Second post

I believe that it is important to do this from an extremely early age because as I mentioned perviously, we are creatures of habit. In my first grade classroom, I will have a strong focus on “community circles”. Community circles foster communication skills, social-emotional skills, and problem-solving skills. It teachers a child the value of teamwork and communication, while also providing perspective and allowing for children to remain proactive. Discussion-like teaching also forces a child to develop self-control. From day one, I will emphasize ZIPPER, which reminds students to “zip your mouth, identify the problem, pause, put yourself in charge, explore choices, and reset”.  Creating high expectations for developmentally appropriate behavior is simply training one’s social skills and emotional intelligence. While they are still young, setting the precedent that controlling your emotions is expected will lead to individuals becoming more and more socially aware as they grow older. I will also emphasize the “Feelings Thermometer” in my classroom. By encouraging children to identify their feelings as well as others, they will also develop coping strategies that are crucial later in life.  

1st grade students are still in the pre-operational stage of learning. This means that they have yet to develop the concepts of egocentrism and conservation. They don’t understand that while they see something one way, another child may view it in a different way. Mentally, this can be very frustrating for children because they cannot fully comprehend these differences. In the classroom, this can pose many challenges because students may not be sensitive to the feelings of their classmates or understand why they may be feeling the way they are. Also, they may not be aware of why they are feeling a certain type of way. Rather than punishing students for acting out, there will be a “safe corner” in the classroom where students can go when they cannot describe how they are feeling and why they may be feeling that way. In this corner, that is where the “Feelings Thermometer” may come in. There will be worksheets with colored pencils that have faces with different emotions and a student is able to match their emotions to the faces on the worksheet. Next to the face, they can write down why they think they might be feeling this way. This will allow for students to calm down, as well as feel comfortable rather than ashamed of the emotions they are having. This will teach them it is okay to have these feelings, but it is important to collect them; this method will allow for students to determine what strategy is most helpful to them, facilitating self-directed learning from an early age. 

Feelings Thermometer

While my first-grade classroom will follow the core curriculum of United States public schools, it will emphasize learning how to learn. The grading system will be based on a child’s ability to work with others as well as independently. It will reflect how well they engage with the material and problem-solve when they are emotionally struggling. It is unnecessary to grade first graders on their ability to report facts on the 50 states, so my classroom will evaluate students on how their behaviors develop throughout the course of the year. By doing this,  I will develop students who have an intrinsic desire to succeed as well as a social and emotional awareness of the world around them. If I can do this, then I believe I have succeeded as an educator.