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The essential goal of education is to give children the knowledge and means to entire the workforce and achieve success (Carmichael, 2009). It is important as teachers that we welcome the diverse needs of all students. While it is fundamental that teachers are well-informed on the content they are teaching and are responsible to guide student learning, there is much more to emerging student learning. To develop students’ education, schools should provide a structure of classroom communities conductive to learning. School environments must be respectful, caring, stable, and stimulating atmospheres in order to enhance the learning environment. Students that perceive the atmosphere as friendly, satisfying, focused on goals, and challenging and who feel the classroom has the required materials tend to learn more (Walberg, 1984). Teachers need to commit to students and their learning and become members of the learning community.

Teaching students to develop respect for others, their environment, and themselves helps to develop a caring, safe classroom community. In my classroom I would allow students to develop their own set of classroom rules and consequences with my guidance. This allows the students to define the meaning of respect and how it applies to our classroom and provides a judicious approach to discipline. Learning to respect one another develops a mutual trust among the classroom community. Learning respect also occurs through an open sharing of ideas. Students become members of the classroom community by using discussion strategies and positive support of others ideas. Students must learn to communicate and act respectfully so that the classroom is conductive to learning. Respect is also demonstrated through caring for o...

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... solving encourages application of mathematical knowledge to a particular “real-world” context making learning meaningful. Applications of these multiple strategies in lessons, aligned with the Common Core Curriculum and Voluntary State Curriculum, support the goal of full participation of all students in the classroom environment.

Generally an incorporation of the practices of teaching respect and caring, and providing a stable and stimulating classroom environment in the school will promote students’ learning. An effective teacher employs these practices jointly, is well-informed of the curriculum content, and is committed to their students learning. The role of teachers is a very fundamental and powerful position because we have a lasting impact on our students. Therefore, it is most imperative to always make judgments grounded upon what is best for my students.