Zachary Bryan

Classroom Environment Philosophy

Introduction

My classroom is a judgement free place for high school students to receive physics education.

All students in my class should feel free to express themselves, and should never feel as if they

are disadvantaged. All students in my class will be treated with equal respect, and disciplined

equally for equal situations. Students should leave my class feeling as if they learned something,

even if that something isn’t directly related to course material or if they are not interested in it.

Belief Statement

1) I believe that all students have the right to an equal opportunity at education.

All students in the public education system, regardless of race, orientation, economic and social

status, should have the same opportunity for the same education. I plan to, to the best of my

ability, provide as many resources as I can to make my class a level playing field for all students.

2) I believe that all students should feel able to be themselves at school.

No student at school should feel that they are unwelcome at school or in any class due to

personality traits. I plan to make sure that my students know this up front, and that anything
 Zachary Bryan
Classroom Environment Philosophy
about them that they or others think is “weird” or “uncool” is a part of them and doesn’t mean

they should be excluded.

3) I believe that the student-teacher relationship is a two-way relationship.

I plan to ensure that my students know that I value their opinions and will respect them as long

as they respect me. I plan to have as close to an open door policy is possible in public education,

with regards to not only my class but any issues.

4) I believe all students have a voice.

All students have the right to be heard and validated. Provided they are within reason, no student

will have their opinion dismissed.

5) I believe in equal discipline.

In my classroom, no student will ever be treated unfairly in one regard or another. Any student

who commits an infraction will receive the same disciplinary action as any other would for the

same infraction within reason. Repeat offenders will have appropriate escalation.

South Lenoir High School

 Zachary Bryan
Classroom Environment Philosophy
August 2019

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to High School Physics at South Lenoir High School. I am looking forward to having

your child in my class this semester. Physics is a very challenging, but exciting and rewarding

course that emphasizes and develops critical thinking skills, as well as leaning heavily on

algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. As a result, a trig capable calculator is mandatory for this

course, and a graphing calculator is recommended but not required.

In order to foster a positive and successful learning environment, cooperation is stressed in my

classroom. Each section will be either opened or closed with a lab, which will push students to

work together to discover new information for themselves. I hope to encourage students to

respect each other and to build teamwork strategies in order to build these skills for a career in a

field of science.

In addition to the rules and guidelines established by the school, following are my rules and

expectations for my classroom:

1) Respect the teacher and all classmates

2) All students voices are equally valued

3) All students have an equal right to equal knowledge

Homework will be assigned on Monday each week, and will be due the next Monday. Students

are allowed and encouraged to work together on homework assignments. Students will also have
 Zachary Bryan
Classroom Environment Philosophy
opportunities for extra credit by completing a journal entry about a current event in any field of

science. Extra credit will be applied to the next test. Tests will be and the end of each section. I

will hold a vote during the first week of class to determine whether students would rather have

tests on Monday to give an extra weekend to study, or Friday at the end of the week.

Students will come home with progress reports every other Friday. I encourage students to work

on homework and practice problems for at least two hours a week in order to result in the best

grade possible. I encourage you to contact me if you have any concerns with your child’s grades,

or for any other reason. I am more than happy to be flexible and accommodating for your child’s

needs. You need not wait for parent-teacher meetings to get in touch with me. Please feel free to

contact me at any time via email at zbryan@lcpss.edu, at my office during hours at 252-568-

XXXX, or at home at 252-560-XXXX. I look forward to hearing from you and to having your

child in my class!

Sincerely,

Mr. Zachary Bryan