Nikki Haske

EDUC132
Classroom Management Plan
12.5.14
Classroom Management Plan
A. Management Style and Philosophical Beliefs:
Throughout my time at Drake and in the various practicums that
Ive had, one message seems resoundingly clear: classroom
management is the most difficult part of being a teacher for those
entering the field. I know that Ill experience this as well, because Ive
never had an opportunity to try it on a large scale. If I want to become
a strong, effective teacher, however, this is something I have to figure
out. Classroom management is important because it sets the tone for
the entire classroom. Before the content, or the homework, or the
assessments, the way I run my classroom is the first thing my students
will notice, and I want that first impression to be a positive one. Getting
off on the wrong foot can mean a school year full of miscommunication
and students who dont respect you as a teacher.
More importantly, however, as the teacher in the classroom, it is
my job to keep my students safe and secure in the classroom. For this
reason, its crucial that I have strong management skills in my
classroom. Adolescents can quickly escalate from casually joking with
each other to behavior that could cause an injury to one or more
students. When thats happening, its my job to intervene so that the
class can continue learning safely.
I think the best way to accomplish this is through authoritative
leadership. I believe that students at the secondary level need
guidance, support, and respect, but they dont need to be ruled over
with an iron fist. Developing and maintaining a safe, respectful
classroom are key values of mine, and I think those are made a lot
more difficult to uphold when acting as a laissez-faire or authoritarian
educator. What this means is instead of telling the students to make up
whatever rules they want for the classroom (or allow them to opt for
none at all), or forcing them to abide by the strict set of rules that I set
for them without consultation, Ill allow them to work with me to
develop class rules and expectationsboth for the students, and for
myself. Its vital to develop positive relationships with individual
students and whole classes, which is near impossible to do if the
teacher appears to being completely apathetic to his/her students, or
far too strict.
I believe that a classroom belongs to both the students and the
teacher. Its not just my classroom, because it exists for the students to
learn, but learning is a dialogue. My classroom is a community, and I

believe that all community members should be valued and treated with
respect. I never want the community of my classroom to be described
as cold, or unsympathetic, or negative, because those are not
descriptors of a community that I would want to be in as a student. Its
so important to me that I discipline and manage my classroom with
compassion, dignity, and understanding.
B. Establishing a Positive Classroom Culture:
I firmly believe that developing relationships of trust and mutual
respect is an extremely important part of being successful in classroom
management. If students see that you respect and value them, theyre
much more likely to respect and trust you in return. When that
happens, theyre going to come to class ready to learn. For that
reason, I want to start each year off with a student interest survey, so
that I can not only learn a little more about them, but also have some
information that I can use to differentiate instruction based on interest
throughout the year. Ill also make sure to tell them a little about me at
the beginning of the first day, including my interests and a little about
my background. Its important to be open and honest with students,
although there is a line that has to be drawn at some point. They
shouldnt really need to know too much about my personal life, but
small vulnerabilities can go a long way.
I also believe that quickly learning students names and learning
how to pronounce them accurately, no matter how foreign or
complicated they may seem, is crucial. Anyone with an uncommon
name, or one that gets abbreviated knows how tiresome it can be to
constantly be called the wrong thing. Names are identity, and I would
never want to take that way from a student through my own ignorance.
That being said, its also important for my students to know each
others names, so well play a name game on the first day to make
sure everyone knows everyone else.
C. Developing Classroom Rules and Procedures:
One of the big pieces of Discipline with Dignity was allowing the
students to be a part of the expectation developing process. I agree
that a part of developing strong student relationships is involving them
in this process, and seeing what they value in a classroom. However,
do think its important to go into this process with an idea of where Id
like to end up, so some subtle steering in the right direction should do
the trick.
The subject of late work is a tricky one to me. I think that by
reducing the total percentage that a student can receive because of
lateness is more assessing the students ability to stay organized or on

