The Ideal Classroom by Heidi

The Ideal Classroom by Heidi - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

The most important part of any classroom is it’s educator. I believe that one can learn in almost any setting, if the individual teaching them is excited about what they are teaching. The teacher should be well educated, fully interested on the topics that they will be teaching, and coming from a place of genuine interest of their students success. Having said that, there are many other things that can add to a great learning environment.

My ideal classroom would be a spacious environment with enough room for each student to spread out for individual work. It would also have furniture that is easy to move around for activities inside the classroom.

A classroom whose primary goal is to produce knowledgeable individuals would operate under the belief that all students have the potential to learn. There would be numerous ways to measure learning. Examples of this would be taking a test verbally in a quiet area rather then written and with the other class.

Depending on the kind of classroom, there are different needs to aide in success. For math classes, I think having white boards around the whole room is beneficial. This would allow the teacher to sit in the middle of the room and have their students each take a place at the board at the same time and work out problems. This would allow the teacher to know who might need extra help, and also allow the students to learn to work together. For other classes, I don’t think this would be necessary, however each classroom should be equipped with at least one computer that has Internet access.

In high school one of the things I noticed the most about our classrooms was that they were all grey. It was dark and dreary and did not spark much of the imagination. I think that as we get older, we forget how important it is to wake our senses using colors and pictures. With that said, having the walls painted in more inviting tones, along with posters or pictures having to do with the instructional content would allow for that level of inspiration.

Many subject are not very interesting, but are an essential part of educating oneself to learn in new ways. With the right environment, and a teacher that is truly passionate about their position and understands what an important role they play, anyone can learn and succeed. All of these elements together would give me the space to open my mind to the topics I need to learn to move forward with my education.