A Tolerant Classroom

Having a tolerant classroom is more than just a good idea. It is essential. If students feel unsafe, judged, or looked down upon for any reason in a classroom it is going to limit her or his desire and ability to learn. Rather than being able to focus on the material being presented, a student who feels insecure in an intolerant environment will either be focusing on how to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible or how to put up an abrasive defense in order to protect his or her self. These types of responses will lead to negative outcomes for everyone in the class and only add to the tension and uneasiness present in the room. High school students struggle enough with insecurity and identity issues as it is. As a teacher, it is my job to make sure that I create an environment where students feel comfortable in their own skin and that as many barriers to their learning as possible are removed.

Don't misunderstand me. Students will not always have to agree in my classroom. That is the last thing I think a teacher should want. Instead I will encourage my students to respectfully disagree and hear out each others reasoning behind his or her perspective. Not only that, but students may hear things in my class that they have never heard before that challenge or contradict the way they typically think. The goal of this will not be to change the students' minds, but rather to help them think critically about issues and to stretch them to consider multiple view points.

In order to create a tolerant classroom, I will adopt some of the suggestions that the TCI approach offers such as greeting students at the door every day they come into my classroom, explaining and modeling my expectations for classroom behavior, and helping the students get to know each other through icebreakers and team building activities. Furthermore, I will be intentional about how I form my groups when it is time for students to do groupwork. On occasion it may be okay to let students decide who they want to work with, but normally I will try to create groups of mixed ability and background together in order to continue fostering cooperative and friendly relationships among my students.

As a 21st Century Teacher, it is my job to prepare students for interaction in a global society. If students cannot "tolerate differences, respect ideas, and appreciate diversity" in my classroom, then how can they be expected to do so in society? (Bower, Lobdell & Owens, 2004). If students cannot learn to work cooperatively for group assignments in my classroom, will they be prepared to engage in group work in their future jobs? Not only that, but if students are not taught to appreciate to diversity, then I feel that they are simply missing out on a fascinating aspect of human life. Ultimately, creating a tolerant classroom may not be the easiest part of my job description (especially depending on the demographics of the school), but it is arguably one of the most important.