another topic from Jo Boaler’s book that
inspired me were the strategies to assess a growth mindset. Boaler gave several strategies to
assess a growth mindset but the one that stuck out to me was letting the students fill out self-
assessment forms. Boaler gave an example of a form that had all the units in an algebra one
classroom and for each unit gave several I can statements. The students would be asked to go
through the I can statements at the end of each unit and identify which statements they could do
and those that they could not. This assessment strategy inspired me because I believe that it could
be useful at the end of each unit for students to see where they are at and how much more they
need to grow. I believe that letting the students assess their own growth will help students grow
at their own pace and not feel pressured to get a good grade when assessing their growth,
because the self assessment will not be graded. Another article I was inspired by was the article
by Lyn Brown called 10 Ways to Move Beyond Bully Prevention (and why we should). This
article discusses different strategies to do more than just preventing bullying. The strategy that
stuck out to me the most was the strategy called ‘be proactive, not reactive’. This strategy talks
about educating kids on prejudice, hate crimes, etc. to try to stop the behavior before it starts.
This strategy inspired me because I want my future classroom to be a safe and positive space for
all students, and it is important for the students to know that I will not tolerate any hateful
comments or actions in my classroom.

1) I believe in advocating for children.

I plan to continue to search for new ways to help the students in and outside of the classroom. I
will talk with my students on a regular basis and ask them what I can do to help or improve their
schooling experience. Students outside life has a big impact on their classroom behaviors. If a
student is constantly worrying about outside problems, they will remain distracted and
potentially miss important information for an assignment.
Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

2) I believe teaching beyond the book.

I plan to create fun activities that engage students and get them excited to learn. I will plan group
activities and study sessions to give the students the opportunity to learn from each other.
Hopefully, students engage in the activities I plan so they can learn the material in a fun and
engaging way without having to work out of a textbook. I also believe in constantly looking for
ways to improve my teaching methods and strategies. Being a pro in my subject matter is
important but always trying to learn more is important as well.

3) I believe that all students have potential.

I plan to give all students the best materials the succeed. I believe each and every student has the
ability to succeed in every subject they attempt. An important thing I will implement is getting
familiar with each students academic level so I will know where to start and where the class can
grow all together. To do this, I will give a test during the first few days of class with general
math problems and tell the students to do as much as they know and that way I will know where
each student is academically.

4) I believe in the importance of mistakes.

I believe that without mistakes there is no room for growth. When we make a mistakes our brains
spark and grow from that experience. I plan to celebrate mistakes of students and try to get
students to see mistakes in a positive way rather than a negative way. I do not want students to
have the mind set that “mistakes make me stupid” because they will never grow from mistakes if
they view them in that way. An example of celebrating a mistake would be if a student answers a
question wrong in front of the class, instead of getting embarrassed, the student will explain how
they got their wrong answer and then we will celebrate their growth from the mistake.

5) I believe in the success of the school as a whole.

I plan to work with the school staff to discuss ways to improve the school as a whole. I believe
that the success of my classroom is just as important as the success of the school. I plan to
advocate for each and every student and create programs that lead to the bettering of students and
the school. I will encourage every teacher to be apart of a PLT meeting for their individual
subject department and also the PLT meetings for each grade level. PLT meetings focus on
working together to come up with plans of action to benefit the needs of students, teachers, and
the whole school. I will always be searching for new resources that can be beneficial to teachers
and students who are in need.

Parent/Guardian Letter
Dear families,

Welcome to 6thgrade math! I am very excited to work with your child and be a
Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

part of their academic growth. I look forward to a positive year filled with lots of laughs,

successes and student growth. I am a graduate of North Carolina State University with

a major in Mathematics Education for the middle grades. I have a passion to help every

student that enters my classroom in the best way I possibly can.

This year I am going to take your children on an exciting mathematical journey

studying topics such as ratio and proportional relationships, the number system,

geometry, and expressions and equations. One of my math teachers from highschool,

who was an inspiration for me to become a teacher, had a great homework policy that

encouraged students to do homework not only to get credit for it, but to increase their

understanding of the topic. His policy was to assign homework every night and only

check for completeness on random days. He also always took 10 to 15 minutes out of

each class to answer questions the students had about the homework. This motivates

the students to do homework every night and come into class with specific questions on

the problems they did not understand. I am going to follow this same policy for

homework. I hope that students will do their homework every night and come in with

questions for the next day, but students will only receive a grade for the days I decide to

check homework.

In my classroom this year I am going to expect each student to come to class

prepared and ready to work. You may ask, “What does my child need to have to be

100% prepared in your classroom?” I only ask the students to have a few things every

day. These things are: a pencil, paper to take notes on, and the most important thing, a

positive attitude. Other needed materials will be provided for the students.
Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

I strive to create a positive and encouraging environment in the classroom. I

believe that each student has their own set of personal needs and accommodations. To

be able to provide the best materials for students to succeed, I am going to create a

safe space to have one on one conversations with each of the students. During the first

week of school, I am going to meet with each student in an attempt to understand their

background and any special requests they have in order to have a successful year.

