Classroom Management Plan, year 1

Below is the rundown of my classroom management plan, with explanation and commentary in brackets. Go ahead and grab yourself a warm drink, settle into a comfy chair, and prepare yourself for a chunk of not-so-light reading.

Definition of Classroom Management: Any thing (proactive or reactive) that can be done to create a safe environment focused on learning.

[I believe that the majority of classroom management is undertaken by the teacher, but the administration, parents, and students themselves also have their role to play. Simply, I think that classroom management could be considered any single thing that can be done to make sure time spent in school goes smoothly, the environment of the classroom feels safe to every one in it, and the atmosphere of the room is continuously focused on learning and growing. Measures mostly undertaken and implemented by the teacher to make it run smoothly should be proactive, meaning that expectations, rules, and procedures should be in place before any one steps a foot inside the room so that those who do find themselves in the room know exactly what to expect. This will also shift responsibility of implementing some classroom management strategies to the students, for carrying out navigational instructions can be left in their hands when equipped with detailed and well thought out instructions. I think that the students should always feel safe and welcomed inside the classroom, but that does not mean that they always have to be enjoying or liking their time there. I also believe that the focus while in the room should be on learning, everything from important social skills to material they will need to know on this or that future test.]

Philosophy: “We’re here for business or we have no business here.”

High expectations and discipline are essential elements of any successful team and will be an integral part of my classroom. Students will be clear that there is a choice to either follow the rules or not but that each choice has a consequence. Students will be pushed and properly rewarded for meeting or exceeding high expectations.

[The first quote is my classroom motto. Those who know my spouse, know that this way of thinking runs in the family :). There are very clear and numerous reasons that students are in school and in my classroom, and I feel very strongly that their time while in the classroom should be goal-oriented. Because of the objective, rigid structure that the state Biology 1 test provides, the high expectations mentioned in my philosophy play out in a very serious, tangible way. If students are not able to pass this test, they will not graduate from high school. My class is not simply focused on the test, though, and I bring my own high expectations for them when they enter the room. Some of those expectations are discussed in a later section. I also want to heavily stress the idea that their actions are a choice and that those choices have consequences. Responsibility and accountability are two very important skills they will be practicing throughout the year. Along with these high expectations and, at times, difficult content material, I do want to make sure that I continuously focus on rewarding good behavior and academic performance. To help with this, I am trying to implement various forms of individual and group rewards.]

Positive Learning Environment: 

-Organized

-Consistent

-Student work displayed 

-Mix of volunteering answers, cold calling, class response, and group discussion.

-Discipline is consistent, fair, and non-confrontational

-Teacher <- RESPECT -> Student

[No effective classroom can come without a positive learning environment, in my opinion. I am going to attempt to cultivate such an environment first and foremost by staying organized. This organization will be seen as soon as some one steps into the room, for I will try my best to make sure that every thing has a place, that walkways are clear and roomy, and that material posted on the walls is tidy and relevant. In a sense, I want the room to have good feng shui - you should feel good while you are there. Behind the scenes, I also want to be extremely organized. I know the danger of descending into chaos, and for the sake of what I owe to the students, I am going to try my darndest to make sure I don’t go there. Behavioral charts, call logs, student notebooks, returning graded work, correcting and displaying tests, and lesson plans are all areas in which I need to bring it. Part of the consistency of the class will come from this organization, as well as being clear for what I expect from the students and what they can expect from me. I do not want a silent, boring classroom, but I also find the high-energy shout outs a little unnerving. So, I will try to maintain a healthy mix of raising hands to volunteer answers, cold calling via playing cards with student names on them, choral/class response, and group and partner discussion. Students will know that the default is to raise their hands and wait to be called on, and anything other than the default will be made clear by me. If you know me personally, you know that I tend to be a soft-spoken individual who easily reddens in the face. I don’t want to have to yell to get my point across, and I am going to strive to be a teacher that can command the attention of a room without having to talk in an uncomfortable (for me) tone of voice. This will apply to issuing consequences, I hope. If I can continue to be consistent, fair, and non-confrontational in the way I handle behavioral issues, the students will feel comfortable and I will also feel much more at ease. The last, but not least, component of my ideal positive learning environment is one that I know will be a constant struggle in the classroom. My principal is fond of saying that we, as teachers, administrators, and staff, will show you [the student] respect and demand it from you in return. Unfortunately, there are many students who flip it around to say that they demand it from us and then will decide whether or not to mirror based on how you make them feel. I know that even beyond the organizational and motivational issues, this one is going to be the most consistently grating on my well-being.*]

Rules: 

1) Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak or leave your seat.

2) Use appropriate language.

3) Follow all directions the first time given.

4) Keep your hands, feet, objects, comments, and outbursts to yourself.

5) Come prepared to class on time and be willing to actively participate.

[Basic first year rules, I think. I hope to have these memorized backwards and forwards so that when issuing consequences, I can just refer to the rule number. This will ensure that not only are students reflecting on what they were doing that was inappropriate, but it will also keep the set of rules fresh in their minds.]

Consequences: 

-Warning

-Copy Assignment (as many as deemed appropriate)

-Behavioral Intervention / Call Home

-Office Referral

*severity clause: teacher reserves the right to skip to any consequence deemed appropriate.

[My school does not have detention and in school suspension (ISS) must be issued by the office through a referral. Even then, the teacher can only offer a recommendation as to what sort of consequence might be appropriate. Often times, students have the choice of ISS or corporal punishment. My copy assignment will be a short 2-3 biology definition that must be done on the spot and turned in as the student is leaving the classroom. Behavioral intervention is a basic “teacher’s choice” that also has the option (and it will hopefully be used often) call home. The school has a discipline ladder form that, after moving through four consequences, the student may be referred on the fifth offense. There will also be the good ol’ severity cause, and I will make sure to cover this at the beginning of the school year so that every one is on the same page.]

