Social Emotional Learning is another subject of profound importance to me. I've spent my student teaching time researching how to build a community of learners in a brain friendly environment. Self Science is a subject I intend to build into the curriculum when I have my own classroom. Explicitly studying how our own emotional, intellectual, and social system works will build resilience and empathy in the students.

Picture a classroom filled with student work including art, authored and illustrated books, science projects, and class-generated rules and consequence charts.  The room is "brain friendly," light blue paint, natural or daylight balanced light, plants, music; emotionally and intellectually safe.  Students have learned stress reduction techniques such as the 30 second smile, the laugh break, and freedom of movement.   

The students are all well-acquainted with one another, and have daily meetings to share news and interesting information.  They have agreed to make learning the priority, and reinforce proper behavior among one another.  They know they are responsible for their own learning.

This is my future classroom environment.  It will require my thorough organizational skills and time management to maintain the learning while not disturbing the learning environment.  I've spent many years learning to do more and more - and a big lesson I've learned from CalStateTEACH is to reflect on the doings.  Much learning penetrates the brain when we take time to reflect on what we're doing, why, and whether we choose to do things the same or differently.  It is time well spent, and should be built into the schedule.