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1- I believe that classroom management can act as a foundation for student centered and democratic classrooms by creating a classroom that is based upon give and take, student intervention, and equity.
2- According to Collins et al. (2019), democratic education can be challenging due to interference of state standards and standardized testing, and it is hard to run a democratic classroom under such specific circumstances. However, I think that classroom management can be a foundation of student centered, democratic  classrooms by allowing the students to have input on how the standards are covered and utilizing classroom discussion to decide a good course of action for a given lesson plan.
3- According to Ayers (2019), "democratic teaching is based on community building...democratic education...six themes: fostering relationships, empowering students, teaching and using democratic skills, democratic and educative structure, democratic teacher praxis, and obstacles" (p.2) Therefore, in order to have a democratic classroom, classroom management must be centered around community building and relationships.

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1- Various classroom instructional strategies and practices can create more equitable and inclusive educational experiences for diverse learners by making the instructional strategy based upon equity and the implementation of a variety of classroom tools such as a diverse classroom library, a safe outlet in which students can discuss problems without judgement, and equitable representation in course content.
2- According to Parker (2010), the best way to allow for diverse students to have an equitable and inclusive educational experience is to create a classroom that relies on diversity for success. Meaning that the classroom is based upon the students themselves and their ability to discuss and grow together, making diverse students an asset to the class because they allow for great amounts of growth, opportunity, and finally, action.
3- One strategy in the classroom that allows for diverse students to have an equitable experience is to actively practice inclusion. Meaning that rather than having a student in a wheel chair sit out of a game that involves moving around, create the game so that it allows for the student to participate with ease.
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1- According to Souers & Hall (2016) Fostering Resilient Learners, children are extremely impressionable and absorb everything around them, both the good and the bad. This means that children who have experienced trauma have absorbed that trauma, it has unfortunately become a part of them.
2- Creating a student-centered dialogic classroom space is especially important to students who have had traumatic experiences (and according to Sources & Hall, 35mil US students have). Students have to feel welcomed, important, and loved in a classroom space in oder to be successful.
3- The pedagogical approach of creating a classroom dialogue that is focused on how the content will help the students succeed / how the students will benefit from the education will allow the students to find importance in their education and for the teacher to earn the trust of the students. Moreover, created a democratic, student-centered calssroom.

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1- The reading this week from Souers & Hall (2016) Fostering Resilient Learners explained that trauma affects students abilities to be successful in a classroom space. Therefore, it is extremely important for teachers to understand this and implement classroom management strategies to allow for equitable success.
2- One example of a classroom strategy that can be implemented to create a more inclusive experience that is equitable to students who have experienced trauma is doing a daily check in of some kind and then basing the remainder of the lesson on how the students are doing.
3- Unfortunately, the American education system is designed in favor of the white, middle class, heterosexual, cisgender male student who has not experienced trauma. Teachers must take this into account and alter activities and classroom design to allow students of any and all backgrounds to succeed. For example, rather than learning about Christopher Columbus and his "heroic actions," learn about the Indigenous peoples and how Christopher Columbus mistreated them. This is just one small example.

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1- I believe that effective classroom management is the classroom which revolves around the students. Furthermore, I believe that this kind of classroom is what is called a democratic classroom. In this week's reading, I found myself digging a bit deeper to truly grasp what it means to run a classroom in a democratic manner.
2- In the reading Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators, resilience is defined as "an adaptive, dynamic process that includes an individuals interactions over time in a complex environment" (Aguilar, 3).
3- This reading combined with last week's discussion on trauma caused me to come to a very important realization. In order to center a classroom around the students, the teacher must be in a place in which they are able to be resilient. Meaning that in order to effectively manage a classroom and understand students, a teacher must first be able to manage themselves and understand their students.

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1- I think that there are a lot of different strategies to how to reach a balance in a classroom space. Pedagogical approaches provide educators with some ideas, but it is up to the teacher to truly make these strategies their own.
2- In the reading Management in the Active Classroom, the self-managed classroom was discussed. I think that this is likely the end goal for most teachers (especially middle school). The goal is to reach a balance in which students are able to be independent due to their respect for one another, the classroom space, and the teacher.
3- What I found to be most interesting though, was the fact that in order to have an effective classroom, you must believe your students are capable of functioning in an effective classroom. As educators, we must believe in our students and hope that they eventually are able to believe in themselves. The pedagogical approach of working towards a self managed classroom eventually has the power to create a democratic, student-centered, dialogic classroom space.

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1- I thought that the video this week was extremely impactful, and it immediately inspired some classroom management ideas and applications for me in regards to creating a student centered space.
2- I especially thought that the discussion on the shame shields was well done and applicable to classroom management. I think that having the shields on display in the classroom or on a hand out for every student would be a great way to embed the idea that shame makes education invisible into the foundation of the classroom.
3- I also think that this idea just goes to show how important it is to have good relationships with your students. Meaning that in order to recognize when your students put up a shame shield, you should know them well enough to know the shield and its signs / meaning. Having a student centered classroom relies upon having good relationships with the students.

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1- The takeaway from the content this week for me is that there is great power in being a teacher, because teachers can inflict a variety of emotions and experiences.
2- As someone who is white, heterosexual, cisgender, and only speaks English, I have no experience being a learner who requires differentiated instruction, because the education system caters to the middle class, white, heterosexual, cisgender, student. Combining this with the message of the video allows me to reach the realization that in order to have a classroom that creates an equitable and inclusive experience for all students, I have to be willing to break down the shame in my classroom.
3- Obviously, breaking down shame is much more complicated than it sounds. I think that it depends on valuing emotions over content. Meaning that if I can sense my students feel shame over content or feel overwhelmed or disengaged, it is my job to take a minute or two or however long it takes (meeting before or after class, etc) and figure out what I need to do to make my classroom a shame free space. I think that I am still learning and growing and am not 100% sure on how to do this, but I do know i want my classroom to be a safe space that is free of any shame, and I know part of that is to prioritize equity and inclusion.

