In designing my classroom to the way I treat my students, I have tried to be holistic and proactive. For example, teachers feel pressured to have a lot of posters, rules, and student products all over the walls; as someone with ADD, this type of environment is stress-inducing. Since moving to a new room two years ago, my classroom aesthetic has been pretty minimalist. Students have commented that my room is calming, and they can think about what they are learning without being bombarded by stimuli.

When Douglas Thomas stated, ‘Learning is something we do from when we are born until the day we die, and for most of our lives it is natural, and it is effortless, everywhere but school’ as a teacher, that stung a little. No teacher wants to make life more difficult for their students (Thomas 2012).

As a department of US History, we are trying to include more kinesthetic activities, games, and student choices. However, the breakneck speed at which we need to cover the content so that we are finished before the STAAR test (TX state assessment) is insane. I feel like I get about 5-10 minutes to explain a concept then we have to move on. This makes time for practice, reflection, much less play almost impossible.

Thomas, D. (2012). A New Culture of Learning. YouTube. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U