Expectations

-Be respectful of everyone in the classroom.

-Do your best at all times. 

-Ask questions if you do not understand.

-Have academic integrity.

-Keep your dear teacher happy. 

[There will be many things that I expect from the students each and every day, but these select few will be prominently displayed in the room on a poster, along with the rules, consequences, and rewards. Respect is such an issue and an importance, that I didn’t want to make it a vague rule. I aways expect their best, just like they would need to bring on the court or field. I want to stress that there is nothing to be ashamed of in asking questions. Too many times, kids use various coping mechanisms to cover up the fact that they don’t know. I want them to understand that asking questions is good, and it is in fact what science is all about. I expect them to have academic integrity just like they are expected to have integrity on the court or field. The last one - keep your dear teacher happy - is part of an expectation that every one is going to work to keep the learning environment positive and respectful in order to make all feel welcomed. I also want it to encompass the fact that students are a part of the classroom and they need to contribute to the class to keep everything rolling smoothly.]

Individual Rewards:

-Verbal praise

-Tickets

-Science Stars

-Display stellar work

-Positive phone call home

-Good grades and a good education

[Tickets will be used for weekly raffle. The Science Stars are the student of the week, one picked from each period based on academic success and effort put forth that week. I hope to have the room decorated by student work, preferably work relevant to our current topic of study. My goal is to make five phone calls per week of any variety, which will include positive phone calls home. I like the idea of always pairing a positive call with a negative call. That way you get to say something nice, even if it isn’t to the same parent. And best of all, the greatest reward: good grades and a good education.]

Group Rewards:

-Thermometer number line

-Raffle on Fridays: 10pts = 1prize, 15=2prizes, 20=3prizes, 25=4prizes, 30=5prizes

-Cookies for highest temperature

-Music during IP

-Partner work during IP

[As my number line and similar to a marble jar, I will be using a thermometer to keep track of class “degree” points. The class will start at zero, and the scale will be from positive to negative 10. The most a class could get in a week is 50, and their raffle at the end of the week is based on how many points they have received. There will be cookies for the highest temperature of the nine weeks, which we will be able to see on the graphs that are kept for each class showing their progression throughout the quarter. I will also be offering the privilege of listening to music quietly during independent practice, and for classes that have shown they understand the material and are behaving well, they will have additional opportunities to work in partners or groups.]

Beginning of Class Procedure:

-Once you walk into the classroom, you may not leave.

-Walk in silently, turn in assignments silently, and sit down silently.

-First person in room for each row passes out folders.

-Beginning of the week, take out one sheet of paper, apply the proper heading, and title it “Bell Ringer.”

-Begin the Bell Ringer.

-If you are not seated and silently working on your bell ringer when the tardy bell rings, you are tardy.

[As soon as students enter the room, they are to be silent and in their seats, getting to work on the bell ringer questions. Students may only talk quietly if they need to borrow a writing utensil from a neighbor to use during class, as I will be taking off a degree point right away at the beginning of the period for anyone who does not have something to write with.]

Dismissal Procedure: 

-The bell does not dismiss you. I do.

-Check your area for trash, and clean up the area around you.

-Return any borrowed items (pencils) before leaving.

-The cleanest, straightest, most silent row will be dismissed first. 

[Basic dismissal procedure, letting the cleanest and quietest row leave first.]

White Board Paddles Procedure:

-Unless I have asked the students to pull out their paddles, they will be under their desks.  

-The paddle is an extension of the students’ mouths. If anything is written on the paddle besides the answer to my question, it is like talking out of turn. 

-Everyone must answer the question on their paddle. If they don’t know the answer, they should write a question mark.

-“1, 2, 3...UP!” 

[This procedure is the same one we practiced in our summer school Biology room. The paddles are the same used in summer school, as well.]

Parental Involvement: 

-Call parents during first 2 weeks of school to establish initial contact.

-Syllabus & Parent Letter sent home first day. Returned/signed by parent for grade. 

-Students supply working parent contact info for grade the first day.

-Make 5 phone calls home/week

-Create a gmail phone number for parents to contact me

-PTA/games/events

-Signed Test Grade Sheets

-Signed progress reports midway through the 9 weeks

-Conference Day

-All parents are welcome to sit in during any class with prior notice.

[I know that parental involvement is one of the most important and effective management strategies. So, I am going to try my hardest to connect to the community of parents, guardians, and family members early on and in a variety of ways. Acquiring working contact information is a struggle, and I hope that getting the information early on and giving a grade based on whether or not it worked will limit the amount of false or nonworking numbers. This will be another one of my greatest challenges, however, due to the sheer number of students I am expecting to have. If I can attempt to contact the majority of guardians within the first month and keep up my goal of making five calls home per week, I would consider that a huge success. I am also hoping to attend as many after school events as I can, which will be a fun thing to do with the other MTC members in the area. I already recognize some parents when walking into Kroger and Walmart, and I hope that any awkwardness or hesitation I have in approaching and contacting student guardians will be nonexistent when looking back on these first two years.] 

*I speak from a little amount of experience as a sub in the same school I will be serving my MTC commitment, as well as second-hand observation from seeing friends go through the program. This one really gets on my nerves. I hope that in taking time every week to recharge my batteries and reflect on other parts of my life, I will be able to cope with the hardships the lack of respect entails. And hey - if the classroom can run smoothly at times, maybe this wont always be an issue.