IV.

Letter to Parents
November 5, 2017

Dear Parent or Guardian,

My name is Miss Bazen and it is my privilege to be your childs pre-service, co-teacher

with Mrs. Nicolette. Team teaching with Mrs. Nicolette has been an amazing journey thus
far, and I am excited to see what the rest of the year brings! As a pre-service teacher, I wanted
to reach out and share how we establish our classroom and welcome your child into a
conducive environment for learning. The first day of second grade at Kenowa Hills Alpine
Elementary, we begin with the very basics. In fact, the first week is set aside so that teachers
can establish procedures and expectations for the entire school year. It is crucial that
classroom community and those expectations are clearly set and are fully established before
moving on to any content because the expectations and procedures are the backbone of any
lesson. Once these procedures and expectations are set, the learning of content may then
begin. The reason for this is that with those procedures in place, the delivery of the content
is much easier because the teacher is less focused on managing behaviors and is more
focused on delivering the content.

Specific procedures and expectations are set by first modelling what is expected of
the scholars and then by calling on models to show what the rest of the class should look and
sound like when transitioning to the next item on our agenda. The most important procedure
is establishing a way of getting the scholars attention, which we do by saying Scholars
Freeze and they freeze in place (silently) and listen for their next instruction. The second
most important procedure is having the scholars send messages to the rest of the class when
their own learning is being interrupted by another scholar who is choosing to not pay
 attention. This has the scholars keep each other in check, which means less behavior
management that the teacher must address. The third important procedure is simply setting
up a daily routine. Establish what to do as soon as you hang up your coat and backpack.
Establish when it is okay to go to the bathroom and when it isnt. Once all of your procedures
are in place, then give the scholars responsibility for their own actions by giving them the
power of choice. Choices that help guide them throughout the day such as, You can choose
to do this now or later during your free time (recess) your choice. Either time works for
me. Choices and expectations are what guide our classroom. Choices are in the hands of the
scholars, but they also know that having the power of choice means that they are not freed
from the consequences of their choices.

Giving the scholars choices gives them more ownership in the classroom and conveys
to them that they are important and that what they think is valued. Feeling valued and
knowing their role in the classroom is vital for all scholars because they want to fit in. Once
that classroom community is established and they feel that they have a role in the classroom,
they are more likely to learn because they are less focused on fitting in and more focused on
what is being taught. Thank you for an amazing opportunity to learn alongside with your child
this year while I finish my degree at Grand Valley State University! Please feel free to contact
me on my personal cell phone at any time by calling (616) 216-5351 OR you can email me at
any time with any questions, comments, or concerns at bazens@mail.gvsu.edu. You can also
always contact Mrs. Nicolette or myself via our classroom Facebook page as well (search
Rebecca NicoletteTeacher).

Kind Regards,

Miss Bazen
Student Teacher

Bazen 2
khps.org
Alpine Elementary School 4730 Baumhoff NW, Comstock Park MI 49321 P 616.784.0884 F 616.784.1228
 V. Knowledge Base
Thanks to personal life experiences, teachers and professors that have impacted my life,

tutoring for classes, and work experiences I am able to say that my philosophy of who I am as

an educator has developed and changed over the years. Who I once thought I was has changed

and adapted as I have grown through my experiences. I think that any healthy educator not

healthy in the sense of diet/exercise but healthy meaning always adapting and always

growing will change as they grow. I would have to say that my first place to thank for my

knowledge would be GRCC and especially a huge shout out to Mrs. Vilmont. She is one

educator that I had for my Child Development classes and I will never forget her. I learned so

much about how the childs brain develops and what part of the brain can learn first and all the

amazing things that can be discussed when referring to Child Development. I even specifically

remember learning how to set up an effective classroom designed for learning and not for

teaching. There is a big difference if you think about it. Is the classroom set up as the teachers

classroom or is it a shared classroom where the scholars have some ownership? You can tell

based on the outward appearance of the classroom.

Another avenue that has significantly taught me is the tutoring that we did for our

Undergraduate degree at GVSU. All of my placements for tutoring were great schools, but none

compare to the school I am at for my placement for Teacher Assisting and Student Teaching.

Kenowa Hills Alpine Elementary is like my new little family and second home. I love being there

and every single day I learn something new. I am always finding new ways to implement

Bazen 3
khps.org
Alpine Elementary School 4730 Baumhoff NW, Comstock Park MI 49321 P 616.784.0884 F 616.784.1228
 something that was learned at GVSU and always looking for new ways to engage the scholars.

My experience that I have gained from being there is truly priceless and the connections alone

that I have made are incredible. The staff are like family and all of the grade level teachers

collaborate and share work so that all the scholars are learning the same things, just taught in

different ways.

Another obvious avenue or aspect of my journey that has led me to where I am at today

was attending GVSU. I never aspired that I would go to such an outstanding university for

education and now looking back, I would never trade it for a single thing in the world. Grand

Valley has given me so many rich opportunities throughout my entire collegiate career and for

that I am incredibly thankful. I am ecstatic that I will be graduating come April 2018 after seven

years of college (three years of Child Development and four years of Elementary Education /

ELA). Graduation will be a bittersweet goodbye since life as I knew it will be over, but a better

chapter in my life is finally here! I cannot wait to turn the page and begin my Elementary

Education career. Thank you to all who supported and shaped me throughout this long journey

and to all who made it possible for this journey to continue. A sincere thank you, again.

Sincerely,

Miss Bazen
Student Teacher

VI. Weebly - If you would like to reach me or would like more information about me - you
may view my professional online portfolio at www.sharlabazen.weebly.com.
COMING SOON! I plan to create a Miss Bazens Classroom Weebly with lots of safe resources anyone can
access at any time!

Bazen 4
khps.org
Alpine Elementary School 4730 Baumhoff NW, Comstock Park MI 49321 P 616.784.0884 F 616.784.1228