Through making students feel significant, competent, and powerful, I am able to help them overcome disruptive behaviors. I accomplish this through creating sincere relationships with students that extend outside of the classroom (Jones & Jones, 2016). Personal phone calls or notes when they are out of school, attending sporting events, as well as one on one time are ways that I let students know that I care about them. I encourage students to feel competent in the classroom by creating an environment where each child experiences respect and value for their individual strengths. I provide classroom jobs and opportunities based on student strength, such as organizing books for students who have great attention to detail, while another student in responsible for sharpening pencils because they love the sound the sharpener makes. Having a responsibility helps students to feel needed and builds on the idea that we are a community of people that work together. I empower students by encouraging them to help make class rules, give input on the physical arrangement of the classroom, as well as designing multiple activities for them to choose from to complete work tasks. I also use behavior contracts to help encourage students to demonstrate positive behaviors. The contracts, designed with the student rather than for the student, give them control over their own behavior (Ackerman, …show more content…
1 Corinthians 12:14-20 (ESV) discusses the importance of each person in the body of Christ, and how each has his own purpose. This verse describes how, as a community, we were designed to work together to accomplish a common goal. In my classroom, I encourage each child to participate in activities that fosters a positive learning environment. In 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV), God describes how each of us has received a gift to use to serve one another. James 1:17 (ESV) explains that each gift is from God and is perfect in its own way. By encouraging students to learn about themselves and offering opportunities to demonstrate their strengths, my students learn about their gift and how they can use it to meet the purpose God intends it for. Proverbs 4:13, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life” (ESV) encourages me to look at the life-long lessons learned in my classroom. It grounds me in remembering that, as a Kindergarten teacher, I am often the first in a long line of educators that each student will encounter. I want to make an impression that encourages each child to love learning and look forward to the years that