Math can be hard and stressful for many students. In an attempt to reduce the

stress of math on students, I am going to praise successes but also praise failures. I am

a strong believer that failures can actually help accelerate learning because the student

can see where they messed up, grow academically and hopefully remember how to

correct their mistakes on future problems.

There will be consequences for two major things in class, when students come

unprepared or disrupt class.

1stInfraction- warning

2ndInfraction- detention

3rdInfraction- parent conference

4thInfraction- talk with principal

I am looking forward to a wonderful year! If you need to contact me here are a few ways

of communication:

Email: hglee2@ncsu.edu

Phone number for urgent after hours issues: xxx-xxx-xxxx

Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

Translation:

Queridas familias,

¡Bienvenido a las matemáticas de sexto grado! Estoy muy emocionado de

trabajar con su hijo y ser parte de su crecimiento académico. Espero un año positivo

lleno de risas, éxitos y crecimiento estudiantil. Me gradué de la Universidad Estatal de

Carolina del Norte con especialización en Educación Matemática para los grados

intermedios. Me apasiona ayudar a cada estudiante que ingresa a mi salón de la mejor

manera posible.

Este año voy a llevar a sus hijos a un emocionante viaje matemático estudiando

temas como la relación y las relaciones proporcionales, el sistema numérico, la

geometría y las expresiones y ecuaciones. Uno de mis maestros de matemáticas de la

escuela secundaria, que fue una inspiración para mí para convertirme en maestra,

tenía una excelente política de tareas que alentaba a los estudiantes a hacer la tarea

no solo para obtener crédito, sino para aumentar su comprensión del tema. Su política

era asignar tareas todas las noches y solo verificar la integridad en días aleatorios.

También siempre tomaba de 10 a 15 minutos de cada clase para responder las

preguntas que los estudiantes tenían sobre la tarea. Esto motiva a los estudiantes a

hacer la tarea todas las noches y entrar a clase con preguntas específicas sobre los

problemas que no entendieron. Voy a seguir esta misma política para la tarea. Espero

que los estudiantes hagan su tarea todas las noches y vengan con preguntas para el

día siguiente, pero los estudiantes solo recibirán una calificación por los días que

decida revisar la tarea.

Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

En mi clase este año, voy a esperar que cada estudiante venga a clase

preparado y listo para trabajar. Puede preguntar: "¿Qué necesita mi hijo para estar

100% preparado en su salón de clases?" Solo les pido a los estudiantes que tengan

algunas cosas todos los días. Estas cosas son: un lápiz, papel para tomar notas y, lo

más importante, una actitud positiva. Se proporcionarán otros materiales necesarios

para los estudiantes.

Me esfuerzo por crear un ambiente positivo y alentador en el aula. Creo que

cada estudiante tiene su propio conjunto de necesidades personales y adaptaciones.

Para poder proporcionar los mejores materiales para que los estudiantes tengan éxito,

voy a crear un espacio seguro para tener conversaciones individuales con cada uno de

los estudiantes. Durante la primera semana de clases, me reuniré con cada estudiante

para tratar de entender sus antecedentes y cualquier solicitud especial que tengan para

tener un año exitoso.

Las matemáticas pueden ser difíciles y estresantes para muchos estudiantes. En

un intento por reducir el estrés de las matemáticas en los estudiantes, voy a alabar los

éxitos pero también a los fracasos. Creo firmemente que las fallas en realidad pueden

ayudar a acelerar el aprendizaje porque el estudiante puede ver dónde se equivocó,

crecer académicamente y, con suerte, recordar cómo corregir sus errores en problemas

futuros.

Habrá consecuencias por dos cosas principales en la clase, cuando los

estudiantes vengan sin preparación o interrumpan la clase.

1ra Infracción - advertencia

Classroom Environment Philosophy                                                                                   Hannah Lee 

2da Infracción - detención

Tercera Infracción: conferencia con los padres

4ta Infracción- habla con el director

¡Espero tener un año maravilloso! Si necesita ponerse en contacto conmigo aquí hay

algunas formas de comunicación:

Correo electrónico: hglee2@ncsu.edu

Número de teléfono para problemas urgentes fuera del horario laboral: xxx-xxx-xxxx

Conclusion
My philosophy has a central theme; to treat all students the same, have a positive environment
and do everything I can to promote growth mindsets. I strive to leave a positive and lasting
impression on the students that inspires students to be their best selves everyday. The North
Carolina Professional Teaching Standard I connect my philosophy with the most is standard 2,
Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students. I want all of
my students to feel safe and welcome in my classroom environment. This plan is going to benefit
me as an emerging professional because it is a useful reminder that as a teacher, my job includes
much more than just to teach math to students. It includes being someone that my students feel
comfortable talking to about anything, it includes creating a safe place for all students to come to
learn and most importantly it includes having a fun environment that students want to come learn
in. My draft has changed over the semester because I was exposed to different articles and
readings that inspired me and brought up new ideas for my classroom philosophy that I had not
thought about before. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about the different
components of a classroom and teaching strategies.