References

Burke, M. C., & Pilecki, A. E. (2010). Effects of intrafamilial trauma on the development of self-esteem. In M. H. Guindon (Ed.), Self-esteem across the lifespan: Issues and interventions (pp. 63–78). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Hooper, J. (2012). Personal strengths: The inner compass that guides our choices (pp. 1-20). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Mullet, J. H. (2014). Restorative discipline: From getting even to getting well. Children & Schools, 36(3), 157–162.

Blogs

School Culture

The culture of my assigned school felt fairly typical, with a nearly even ratio of boys and girls and a diverse representation of different cultures. The class I observed was a kindergarten class, where the teacher maintained a warm and friendly demeanor while also setting clear expectations for behavior and learning. A classroom pledge outlining the students' behavior and academic goals for the year was displayed on the wall. However, I did not have the opportunity to browse through the classroom’s books, so I was unable to determine whether all cultures were adequately represented in the reading materials.

Focus Students

Student #1 - My first student likes to chat with his neighbors. When reminded to stay on task, his response is always "I know". Even with the distractions, he usually completes his assignments before the time is up. This student is a clear communicator. I am told that he is an only child, and is likely spoken to like an adult at home.

Student #2 - My second student also likes to chat with his neighbors. When reminded to stay on task, his response is usually "I don't know what to do". I predict that this student will have a very successful sales career because he is often trying to manipulate the adults in the classroom into giving him the answer. I am told that he is the youngest child and only boy in a Persian household.

Student #3 - My third student often comes to school tired. On Mondays, he sleeps at his desk for the first part of the morning. The teacher tries very hard to give him space to rest and modifies the lessons so he can keep up with the class. When he is tired or frustrated, he struggles to maintain calm and can sometimes get physical, wanting to kick or break things but not in an overtly violent manner. This student seems to stay on task well when awake and is very artistic. I was not able to get any background on his homelife.

Social-Emotional Needs

The teacher is very good at keeping the students engaged while acknowledging their feelings and maintaining order. She knows her students well and is able to engage with them based on her understanding of who they are and the how's and whys of their reactions. I was able to assist with a student who was out of sorts over testing. This student frequently naps during class, and while he doesn’t have an official IEP, the teacher makes special accommodations for him. Although he wasn’t aggressive, he began lightly kicking the table and even the student teacher’s shoes as a way of expressing his frustration. Since this happened right before lunch, I tried to calm him by acknowledging his feelings and asking questions to engage him. I reassured him that eating lunch might help him feel better and offered to accompany him through the lunch line. When he was disappointed that there was no cheese pizza, we discussed how removing the pepperoni would essentially turn it into a cheese pizza, which cheered him up.

Safe Environments

In my host classroom, the teacher encourages students to communicate with each other about their actions and feelings. She has them express how another student’s actions made them feel, listen to the response, and apologize when necessary. The teacher adjusts these conversations based on the students' maturity levels, the severity of the incident, and whether it is a recurring issue.

For example, if a student repeatedly ignores reminders to keep their feet down during rug time and ends up hitting another student with their shoe, the teacher directly intervenes to address the situation. However, in a minor incident, such as when Student A accidentally steps on Student B’s paper, the teacher encourages Student B to express how it made them feel and prompts Student A to apologize. This approach helps students develop emotional awareness, accountability, and conflict-resolution skills in an age-appropriate manner.

Classroom Layout

The layout of my host kindergarten classroom fosters a collaborative and interactive learning environment. Activities center around the rug and whiteboard, where students are encouraged to engage in group discussions, storytelling, and teacher-led instruction, promoting a strong sense of community and active participation. The desks are arranged into groups of five, further reinforcing teamwork, as students can easily interact, share ideas, and work together on assignments. There is a small group table that allows for differentiated instruction, giving the teacher a space to provide targeted support to students who need extra guidance. Play stations contribute to a dynamic and engaging atmosphere, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and social development. Overall, this classroom layout supports a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and hands-on learning, helping young students build both academic and social skills in a structured yet flexible environment.

Practical Strategies

In our kindergarten class, we use “knee partners” during group lessons on the rug. Knee partners are pairs of students sitting side by side who turn to face each other to discuss what they just learned. After the partner discussion, the teacher randomly calls on a student to share their partner’s answer to the discussion question. Although the topics are very basic, I think this is a wonderful way to encourage student engagement—both with each other and with the teacher, because they know they’ll be discussing the lesson. The teacher also involves students by having them point to words and pictures on the whiteboard to help facilitate the lesson. This is an effective strategy because kindergarteners will pay attention even if it is not interesting, but to catch their classmates' errors.

Parents

I wasn’t sure if electronic communication methods were used to reach parents, but I did observe paper notices being sent home. I also helped with classroom preparation for Open House, where all of the kindergarten classrooms put great care into showcasing what the students had accomplished for their families.

I really appreciate the approach my daughter’s teacher takes. She sends out a weekly newsletter summarizing the week’s activities and providing updates on upcoming events. The school also has a website where parents can check grades and communicate with teachers. In addition, students have access to a class webpage where they can view assignments and projects at home. This is a wonderful resource that allows parents to stay informed about what their children are learning.

More Practical Strategies

My host teacher uses tally points on the board to track student behavior. When a student demonstrates helpfulness, teamwork, or active participation, their student number is written inside a heart on the board, and they can earn tally marks throughout the day. Negative behaviors may result in the loss of a tally mark or the removal of their number from the board. In class, we discussed how this public system could be perceived as humiliating for some students and is generally discouraged. While I understand and agree with that perspective, I don't yet feel experienced enough to critique this teacher's approach. It’s worth noting that the teacher gives public praise when students earn points and provides quiet warnings before removing any marks, aiming to keep the process as respectful as possible.

My focus students, like most of the class, do not show obvious emotional reactions to the tally system. I'm not present during the times when the full reward system is implemented, so the tally marks on the board may hold more significance for the students than I can observe. The teacher appears skilled at distinguishing between students who are simply extra wiggly and those who are genuinely upset or struggling. In those cases, instead of removing a tally mark, she will send the student to the back of the room to sit with me or the student teacher for some encouragement and one-on-one attention.

Effective Strategies

The most effective strategy I’ve observed in the classroom is the use of “knee partners.” In this approach, students turn to a designated partner after a lesson or presentation to discuss what they learned. Instead of sharing their own thoughts with the class, they are asked to share their partner’s reflection. This keeps students focused and engaged, helping to prevent off-topic conversations. It also encourages peer interaction and independence, while allowing students to gain new insights they might not have considered on their own.

Class Readings

In class, we briefly discussed Stanley Aronowitz. Although I did not completely agree with his thought process, I found it intriguing and chose to take a deeper dive into his theories. Aronowitz believed that education should empower students rather than discipline them into submission. He advocated for shifting from authoritarian discipline models to democratic, student-centered approaches, which he believed would better support the development of free-thinking individuals. Instead of focusing solely on obedience, Aronowitz emphasized the importance of encouraging student voice, mutual respect, and critical dialogue. In this view, classroom management becomes less about control and more about co-creating a learning environment where students feel ownership, take responsibility, and are motivated to learn, not just comply. This might include giving students input on class rules, using restorative practices rather than punitive consequences, and validating the cultural knowledge and lived experiences students bring into the classroom. These are ideals I can stand behind, and I look forward to creating a similar space in my future classroom.

“Education must be liberating; it must encourage students to ask questions, to challenge received wisdom, and to understand their place in the social world.” - Stanley Aronowitz