I am especially focused on trying to awaken students to the potential of civic engagement, whether that be through official means or through more informal involvement. The fraught political climate has made many young people "check out" of current events, which is understandable. A conducive classroom environment, as mentioned by Kellough and Kellough, can help to model a safe and pluralistic world. Having practice in participating in a community like this can be valuable training for when the students enter the adult world.

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training."- Archilochus

With that being said, I will enter the classroom as an adult with expertise in pedagogy and the social sciences, not as a dictator. An environment of collaboration and the exchange is important to me, along with maintaining mutual respect.

An overreliance on any one form of technology both limits the possibilities of learning for different types of students, and also restricts the resilience of the curriculum. No one system will work perfectly at all times, and so using a variety of technologies (including non-digital ones) allows for day-to-day flexibility in fulfilling the scope of the class.

Translation and/or transcription services are immensely useful for language learners and for those with processing issues, and I will encourage their use whenever possible. Similarly, any other accessibility technology will be warmly welcomed into the classroom, and I will commit myself to learning to use them effectively to aid my students.

Unless the campus has other rules, all student cell phones will need to be placed in backpacks before start of class, and the backpacks would need to be stored under the desks.

The overall campus rules will still apply on matters of personal safety and restriction against harassment in its many forms, and those will be foundational tenets that will be included in the class constitutions.

Any violations of the class constitution will come with agreed upon consequences, unless they are part of the stated campus-wide rules, which will follow the graduated consequences of the campus. Having a more democratic approach will allow the implementation of consequences over punishments, as highlighted by Kellough and Kellough.

This would involve giving very clear expectations, and grading based strictly on those expectations. As mentioned in my classroom management section, I want to create a sense of reciprocal respect and responsibility. This means holding myself to the same standard of effort as I would hold the students to.

The physical setup of the seats will depend on what subject is being taught, though a setup that encourages collaboration will be a major focus. "Four tops" will be a leading example of this, to encourage small group work. Quarterly seat changes will also be important, to encourage a larger sense of community in the classroom.

Like many other UC Davis students, my approach to the social sciences is based in critical evaluation and re-evaluation of accepted narratives. While this approach brings with it a high chance of controversy, I will repeatedly echo the above quote. This especially will apply to any criticisms towards the United States and our history.

We are not uniquely good or bad as a nation and worldwide hegemon, but we are absolutely uniquely powerful, and that unique level of power demands a unique level of scrutiny.

I eventually found out that I was profoundly deaf in my left ear, something that generally doesn't affect my life now that I know how to work around it. As a child, it was undiagnosed and I was seen as either inattentive or would fatigue quickly. Once I was able to identify the issue I began the process of working with my own abilities.

My secondary education was mostly a negative experience, both due to sub-par schools and my own educational trauma surrounding my upbringing.

As I got through my 20's, I got more interested in academics and pursuing a higher education.