For students to learn how to make choices that are right for them as learners, a classroom must create a safe learning environment, allowing students to know that they will not be ridiculed for their choices. The teacher must allow students to own their work, by giving the work personal meaning. Finally, teachers must be able to give students the skills of metacognition - teaching them how to “think” for themselves.

Every class followed the same routine each day, so students knew what to expect. This way, students were less confused and anxious about new topics or shifting from online learning to in-person learning. We followed the same routine every day. I would also present an agenda at the beginning of class, so as students joined the Google Meet they could look over the schedule for the day. This also allowed me to remind students of when extra help was, and whether it was an A-week or a B-week.

Making mistakes in class, especially in front of everybody, can be extremely frightening! While I didn't make mistakes myself on purpose, I am the kind of person who makes arithmetic mistakes fairly frequently. Whenever I caught myself making a mistake, I would mention it to the students, and correct myself. If it was a mistake I had seen my students make often (like forgetting a negative sign) I would use the opportunity to remind everyone how important double-checking our work is. Students felt comfortable in my classroom shouting out the wrong answer.

Often, students were halfway to the correct answer. I always made sure to let students know they were on the right path. That way, it didn't feel like they were making a mistake, but instead that they were thinking out loud. Whenever a student got an answer correct in the chat, I would always call them by their name and commend their effort, so they felt seen. I always wanted to give students credit for their work, which led to some funny experiences as a class when a student would unmute and give me the answer without me seeing their name!