Introduction

Today begins my new blog about my journey to become a teacher. 

For a moment, I struggled to find a title. Something about "future teacher" wouldn't work because I want this blog to live into the days where I'm a "real teacher." Ms. H's classroom wouldn't work, either, because I don't precisely have a classroom—and I won't for at least a year. But then I came up with Raising the Bar Classroom.

I believe teachers should raise the bar and expect more of their students. 

I believe that if you hold your students to a higher standard, they're going to perform.

I haven't worked a lot in a classroom other than the observation hours I completed for my Education minor at Centre, which was about 75 hours, I would assume. 

I have, however, worked with kids quite a bit. For five years, I have worked through the local recreation department as a cheerleading coach. Every year, the season culminates with an exhibition where the girls get to show off a dance routine and a longer cheer, if they wish. Some teams simply do a few sideline cheers—the same ones they do at all of the basketball games. I believe this is cheating the girls. For my team, I composed a long competition-style routine and long cheer. We worked hard. Very hard. The routine was difficult for even the most experienced girls on the squad, and many of the girls had never cheered before my time with them. At the exhibition, my squad—composed of girls from preschool to second grade—performed a routine that was more difficult than any other routine performed at the exhibition, even by the third-sixth grade squads.

Were my girls exceptionally talented?

Not necessarily. I had some talent on my squad, like all of the other squads likely did. 

My girls were good because I would not let them be mediocre. I knew they could perform the routine I choreographed for them. I held them to a high standard—and they performed.

I want to translate that into my future classroom. I want to expect bigger and better things from my students.