Allie Klein

Dr. Ables
EDU 225
21 April 2016
Classroom Management Plan
Educational Philosophy:

My educational philosophy is mainly romantic and progressive. I believe teachers need to

become more interactive with their students, especially with children in elementary school. At
these ages, children are naturally curious learners and teachers need to encourage that curiosity
as much as possible, for it will grow into a natural love of learning that will stay with them for
the rest of their lives. In my own classroom, I will encourage individuality and creativity. My
students will work on problem solving, do many hands-on activities, and will be given the
opportunity to learn in the way they do best, individually. I try my best to tailor lessons to
specific students learning styles and encourage my students to accept their uniqueness. I also try
to encourage high self-esteem. It is so important for children to realize that they are all important
and worthy of an education, and even though some may struggle more than others, they are
always capable of succeeding. Many children dont get the support they need at home and a
strong support system is critical for them to grow up as successful students. I will try to be a
source of love and support for my students, as well as give them constructive criticism when
needed, only ever in their best interests.
Classroom Procedures:
At the start of the day, students will come in and I will give them time to chat and mingle
with each other. Every morning I will have a positive/uplifting song playing while they walk in.

At this time, I will also walk around and chat with my students, talking with them about anything
they want to. I feel that this is a great way to start the day, and usually sets us in a pretty good
mood. I will have the students do lunch count during this time as well and give them reminders
periodically to do this. When its time to get the day started, I will have the students settle into
their seats and we will watch announcements, do the pledge, and then have a moment of silence
to reflect on making good choices for the rest of the day. The last thing we will do before we start
class will be going over the classroom rules together, hand motions included. Every day, we will
have blocks for the subjects we need to cover, having short brain breaks in between the blocks.
These brain breaks could include playing a quick round of Simon Says, watching a Just
Dance video on YouTube and doing the dance moves together, or even having a mid-morning
working snack if permitted. I believe that these breaks are crucial to staying efficient during
the day, and they give students a way to get active for a few minutes and release some energy.
At the end of every day we will have wrap-up time where we will quickly go over the
things we did and learned that day. This allows students to refresh their memories after a long
day of learning. We will also have self-recognition time where the students will be able to, if they
want, raise their hands and tell the class something they did/accomplished that they were proud
of, whether that be academically related or not. I may also use this time to recognize some
students if I have noticed something myself. Next, I will remind the students of anything they
need to do for homework and give them time to write their assignments in their agendas. Lastly,
we will say our classroom mantra together: I am strong. I am kind. I am brave. I am wise. And I
am capable of amazing things. I plan on having a poster that says this near the front of the room
as well. I think this is a great way to end the day, and hopefully my students will have it
memorized before too long.

Absent Work: Students who are absent only one or two days will simply receive their
work the day they return, and they will have the same number of days they were absent to
complete it and turn it into me. Longer absences will require a phone call with the
parent/guardian, and I will give them a time to stop by the school and pick up any
necessary work for their child.

Late work: If a student does not have the necessary work completed on time, I will have
them complete it during flex time/free time at the end of the day. If it is still not
completed, I will send a note home to the parent with the late work, saying that it is late
and must be completed by the next day.

Classroom Rules:
The rules I have for my classroom are created in part by myself and also by my class for
that year. On the first day, we will spend some time together coming up with 3 or so rules to add
to the list I will have already created. These are the rules I will stick to no matter what:
1. Always be respectful and honest
-

Listen to whoever is talking

Be quiet so others can focus and learn too!

Dont lie, cheat, or steal. Respect others possessions and work!

2. Try your best and try new things!

-

Always read and listen to directions

If you dont know what to do, try it first then ask for help!

3. Be patient and take turns

-

Show respect for your classmates by giving them space and time to complete their
learning activities!

4. Only use kind and uplifting words

-

We want our friends to know we love them and care about them!

5. Take risks and make mistakes!

-We are all trying new things in this class, even myself, so dont be scared to make
mistakes and keep going!
I will then work with my class to come up with some more rules that we can agree on together,
and have them sign the rules poster to show our agreement to work as a team for the rest of the
year. I will put these rules in my parent newsletter and brochure, as well as show them to the
principle and administrators if necessary. My parent brochure will be given out at the schools
open house so the students can come prepared for their first day! I realize that these rules will
often be broken, but I plan to go over them at the beginning of every single day in order to keep
them focused. I will also remind the students that they signed the poster, which shows their
agreement! If a student consistently breaks one of the rules, I will have an individual
conversation with the student about what is happening and how to improve his/her behavior.
I want to make sure my class rules reflect the values that are most important to me,
including creativity, honesty, kindness, and respectfulness. I feel that with this set of rules I have
laid out, I am setting a positive tone for the class and for the rest of the year. I also feel that the
act of having the students come up with some of their own rules makes the rules seem more
important to them, and then they will be more likely to follow them. I will also be willing to add
more rules to the list if that becomes necessary throughout the year, in order to address a
common issue.
Discipline Plan:

In my classroom, I prefer to use SODAS for my problem solving method (Hensley 29). I
feel this method does a good job of breaking down issues and it also promotes thoroughly
thinking through the situation. If there is a conflict between two students, I will expect them to
work through the process of SODAS individually, especially if they are older students. If they
are younger, I will work through SODAS along with them and help them come up with the best
solution. For students that are exhibiting positive behaviors, I will obviously comply with
whatever is in place for the school as a positive reinforcement tool, such as tickets or fake
money. For my own classroom, I will always verbally say positive comments to students who are
being good role models, or even write them a note and leave it in their desk if I know the student
prefers to be discreet.
For overall behavior management, I will use a calendar system rather than a clip up,
clip down chart. I feel that these charts can be embarrassing for students and can cause
emotional stress. Instead, I will write in their individual calendars at the end of the day. If a
student had an amazing day, he/she will get a stamp and a good note home to go along with it. If
it was an average day, he/she will just get a stamp. If there was a behavioral issue that day, there
would be a note to the parent in the calendar describing the issue and rule that was broken, as
well as a necessary parent signature. I will have private conversations with students who are
having bad behavior days and I will discuss the rule that was broken and remind them how they
agreed to the rules at the beginning of the year. I would then discuss options for the student to
improve on the behavior, and stay as positive as possible while also being firm on my
punishment. I dont believe in publicly calling students out unless absolutely necessary. I try to
call as little attention to the issue so as not to distract the other students.

For my personal tactic of thinking through behavioral issues, I prefer to use the
ABC Pattern, which consists of thinking through the Antecedents, Behavior, then
Consequences (Hensley 42). This tactic gives me the ability to slow down and really consider
every aspect of the behavioral infraction, and think about appropriate action and consequences
from myself as the teacher. I can decide if I feel the need to take something away from the
student, have a stern talk with them, or leave it at a simple note in their calendar.
Overall, in terms of discipline, I feel that the best thing to do is simply remind my
students of the classroom rules, every single day. I know there will still be plenty of behavior
problems, but I really feel that if my students have a constant reminder of the rules we have
decided on together as a class, they will be more likely to consider them before making an
unfavorable behavior choice. It also gives me something to hold the students accountable to, as
well as teaches them to hold themselves accountable for their own actions. If the class as a whole
is doing a great job at following the rules, it will earn them points that could result in fun things
such as extra recess, watching an educational movie/video, or even something food-related like
an ice cream party! This will encourage the students to stay focused on the rules and keep their
behavior in check!

Works Cited
Hensley, Michele, Walter Powell, Susan Lamke, and Scott Hartman. Well-managed Schools:
Strategies to Create Productive and Cooperative Social Climate in Your Learning
Community. Boys Town: Boys Town, 2011. Print.