With arguably the most important career possible, it is extremely important that all teachers are thoroughly screened and trained. It is not enough for a new teacher to understand the subject matter he/she is teaching. He/she must also understand the way that children develop and be able to foster the needs of a developing student. Every aspect of classroom management should be taken into careful consideration, and every student should be given every opportunity to grow and succeed.
One crucial element that must be considered is the psychological setup of the classroom. The classroom must be a supportive and caring environment. Students must feel comfortable that any appropriate question will be answered to the best ability of the teacher. To accomplish this, the teacher must become acquainted with his/her students. Simple questions about student's interests and hobbies can often create a strong bond between student and teacher.
The physical setup of the room must also be carefully planned. Every step should be taken to surround the student in positive role models. Seating arrangements should be created in hopes that students will begin to construct their own knowledge through group interaction. This means that desk "clusters" could be considered a good idea when arranging. Students are given constant varying viewpoints and their ideas are challenged.
As educators, it is also our job to teach the students diversity in all aspects of learning in order to enable the students to make educated decisions. Diversity must be shown in every field of study from science to history. All areas of study contain some situation or instance where diversity can be shown and examined. Differences in approaches at learning or views that oppose popular traditional views, if factual and relevant, should always be incorporated in classroom discussions in order to give students the widest variety of knowledge.
I never noticed that when I walk into a classroom week after week, I instinctively go for the same desk and if that desk is taken by another student, I not only feel lost but I feel the urge to fight for "my" territory. ...