Ms. Danielle Brunson

Creating a happy, healthy, and productive classroom is much like cooking a delicious, savory pot of soup. There are innumerable recipes, varieties of ingredients, and manors of preparation able to bring about a warm and satisfying final product. The classroom is no different with its variety of teaching styles, learning tools, and school environments all impacting the experience a child has while growing in their education. It is my task as a teacher to jump into the kitchen and orchestrate those elements to create a classroom that leaves my students feeling safe, inspired, and engaged in their learning experience. And just as a chef grabs a wooden spoon to taste test along the way, I too will continuously evaluate my teaching choices and classroom structure to ensure students are feeling warm and satisfied in their learning.

My recipe for a productive and healthy classroom incorporates a diversity of beliefs about the overall balance and skills children should develop throughout their education. At the foundation, relationships with and between students are where it all begins. Through intentional interactions and conversations with students, I constantly strive to help them recognize my role as their supporter, mentor, and facilitator of learning. As I gain insight into their perspectives and experiences, a natural supportive environment emerges, having a powerful influence on classroom management. Students in my classroom will learn to celebrate the diversity of knowledge that everyone brings to the table, and how those differences enhance our understanding of the world.

Recognizing that we learn in a variety of ways, lessons and learning opportunities should allow children to work different parts of their brains. Different avenues can reach the same goals. As children work with language, science, mathematics, technology, and countless other subjects, they should experience a freedom in trying different strategies to reach their solutions. Furthermore, STEM concepts, the arts, and multiple cultural representations should be comfortable and meaningful to every child. These fields and perspectives are not limited to those who excel in them.

My passion for incorporation of the arts is evident in my teaching style and it is my hope that students will find my classroom to be a fun place where they can let their creativity and individuality grow. My recipe for a healthy classroom will change as I grow in my practice, and will certainly differ with every group I work with. Just as the chef always strives to create the most delicious soup they can serve, I will always seek to create a classroom filled with rich and meaningful learning experiences for each and every student.