Teacher Interview


I have worked very close with Mayra Ramos and I think she was the perfect candidate for this assignment. Ms. Ramos is a fourth grade bilingual teacher. Ms. Ramos showcases excellent classroom management, in my opinion. Entering her classroom, you feel a sense of comfort and happiness. Her walls are filled with colorful anchor charts, rules, procedures, and motivational quotes. The atmosphere feels lovely and as it states in chapter 13, “determining a room design, rules, and procedures are the first steps toward having a well-managed class” (pg. 519). The students absolutely love her, but also respect her, which is very important. She has excellent communication with parents, and parents always tell me how much they value her. These are some reasons why I chose her for the interview.

I asked her many questions in regards to classroom management. One answer that really stood out to me was when I asked her “what are some classroom management strategies that you have tried that have worked and not worked?”. She said that she likes to privately talk to the student outside of the classroom to see what might be the problem. Addressing an issue privately and not in front of the class is imperative to creating trust and respect. She mentioned that a strategy that has not worked quite well was arguing with the student. In chapter 7 it states, “harsh punishment communicates to students that ‘might makes right’ and may encourage retaliation” (pg. 282). Arguing with students may also diminish a caring relationship with your students. And that I believe, is one of the worst things we can do as teachers.

My observation from Ms. Ramos is that she loves her students. She always stated how she tries her best to make students feel comfortable. Throughout the interview, she mentions how she attempts to get to know her students and form a positive relationship to create a bond. She also makes it a priority to involve parents as much as possible. Even when it comes to disciplining students, she makes sure students are accountable by taking a form home showing misbehavior in the class and parents have to get it signed and sent back with students. Overall she is a caring supportive teacher.

I learned a lot from this interview. Ms. Ramos mentioned that she likes to build a sense of community in her classroom. She likes to let students know she is there for them, but also makes students aware she is the authority in the classroom. Seeing how much students love her and love learning in that classroom, makes me want to work towards doing similar with my future classroom. I also want my students to feel like they are all a family and have a respectful attitude towards one another. I know that if my students feel loved and cared for, similar to Ms. Ramos’ case, they will feel confident to go above and beyond when it comes to academics.

Teacher Interview

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