As a teacher my aims in the classroom are to provide and teach students skills. Whether the skills are math based, social, physical (such as handwriting), or language based. Such skills are tools for the student to use while learning and living. Equally important, however, is that the students feel safe, feel respected, and learn how to respect each other. So I must provide a room designed to encourage the development of these skills, and a rewards system and a routine that are consistent from day to day. 

I believe that if a teacher can gain the trust of her/his students, the students will strive to achieve the goals the teacher asks of them. I believe that such trust depends upon the teacher's sincerity, teaching skill, and ability to judge when a goal is appropriate but also challenging for a student. Continual reassessment must occur. Joy, too must be expressed and shared in the classroom. Successes must be celebrated and failures must be addressed as learning experiences rather than losses. Such experiences in the classroom can prepare students for the world at large.