My Take on the Fifties by Shaina

My Take on the Fifties by Shaina - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

An ideal classroom environment. Hands on. Activities. No phones. Outside when possible. Small Size. Personable teachers. Safe. WARM.

From my experience you have to be comfortable to learn. Comfortable physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physically- The chairs should not hurt your back, and you shouldn't have to shiver in class.

Mentally- The room shouldn't be filled with so many posters that your eye wanders, and the colors shouldn't be talking.

Emotionally- Your feelings should be respected and never should you be made fun of.

Activities and lessons should engage students. They should be hands on, yet still relevant to the material. Cell phones should not be allowed in the room, ever. When it is sunny out and 70 degrees no student ever cares about calculus. Bring them outside and let them learn on the grass. My physics class has 41 students, mostly boys, all stuck in a tiny room. That is a horrible environment to learn in. The teachers shouldn't speak in a monotone voice. No one can learn when they are asleep. When teachers are intimidating they scare off students who need help. Never should a student feel threatened, scared, or be harmed in school. That should be the one place where they always feel safe and cared for.

When all of these conditions are met, students are comfortable, they feel safe, they can enjoy school.