My Touchstone Writing Moment - Under a Magnifying Glass

    Looking back over my three touchstone writing moments I wrote about last week, I realized that a one of them stood out the most. The way I used to hide all my diaries and journals when I was younger is most likely the way that the majority of children (and adults too) still feel today. I know I do, and I'm an English major - I should be able to get past this fear of sharing my work. It's not that my teachers while I was growing up put down my writing necessarily, I think it's the fact that many of them didn't encourage sharing it. As a future teacher, I see a need to instill confidence in students.
   
    I am currently assisting a 6th grade English teacher at Lesher Middle School for one of my courses here at CSU, and so far I have found the school to be very impressive. At Lesher, they believe that an effective learning environment is centered around positive moral and a mentally/physically healthy student body. Many teachers spend the first week of class simply getting to know their students and letting the students become acclimated to others around them. They spend more time talking with the students like they are equals, asking them what they think the classroom rules should be, and creating a positive vibe within their four little walls of a classroom. Personally, I think this mentality is a fantastic idea. Approaching education like it is a project to tackle and learn together, giving students the opportunity to be heard and express their feelings, creates a more positive environment to teach in for the rest of the year. Someday, I want my students to know I am on their side. I want them to be able to be honest with me and each other, because they will know I will always be honest with them. My classroom will be a place filled with confidence and teamwork, where students can throw themselves into their work without being scared of what others will think.

    I want to be able to use my past experiences/feelings for good, and learn from them when applying them to becoming a teacher. I want to be able to remember how it felt to write something in 7th grade and worry that it wasn't good enough. And again, remember how it was in 12th grade looking out towards my future, and worrying that people would laugh when I told them I was majoring in English. My desire is to help cultivate and encourage my students into becoming fearless learners.