In the classroom everything has a roll in the development of the students and their learning experience. From the teacher all the way down to the layout of the classroom will have an effect on the learning environment as a whole. As the teacher my role is to guide the students and to deliver information to the class that helps students to learn. I believe that a teacher should be more than a professional leader but also a friend and mentor. As a teacher, my main responsibility is to develop appropriate curriculum that will best suit my class and be ready to shift it if it does not work the way I originally planned. Some of the most influential teachers in my life took the time to get to know me and offered me advice and support during some of the hardest parts of my life and to this day I have kept in contact with many of my high school teachers and still reach out for advice when things get rough. To me it is important to be that for my students and to allow them to feel included. It is my job to get to know my students and help them feel comfortable enough to open up to me.

            Students on the other hand have a completely different role in the classroom. Students are responsible for contributing to class culture and accountability and taking initiative as active participants in class. I think it is equally important for students to answer the questions and to ask the questions during a lesson. The students should feel comfortable to ask any question that piques their interest (respectfully of course). I am a strong believer in the quote “there is no such thing as a stupid question” because if the student felt the need to ask it, no matter how insignificant they may have though it was. Then obviously they trust me enough to ask their “stupid” question. Students are also responsible for coming to school ready to participate and engage in the lesson being taught. By having engagement in the class, it maximizes the opportunity for learning and also sets the vibe for the classroom. Participating includes, asking and answering questions, completing in-class assignments, and consistently following the expected behavior and classroom norms.

            With the roles of the students and teachers being met, learning is more easily achieved. In order to have a successful learning environment, I believe that students should have the ability to be actively moving in class and to break away from the traditional learning setting. I do not believe that students will best learn sitting in a desk. I believe that by incorporating nontraditional seating into my class then I will be able to create a more comfortable and welcoming setting which in the long run will allow my students to be comfortable in class and trust me more. With the trust that I am building I will be able to understand the needs of my students. Everybody learns in different ways and as the teacher it is my job to figure out how my students work best and to offer multiple different learning options in order to accommodate my students. I strongly despise teachers who use one method of learning for the entire semester because it makes it very difficult to convert the information to a way that makes sense for me.

            I intend to use a hybrid style of teaching; however, it will be hard to say exactly what style I will use until I am in the classroom and testing out different styles. Hybrid/blended teaching consist of integrating my personality and interest with students’ needs. Although this teaching method can become messy if not done the correct way, I believe it will be a method that will best suit the needs of my students while still staying true to myself as a teacher. It will be crucial for me to remain focused on the objectives and to avoid trying to be multiple things for my students.