| The purpose of this inquiry is to record and analyze my teaching experiences as a student teacher at a diverse inner city middle school in Tacoma, WA. I focus on an analysis of some of my experiences in which I attempted to foster a safe, caring classroom community of grade six students in a block class of social studies and language arts. I strove to create a classroom climate conducive to allow students to engage in timely post-September 11th, 2001, reflective and critical thinking practices around my unit: “Roots of Violence, Seeds of Peace.” The incidents covered in the thesis fit into one of four themes: teaching classroom procedures; creating quality individual relationships with students; teaching important social skills; fostering active student involvement in shaping the curriculum and classroom community. |