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1- I think that classroom management is the foundation of a student centered democratic classroom. In the reading for this week, Berger discussed how creating routines that are student centered and even student created is a great way to instill motivation to do well and for students to take ownership of the classroom.
2- Going off of my previous point, I have learned as this course goes on just how important it is to create a democratic classroom. Even more so, I have began to understand that democratic classroom implies that students help create the classroom as a whole, not just the disciplinary aspects of the classroom.
3- I think that I went into this course thinking of classroom management as how to handle conflicts or disruption or things of that nature. Now that I have learned about democratic classrooms in this class, I know that classroom management is the philosophy by which the classroom is rum. It is everything from manner of communication to routines to what is displayed in the class.

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1- I think that a student centered, democratic classroom is created by utilization of a variety of techniques and pedagogical approaches. In the reading this week, it was discussed how things such as a routine oriented classroom is huge in creating a student centered space.
2- I think that as a future teacher, one of the top priorities for me will be making sure that students feel safe in my classroom. I never want them to feel as though they are not safe or are not valued. I think that putting routines in place that are created by and important to the students creates not only a sense of importance, but a sense of security and consistency.
3- At my placement, my mentor begins each class period with a minute meditation led by her. She is a certified yoga instructor, and mindfulness is a top priority to her. The students react to this routine very positively, and you can tell a difference in the students who participate and those who choose not to do so. I think my mentor does a good job of trying to do this daily regardless of what may be going on and I think it makes a big difference in the students.

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1- Classroom management can act as a foundation for student-centered and democratic classroom through the ways in which the teacher intentionally plans. According to Berger, "every group (of students) is made up of individuals with their own needs, which lends special importance to the teacher's role" (Berger, 77). Moreover, when a teacher intentionally centers their planning around the personalities of the students, it is creating a student centered classroom.
2- This can be further broken down by analyzing the creation of small groups in the classroom. Berger emphasizes the fact that when a teacher creates their small groups, their makeup should never be random. Everything should be intentional. I personally think that intentionality (for example, making group work planned around the students) is key to having a classroom that is centered around student success.
3- As a future teacher, I want to be someone who plans intentionally and always puts the needs of my students first. Even if this means spending more time on lesson planning or creating different variations of the same assignment, I believe that in order to create a classroom that is centered around the students, it is necessary to place the students first.

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1-Various classroom instructional strategies and practices can create more equitable and inclusive educational experiences for diverse learners by creating a classroom that is versatile and easily transitions to accommodate the needs of each student. Berger gives an example of how teachers can add predictability to the classroom using voice and volume control. When students understand what each voice indicates, it makes the classroom more predictable; therefore, more accommodating (Berger, 83).
2- Going off of my previous point, I think that placing emphasis on tone of voice and assigning definite meaning to the tone of voice in the classroom makes the classroom more easy to understand for English language learners. Furthermore, even if the students are unsure of exactly what the words the teacher is saying mean, they can at least pick up on the context and or directive based upon volume and tone.
3- Berger also discusses how group work can create a predictable classroom, saying "students will benefit from a set of scaffolding structures and tools to build the skills to work in groups" (Berger, 86). Placing diverse students in assigned groups with those students the teacher knows will be helpful / they will get along with is an instructional strategy that creates a more equitable classroom.

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1- Classroom management can act as a foundation for a student-centered democratic classroom when the management strategy is co-created by teacher and student and the teacher has a thorough knowledge of political issues that may disrupt the class.
2- This week's reading made me realize just how important it is for teachers to be aware of political movements and ideas. When creating a student-centered classroom, teachers should be aware of how the classroom feels politically; moreover, they should recognize their power in the politics of the class. In the article "Homework- Top 3 Pros and Cons" by ProCon.org, the main three pros of homework are the fact that it increases student achievement, helps reinforce classroom learning while developing good study habits and life skills, and allows parents to be involved with children's learning. The three main cons are that it can be harmful when done in excess, it exacerbates the digital divide, and it does not help younger students' achievement (ProCon.org, 2022).
3- I believe that a stat or stance on homework such as those stated above should be known by the teacher and shared to the students. In order to manage a classroom that is student centered, teachers must take this factual knowledge and apply it to their classroom personally. In this specific example of homework, teachers should consider items such as the digital divide and grade level before selecting homework assignments.

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1- Various classroom instructional strategies and practices can create more equitable and inclusive educational experiences for diverse learners by making students aware of classroom policy on discussion.
2- In this week's reading "No, You're Not Entitled to Your Opinion" by Patrick Stokes, he discusses the importance of addressing students as philosophers and emphasizing they are only entitled to their opinion if they can argue their opinion (Stokes). I think that laying this foundation of simultaneously encouraging respect and higher level thinking sets the tone for an extremely productive and equitable learning environment.
3- I believe many individuals use the excuse of "it is my opinion, belief, religion, etc" to be hurtful or disrespectful towards those around them, and this takes away from an inclusive educational experience. Moreover, utilizing Stokes' ideology that students (and teachers!) are only entitled to their opinions if they are able to argue it will help students flip the perspective and begin to not only use critical thinking, but have an increased respect for their classmates and those around them.