Management Philosophy

Classroom management is to me the most important aspect of teaching. The

school board and state will set curriculum standards and other attainable goals to show
progress. It is the teachers job to make sure these goals and standards are met. These
goals and standards say little about how to manage a classroom or how a classroom
should be ran. However, if these benchmarks are to be attained, an effective classroom
management system must be put in place and used consistently. I decided to model my
management theory after Discipline with Dignity by Allen Mendler and Richard Curwin.
I believe that managing a classroom is something that the teacher and students
should be involved in. The cooperation of students and the teacher must be used in
deciding classroom rules, procedures, and consequences so students dont feel the rules,
procedures, and consequences are unfair. If students have a hand in making these, they
can hold themselves accountable because they made the rules. This will create a sense of
community where everyone is involved. I believe all students do not learn the same and
thus should not be treated the same as all other students. In other words, teachers should
not use a cookie cutter to shape their students education. Teachers must give each
student individualized attention to give the student a sense of belonging. As a teacher, I
must constantly evaluate my teaching methods and how they align with the needs of my
students. On the other hand, students must constantly evaluate their level of effort and
what they want to get out their learning experience. By law, every student is required to
be given an education. However, students should in turn, give their full effort to make
their education a more rich and valuable experience.

Discipline is one important aspect of classroom management. I, as well as

Mendler and Curwin, believe that good teachers reinforce good behavior and give
consequences for bad behavior, on an individual basis. . Humans are conditioned to work
towards some type of goal or reward and try to stay away from a negative consequence or
punishment. Since all students are different, good teachers will provide a range of
consequences for the action depending on the severity and the student. It is important to
shape the consequence towards the individual student so that the consequence means
more to the student and hopefully deters the student from that behavior in the future.
Since the students had a hand in making the rules and developing the consequences, they
shouldnt be too upset with it because they created them.
Through my current experience in an inner city school, I feel that Discipline with
Dignity is a very effective management model. Although I havent seen the whole model
in action, I have seen pieces and ideas of the Mendler and Curwin model used effectively.
For example, at the beginning of the semester in my current classroom, turning in
completed homework had been an issue. My Cooperating Teacher talked to the class
about what homework meant and what should happen to those who dont turn in their
homework. The class came up with a range of consequences that are applied today if
students dont turn in their homework. Since the talk, the average number of students that
turn in their homework has increased. Students know what the consequences could be,
many of them will either do the homework or accept the consequence of staying after
school. I have also seen my CT vary the way she teaches if a certain way just isnt
working. Teachers who get in the mind set that their way works because theyve done it
for 10 years are doing a disservice to their students. If students are having behavior

problems, it may be because of the way I am delivering the lesson. I hope to incorporate
constant self-evaluation for myself to see what I can do to help stop and prevent
behavioral issues.
Discipline with Dignity is a management model that I believe best aligns with my
values and beliefs. Teachers are constantly getting paid to provide the best possible
education to each and every student. Therefore, teachers should be in constant selfevaluation mode and acting upon their reflections to provide the best possible education.
Many traditional management models put too much emphasis on teacher control and
responsibility whereas many current models put too much responsibility on the students
themselves. I believe that education and classroom management should be a cooperative
effort between the students and teacher.