# data[].attributes.body
My take-away for week 2 is one of the ideas in the poem: we may not always feel joy while we serve as teachers, but if we can endure when things become discouraging, that joy will return.

# data[].attributes.body
This week 2 work has made me think about how important it is to keep your cool during hard times in your classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
When an effective teacher says something, he/she means it. Express expectations clearly and early in the year and follow through!

# data[].attributes.body
The one thing I will take away from week two, is that I need to have high expectations for students, but even higher expectations for myself!

# data[].attributes.body
Praising students has many positive rewards, but the praise needs to be genuine, specific, immediate, clean (not critical) and one to one with the student.

# data[].attributes.headline
Shannon Aspen. One thing I am taking away this week, is that it is not so much WHAT programs or methods I use but HOW I implement them.

# data[].attributes.subject
Shannon Aspen. One thing I am taking away this week, is that it is not so much WHAT programs or methods I use but HOW I implement them.

# data[].attributes.body
There were a lot of great things that I took away from this week, but the most important thing that I took away was the importance of setting expectations at the beginning of the year.

# data[].attributes.body
When dealing with undesired behaviors in the classroom, our only goal must be to prevent the behaviors from happening again and not to punish the student because "angry students are a problem, not a solution" (Whitaker 26).

# data[].attributes.body
Successful classroom management is determined more by my own behavior (building relationships, setting expectations, being consistent, and treating students with respect) than that of the students.

# data[].attributes.body
Our Week 2 work made me think of a quote that I often use in my undergraduate classes.

I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”  ~Haim Ginott

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that I am in control of my environment and mood in the classroom, and that I always have the power to change.

# data[].attributes.body
Planning is the key to prevention which helps teachers avoid reaction when handling classroom behavior challenges.

# data[].attributes.body
My biggest take-away from this week has been reading all of my group members posts and learning from their stories! So encouraging.

# data[].attributes.body
Expectations are the teacher's bread and butter.

# data[].attributes.body
To be an effective teacher you need to state clear expectations at the beginning of the year and be consistent with reinforcing them in a positive way throughout the school year.

# data[].attributes.body
Overall, teachers constantly think about who they are and how they teach in order to improve as educators

# data[].attributes.body
I found a lot of inspiration in reading chapter 10, specifically the following quote: "Great teachers consistently filter out the negatives that don't matter and share a positive attitude."

# data[].attributes.body
A positive attitude about the students, my school, my colleagues, the parents, my job or even myself is the greatest gift that I can give to myself and those around me.

# data[].attributes.body
My biggest take-away from this week was self-reflecting on our teaching experiences where we demonstrated qualities of effective teachers and thinking about expectations and setting them not only for our students, but for ourselves as well in order for everyone to be successful.

# data[].attributes.body
Having high expectations for yourself and your students will lead to better success in your classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
One thing I learned from Week 2 was that I have all the students on my side at the beginning of the year, so I need to be very careful of how I handle discipline with each student so the students don't leave "my side."

# data[].attributes.body
High expectations and following through with them, are the biggest piece in the foundation of a successful classroom.