Safe Learning Environment

To be considered proficient in this CAP Element, a teacher candidate must "use rituals, routines, and appropriate responses that create and maintain a safe physical and intellectual environment where students take academic risks and most behaviors that interfere with learning are prevented. (Guidelines for the Candidate Assessment of Performance). 

         Teaching starts with creating a safe environment for your students. You could be the best teacher in the world, but if your students do not feel comfortable in your classroom, they will not absorb any information. Creating a safe environment can be as simple as making sure your students know that they are welcomed as they are. I like to say hi to my students as they enter the classroom and ask them how their day is going. I recognize that there's a world that exists beyond my classroom and that my students go through a lot in a day. I began making these check-ins a part of our daily routine. I would include a meme-scale of the day to get a better idea of how my students were doing. It also helped to facilitate teacher-to-student and student-to-student conversations and gave students an opportunity to vent. In addition, if there is anything that I can help with outside of the classroom, I will try my best to do so. For instance, I helped edit a number of my students' college essays. 

          I always encourage questions (there are no dumb questions!) and for my students to make mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn. My classroom should be a place where it is okay to make mistakes and to try again. There is no judgment when students share their thoughts or questions. When I am giving feedback, I do so in a positive and kind way. When I do my rounds, I try my best to get to know all of my students, their hobbies and interests, and what makes them unique. 

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