I believe that one of the key things in education is having a classroom that feels like home and that nurtures students. Deeper connections with students was highlighted in previous education courses and I am a firm believer that students will not be willing to learn if we are unable to offer them a closer professional relationship with them. It is important to remember that teaching is more than reaching learning targets and showing proficiency on test scores. In my prior education courses the most important thing I learned in becoming an educator is the importance of being rooted in having community built classrooms where stronger bonds are formed in order for students to feel safe and comfortable. It is difficult for students to meet teachers half way if they feel that school is solely based on the academic part. As a future art teacher who looks forward to working with middle school and high school students,  I will make sure to foster each student and meet each classroom's needs both personally and academically as that is the core in education and it should never solely be focused on one target. One theorist I connect with now is Paulo Freire as he views education in a way that can be controversial to the traditional system. One of the ideas he mentioned was the idea of having students lay out the classroom environment for the day. Allowing students to rearrange the classroom so that they would like to learn based on the layout. He mentioned doing this everyday in his own classroom and I immediately felt connected with his work. Majority of education systems are set to the standard expectation and when this happens it limits student creativity. 

Furthermore, I want to become an educator as being a bilingual teacher is very important to me. Growing up I only had teachers who spoke English which is why there was a failure to form good bonds with them. In one of my prior field experiences I connected with an only Spanish speaking student and as someone who is bilingual I was able to foster the students needs which was a great feeling since that was something that my education lacked growing up. I know that each classroom will bring new students who come from different backgrounds and cultures. I will incorporate classroom building activities each class period even if it is just small group check in moments. One activity that I will incorporate into each art class that I teach will be the act of acknowledging celebrations. It is similar to asking students how their weeks have gone by highlighting a positive moment they have experienced. I will also ask students for a low moment and give them suggestions on how to work through their personal struggles. 

This will ensure that their personal needs are being met before getting to the academic aspects. I believe that students will be more likely to meet me halfway if I show that I care about them as more than just a student and as a real life person as well. I understand that not all students will care for this activity or even feel comfortable enough for it on the first day. So I have come up with ideas on how to help ease each student and remind them that they can confide and feel safe in having these open discussions in my classroom. I will pass sticky notes around or a scrap paper and have each student write a positive and a negative thing from their week that is either personal, academic relating or both. I will then instruct them to add their names if they feel open but will make it clear that their names will never be exposed. I will allow for appropriate commentary and will give positive feedback that pushes students to the right direction without being biased about anything discussed. This ensures that students are forming community relationships with one another and ensures their privacy. 

In conclusion, I believe that as I help form classroom environments where its a warm and welcoming feeling, it will allow me to know my students individually. The importance of knowing who my students are at core is important as it will allow me to find possible opportunities for them outside of the school environment. I believe it is important to form these relationships with students and have a warm but professional character with them in order to understand them beyond the educational stance. I will put in an effort to communicate with them in different languages and being a bilingual art teacher is what means the most to me. Being there and nurturing students, meeting them halfway to show that I care for their success.