Rachel Robinson
Lev Vygotsky is the psychologist founder of the Sociocultural Development model. He theorized that children learn socially from others, and one's development is different based on social and cultural context.
Bearing this in mind, I plan to model my classroom after the Vygotskian theory. My kids can learn from each other as much as they can learn from me. I plan to create a safe space for student-centered instruction. Students will be given the opportunity to utilize and choose learning apps and websites that work for their individual learning styles.
Instead of having a list of class rules, I plan to implement a Learning Contract, or a contract between myself and each individual student (which will be signed and kept on record from the beginning of the school year) detailing what students can expect of me, and what I can expect of the students. I believe that by treating students like responsible adults, I will create a classroom culture that is respectful and responsible. High school aged kids usually will model their behavior after what is around them. Respect is like a feedback loop: if you, as an educator, exude respect and responsibility, your classes will pick up on your respect and show it themselves, which will make you respect your class' behavior, and so on.