My overall philosophy about classroom management is that as a teacher, I need to guide

my students to be successful academically, socially, and emotionally. I believe that if students

are guided and assisted properly, discipline issues should be kept to a minimum. I believe there
should be a clear set of rules and expectations set forth for students. However they should be
kept to a set minimum; the rules should not be overwhelming to the students, but should be easy
for them to follow and remember. I believe students will be more willing to abide by the rules if
they have the opportunity to make them. To ensure there are minimal discipline issues in my
classroom, I plan to help assist students to self-regulate their behavior by implementing a card
change system. Students displaying appropriate behavior will keep their color card at green. If
students display inappropriate behavior, they will first receive a verbal warning. If they continue
their behavior, they will change their card from green to yellow. As they continue their
behavior, their will change their card to another color with a given consequence such as a note
home. I believe this system of discipline is very effective since it is a concrete way for students
to see how their behavior needs to be changed. There are consequences which are consistent
with each card color.
I believe it is also very important that students do not feel shame in my classroom. It is
important for me to express to my students that they do not need to feel shame but have a
positive self-image and self-esteem. I think the card change system is a system that will ensure
that students do not feel shameful in my classroom, but learn how to identify their feelings and
act on them in an appropriate manner. If they change their card, they may feel guilty. I will tell
them it is okay to feel guilty sometimes; that tells me that they have ownership of their wrong
actions. I will assist them by asking them what they can do to make sure that they do not repeat
the behavior. I will be sure to make my classroom as safe as possible so my students do not feel
shameful. Because the expectations and consequences of inappropriate behaviors of my
classroom will be clear to my students, discipline issues will hopefully be kept to a minimum so
the maximum amount of learning can occur in my classroom.

2. I created a schedule that will make the most sense and will also be easy to transition for my
students. Social studies and science will be alternated, and I think beginning the day with these
subjects is a great way to easy students into the school day because many students look forward
to these subjects. I follow this period with math; by this point, students should be awake and
focused on learning. I chose to teach language arts in the afternoon since this is the biggest
chunk of time I will have my students. ELA activities tend to flow into each other, and the
bigger block of time will allow students to work fluidly in this subject area on various activities.

3. The rules I have chosen for my classroom are general expectations that can be found in any
classroom. I would let the class create the rules, and my hope is that they would think of these
rules on their own. If they are having trouble coming up with these rules or miss a rule that I
want added to the list, I would prompt the students to come up with that particular rule. I think
that if the students come up with the rules and they are written the students' language, they will
be far more likely to abide by them. Because my rules are general expectations, they can be used
at any grade level. To enforce the rules, I will implement a card change system. If a student acts
inappropriately, I will first give them a verbal warning. If they continue acting inappropriately, I
will ask them to change their card. Each card color has a corresponding consequence (green =
good behavior, yellow = loose a recess, orange = phone call home, red = go see principal). This
is a consistent and concrete way for students to see how their inappropriate behavior needs to be
improved.

4. I think the teacher plays a critical role in setting the tone in the classroom. It is best that the
tone in the classroom stays positive so students can learn to the best of their ability. To ensure
that the tone remains positive, the teacher needs to display a positive attitude in the classroom.
The students will definitely feed off of the teacher's attitude. It is also important that the teacher
does not display a negative attitude or approach concerning discipline. In correcting behavior,
teachers can redirect students or give them reminders of appropriate behaviors. Another
important role in creating a positive tone in the classroom is to establish relationships with
students. When children are encouraged to do well and are greeted with a smile each day, the
tone they then set for the day will be positive. When a positive tone is implemented in the
classroom, students will be far more motivated to learn and do well in school.

5. It is important to know something about your class at the beginning of the school year. This
way, teachers know and can understand the rationale behind students and the behaviors they
display. When teachers know the personality types of their students, they will have a better
understanding of how to form groups/partnerships so that students can be productive in
completing activities. Teachers will also have an idea of how their students may feel in different
situations too. This information might change some of the management plan from year to year,
but generally the management plan will remain the same. The most important thing for students,
especially in the younger grades, is to establish routines and to be consistent. Routine and
consistency were the two elements that affected my thinking the most in creating the classroom
management plan.