top of their work, and if their late assignment deserves a 100%, thats
the grade that they should receive. However, there does need to be
some sort of plan in place so that students dont take advantage of
that. Ill allow students eight late slips throughout the semester, for
homework or small assignments. They do not, however, work for
summative assessments such as papers or presentations. If those are
not turned in on time, then Ill have a short meeting with the student to
discuss why it was not turned in, and what we can do to avoid it
happening in the future. To the student, the chore of having to meet
a teacher during lunch or after school is enough deter them from
turning in late work. For presentations, however, Id include a rubric
strand for preparedness, and if a student does not have their
presentation on the day theyre scheduled to present, points will be
deducted from that strand, and they will have to meet with me. This is
because not being prepared for a presentation disrupts the class, not
just me.
In general, well start most class days with some sort of warm-up
activity or hook, so that they students have something to work on
when coming into the classroom, and Ill have both the objectives and
class schedule written on the board, so that students have an idea of
what the plan for the day is. Once weve gone over the warm-up, Ill
always make sure to ask how theyre doing, and get a feel for whats
going on with them that day. Then, well move into the lesson.
D. Classroom Layout:
Since I see my classroom as a community, I decided to arrange it
as such, and decided on two U-shaped formations of the desks in the
center of the classroom, facing the board. This way, when having
whole-class discussions, students can see nearly everyone in the class,
and see themselves as a part of the community. Rows of desks dont
really give that feel, and groups can create a sense of community, but
generally within the smaller group, not the whole class. I put the
teachers desk in the front so that I can keep an eye on the class if, for
some reason, I find myself sitting there, but also so that I have access
to my own materials while teaching. Theres a corner of the room with
a couch and bean bag chair, which students can sit at while doing
independent reading, or maybe if they just need a break from the
class, something an IEP may specify. There are a few shelves for
reading materials, but Id also use the tops of them to place handouts
and materials for students who were absent or may have lost them.
The walls can be used to showcase student work, as well as post
announcements from the school and community and class
expectations.

E. Monitoring the Classroom and Responding to Student

Misbehavior:
One idea from Discipline with Dignity that I really liked was the
idea of a list of consequences, not a hierarchy. That is, instead of a first
offense resulting in a meeting with me, the second resulting in a call
home, and so on, there would be a list of possible consequences, but
the student and I would always meet together after class to discuss
which would be most appropriate. This is so that the student has time
to reflect a little on their behavior, and so that the punishment fits the
crime so to speak. I dont want to take up class time discussing a
consequence with a student, so Ill just talk to them after class and
discuss a time to meet.
As far as monitoring the classroom goes, I think that I am
generally pretty aware of my surroundings, and have the sense of
with-it-ness that weve discussed before. Still, making rounds around
the classroom and staying vigilant of what each student is working on
is a good first step. I also want to make sure that I refrain from sitting
at my desk at all during class time, and if I do, not for more than 5
minutes at a time. I also think that self-monitoring is an important skill
for students to develop, so we will definitely spend time working with
various strategies regarding that, some of which I found in Discipline
with Dignity, such as TAG and WIN. Both of those acronyms will be
posted around the classroom as reminders for students.
F. Parents as Partners:
Developing positive relationships with parents early in the school
year can set the year off right just like creating those positive
relationships with students can. The most important thing to remember
is that both the teacher and the parents want the same thing for their
child: success and happiness. So in order to get off on the right foot
with parents, Id like to start the year off by calling each of my
students parents by the end of first quarter (but preferably as soon as
possible). This call will be to introduce myself, ask for the best means
of communication with them, and ask a little bit about their child. What
do they do in their spare time, what are some concerns the parents
might have? Is there anything going on in their life that may affect
their performance in school, etc. I want to communicate to them that I
have their childs best interest in mind, and want to do as much as I
can to help them succeed in my classroom.
Thats good for initial contact, but what about for the long haul? I
want to continue to communicate with the parents throughout the
year, so Ill also send out a newsletter before the start of each new

unit, previewing what well be reading and working on, and when all
major assignments will be due. This way, the parents have a resource
to refer to when talking to their students about school and due dates. If
they have any questions or concerns, they are welcome to contact me
and discuss them, and Id be happy to talk with them. I will also update
grades online as often as possible, which I know todays parents
greatly appreciate.
Finally, I want to invite parents to the classroom on a few
occasions. The first of which is Back to School Night, when they can
hear a little bit about the class, as well as me as a teacher. I would
encourage questions, as well as time to chat with them a little bit oneon-one. Secondly, I would encourage parents to come either in the
middle or end of the semester to a writing showcase, where students
read some of their work, and have a chance to show their parents
some of the pieces theyre most proud of. Parents love seeing what
their students are accomplishing, and creating a night dedicated to
that is a great way to do that.