" Needs and Choices ": A Reflective Classroom Teacher 21

Everyone in the classroom has the same set of basic needs, and that includes you, the teacher. Like our students, we choose various methods to meet those needs. Unlike your students, you should have internalized the concept of delayed gratification by the time you receive your first teaching certificate. At least that is what should have happened at this stage of your life. However, that will always be the perception that life could be better and at times this leads us to the state of frustration.
To calm the waters of discontent we are often too quick to make choices that are not wise. Perhaps a more prudent approach is the path to take. As teachers, we must often delay our responses to a situation and to complex issues because our choices often affect lives for a considerable amount of time.
Perhaps it would be wise to take a closer look at these needs and how they affect our instruction and management skills. During this reflection, we must remind ourselves that students are also making choices at the same time we are to meet their needs. Consider how this complex process of analyzing needs and making choice to meet those needs; affects the ability of everyone in the classroom to function as a team. As teachers we must remind ourselves, as well as our students, that there is always a consequence for poor choices.
1.Challange and Support:
Consider the child or the teacher who does not feel safe in the classroom. What if they do not feel it is a safe place to take risks, to fail and try again and again. What if a student or teacher is the victim of bullying? When the fear of failure becomes so overpowering, why would those affected want to be in school?
Teachers and students, who are preoccupied with basic survival needs, can-not be effective at teaching or at learning. The teacher must provide a safe harbor for the students to learn and the school district has an obligation to provide a safe place to teach, When the teacher suspects that the student is affected by survival issues, those concerns must be reported to the proper authorities. The school is the last place a child should feel fear.
2. Love Me Tender
Very simple, we all need to get and receive affection. We need social connections and when we cannot meet that need in a conventional manner we use all manners of poor behavior to eliminate our frustrations. There are teachers who will buy the affection of their students. They purchase this social connection by compromising their spiritual-self. They will inflate grades, give false praise, lessen expectations and accept mediocrity as a legitment goal.
It is a terrible thing to sell your integrity in order to feel you belong. The fact is, both teachers and students can be guilty of making choices in this need area. W will address the poor choices of students later in this work. What a terrible price for a teacher to pay; in order to feel acceptance. Surely, there are more productive methods to improve on one's self-esteem.
The point here is that we can-not expect other to accept us in totality. We all have warts that others do not like. If the teacher can establish the respect of their students by demonstrating; positive expectations, knowledge of subject matter, fairness and management skills then there is no need to sell out for acceptance. Only the poorly prepared teacher continually resorts to this tactic of external rewards. Students do not have to love you for you to be effective.
3.Let Me Do It Myself:
We all need to know that we have some control of our own lives. To be constantly micro-managed by another person is not acceptable behavior in a well-managed school or classroom. Both teacher and student must feel they have choices and experience the freedom of independence. We all need to reflect on our motives when we seek to control others. We never get any taller standing on top of another individual. All we do is diminish that individual's self-worth and tarnish our own humanity.

4.I Am Worthy:
We have value as an individual. We can achieve. We believe that what we are and what we do is good, is right and important. We have a positive self-concept. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every student and teacher believed this statement. That of course is not the case. So many of us are disappointed in our lives and our abilities. It seems such a shame that we are incapable of the acceptance of ourselves and our achievements. We continue to hold on to our failures and not let them die a natural death. Self-doubt is such an evil condition. It robs us of our very will to experience life. Without this power of self -acceptance, we constantly seek that which is safe and within our perceived limits. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give or receive is an honest complement of a job well done.
As teachers, we realize how important it is to provide tasks to our students where they can experience the pride of a job well done. We also must realize that we have our limitations. When we take off our shirts, we are not wearing a wonder women or superman costume. We all have plural potential to achieve, but we are not perfect. Failure is inevitable. That failure can never be allowed to over-shadow an individual's successes. That is not honest self-reflection. That is false pride and must be addressed as such.
Much of our self-worth is based on our ability to observe ourselves objectivity. At times, we all need a reminder from others that we are good, we are right and we are important.
6.Laughter:
The day that there is no longer laughter in our classrooms will be the cue to step aside and allow another to take our place. When we can no longer find joy in teaching and in the children, we must be honest and admit that we are probably doing more harm, than good. We are probably performing and not teaching.
Our lack of joy in what we do makes for a long non-productive experience. We take ourselves into that classroom and we cannot leave our discontent outside. We teach our children what we are. We must teach they the joy of learning and of laughter. As teacher, we want to see their joy as they discover for the first time.
We want them to do fun things and have a positive feeling about learning. The world is too sad without the laughter of children. Teachers must make an effort to provide at least one oasis for happiness for themselves and their students. That one place should be our classrooms. Joy will always start and end with the acceptance of self.