4. Learning  Environment 

Having an understanding of the responsibilities that are expected of teachers from a professional standpoint are important to be aware of so that you know what you need to uphold and abide by, not only for the sake of your students and your staff but for your own safety and overall well-being as well.  Teachers wear many different hats and juggle a variety of different responsibilities already the way it is, but perhaps more importantly than anything else, special educators have legal responsibilities that they are expected to uphold and carry out to ensure that they are truly meeting their students' needs from a legal standpoint.  Elim's school policies include a Non-Discrimination Policy which speaks to the component of this standard that discusses the importance of facilitating cultural and linguistic responsiveness.  It is important to understand the legal ramifications of what comes into play as a special educator and make sure that you are doing your best to be an advocate for your students and their families to help them reach their highest individual potential to set them up for success both within the classroom context and beyond. 

This artifact meets knowledge indicator 4F which states, "The competent teacher understands laws, rules, and ethical considerations regarding behavior intervention planning and behavior management (e.g., bullying, crisis intervention, physical restraint)."  As educators, we are mandated reporters and we have important responsibilities that we are required to uphold regarding how we carry ourselves as professionals within our daily tasks that we complete, but also largely in part how we approach working with different students and their families and making sure that we are always seeking to structure a safe and healthy learning environment for all students to thrive in.  It is necessary for educators to know what is expected of them and use this to structure the classroom environment in a way that allows all students to have success in their learning environment and where all students are met where they are and can feel safe, welcome, and represented in their classroom context. 

Throughout further exploration of this Non-Discrimination Policy, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of how a policy such as this can be transferred over into the classroom learning environment.  It shows just how important following through on mandated reporter responsibilties is and takes the idea of keeping students' best interests at heart to a whole new meaning through being an advocate in a number of capacities.  I was also able to reflect on my own thoughts and perspectives regarding this policy and reminded myself of my "why" as a teacher and how I want to make sure that I meet all of my students where they are and welcome everyone into my room with compassion and allow all of them to be represented in some way, shape, or form within my classroom context.  

Classroom management is a critical component to have within a classroom to help set students up for success, establish structure, and promote positive behavior expectations for students to follow.  The school that I have been working at and had the opportunity to complete my student teaching at is Elim Christian School.  This school implements the behavior management technique of allowing students to earn "Elim dollars" when they demonstrate positive behavior, such as showing safe hands and having a safe body throughout the entirety of a school day.  This can be adapted to fit the needs of students in different classrooms and within the context of other programs that we offer at our school, but the premise of the behavior intervention remains the same.  I think that using a classroom behavior intervention system such as this can not only help support and promote better student behavior overall, but can as a result contribute to a stronger classroom management for teachers as well.  

This artifact meets performance indicator 4O which states, "The competent teacher uses a variety of effective behavior management techniques appropriate to the needs of all students that include positive behavior interventions and supports."  Special education has some different components and implements a variety of interventions and supports for students with the intention of fading off prompts and supports over the course of time.  In order to establish a strong classroom learning environment, it is important for teachers to know their students well and determine what types of supports they will need to help them access their education and be provided with the opportunity to have as much success in their learning environment as possible.  

I already had prior background knowledge on implementing behavior intervention strategies such as this and trying to reinforce and strengthen desired positive student behavior to promote it to continue happening over the course of time, but I also learned and realized that each student is so different and not all students will be motivated by an incentive such as "Elim dollars."  That being said, teachers may have to go back to the drawing board and brainstorm some more out of the box ideas for what to implement with students who need to be supported in a different manner in order to be motivated.  This can help students work on their self-efficacy skills, motivational skills, and help them learn their strengths and areas where they may require some extra support moving forward.