According to the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, teachers are expected to provide a safe and encouraging environment for students while treating each child as an individual with diverse needs.  I will exemplify these characteristics by having high expectations for my students (and letting them know of these expectations) and by acknowledging the diversity of the cultures, religions, races, genders, and ethnicities of the students in the classroom. Specifically, many of our literary works will incorporate the diversity of cultures and people.   Incorporating the Universal Design for Learning (an approach that recognizes that students learn through different mediums and in different ways) is also an important part of my curriculum.  I also will be ready and willing to work with the needs of students with special needs by collaborating with specialists and other knowledgeable adults to find resources to enhance the learning process.