RAFTing

There were definitely some similarities between white water rafting and RAFTing. They are both dangerous... well one similarity! This assignment put us all in very real scenarios that all of us will face, to some degree, in our professional careers. I feel that it is very important to establish what kind of environment your students will be in when they first enter the classroom. All students should feel as if they are equals, treated with respect and able to approach us, the teachers, if they need anything. As wonderful as it is to have the rest of the school onboard, I feel that it is not always realistic to expect it to work the way that it should. You have control of how your classroom works and and that's a good place to start. 

Having a program set up in schools that is more structured with interactive teaching of how respect is necessary for all of them to have an unhindered learning experience. Tact is importance in a classroom. It's important to respect your students first and foremost. They'll listen to you if they trust you and will feel open expressing themselves to you. Making sure that people are not alienated by dispersing groups into different learning groups and learning about each other can help. It's also important to address the student's educational needs and make sure that they are teamed up with people that where they can all contribute to each others learning in a positive way. 

When problems arise at school, yelling or punishing usually won't get the point across as well as approaching the students and having them put themselves in someone else's position. The Moslem proverb says "To understand a man, you've got to walk a mile in his shoes, whether they fit or not." I feel that  through teaching empathy, understanding follows. 

Hopefully these kinds of methods will work in my future teaching endeavors. I feel that I have challenges similar to the child who was aggressing in the classroom awaiting me in the professional world. Educating the children in the schools and teachers on what is going on and how to address situations will be quite the undertaking, but I am looking forward to the challenges and light bulbs above heads that await me.