Alyssa Boose

EDT 474
EDT474EDr. Bob BurkeFall Semester, 2015
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND STUDENT GUIDANCE PLAN [CMSGP]
Responses to All Questions Are Required in the CMSGP
Print this Document and Bring It to Every Class Meeting--Use It for Class Discussion and Notes
NOTE: I have copied all of the questions/items required for the CMSGP on this document so that you
have a place to record your ideas and suggestions that might arise during our class conversations.

Section 1. Explanation of Your Core Beliefs about Children, Teachers, and

Education: In Section 1 you are to explain with clarity and detail your basic
beliefs and values about the following questions and topics. Your responses
to the following questions in Section 1 should be based on your personal
experiences and your informed professional opinion!
a. What assumptions do you make about the inherent nature of children
[e.g., at birth, is every child inherently good-or are some children born
evil-or is every child neutral in this regard?is every child born with a
disobedient will that must be broken?]
I think that when all children are born into the world they are inherently
good because of their innocence and unawareness of all the evil
around them. However I do believe that the nature of childrens
behavior is dependent on their environment and surroundings as they
begin to grow up. If children are raised in a home where there is no
discipline or control from parents it is hard to expect that those
children to always have that inherently good nature.
b. To what extent can children learn self-control [physical, emotional,
intellectual, and behavioral]? What actions by significant adults [especially
parents/guardians and PK-6 teachers] promote a childs development of all
domains of self-control?
I think the extent of which a child can learn self-control is dependent on
the actions of adults in their life. If an adult is going to be very
controlling of their childs life and be there for them in every situation,
it will be very difficult for a young child to even understand that they
have the ability to do things on their own. However, if the childs
parents and teachers teach children at a young age that it is ok for
them to handle some things on their own, they will be able to learn
self-control of many physical, emotional, intellectual and behavioral
situations. As a teacher, I will be there for my students when I feel the
situation is serious enough, however I think it is important that I do not
coddle any of my students in situations that they overreact to because
they are used to having an adult come to the rescue.
c. What meaning do you ascribe to learning? How do children learn?
Based on your current understanding, explain your definition of learning
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and then explain the basic processes by which a child learns any particular
knowledge or skill.
Learning is power, and the more students learn and the more
knowledge they gain makes that child even more powerful. Children
learn the most through experiences and engaging in hands-on
activities. Children arent like adults who can be lectured at and study
the notes you give them, children need to repeatedly see different
actions and skills in person to be able to relate back to it. Whether it is
learning how to walk, learning to talk, or learning how to write the
alphabetyou cant teach children to do these concepts by just talking
about them. Children need to be engaged and actively participating in
their learning.
d. What can/should a K-3 teacher do to promote healthy psychosocial
development?
When children are school-aged, their self-confidence is a very
important part of their psychosocial development. It is important to
recognize students when they do something good because they strive
so hard to get recognition from adults. In addition to recognizing when
they do something good, children are beginning to understand cause
and effect so it is important to point out to them that their actions
influence their consequences. It is also important to initiate group
work so children can begin to see cooperating and sharing with their
peers.
e. What can/should a K-3 teacher do to promote healthy intellectual growth
and development?
In order for a teacher to promote healthy intellectual growth and
development, it is important that the teacher provides work for the
student that is developmentally appropriate.
If the student is
working on work that is way below their academic level, that is not
helping them develop any intellectual growth. This is extremely
important, so with that it is vital that teachers know their students and
what work to provide each of them with.
f. In what ways might the relationship between a teacher and a student
affect a childs learning and development?
The relationship between a teacher and student is completely vital to a
students success in their learning and development. If the student
feels they have a bad relationship with a teacher, they are going to
assume that the teacher does not believe in them and as a result they
will not believe in themselves. This is extremely important that a
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teacher develops a good relationship with a student so the student

always feels like they can come to the teacher with any issue or
problem that may come up.
g. In what ways might the school-home relationship affect a childs learning
and development?
The school-home relationship affects a childs learning and
development in ways that you wouldnt expect. Students could be fully
emerged in academics in school, but the second they go home a
parent could not even open a book with them. There is a clear
difference in the students development between those who have
parents who study with them at home, and those who do not. I never
realized how important this was until I saw this situation first-hand in
field. Many times, parents dont have the resources to practice with
their children at home, so it is important for teachers to think of
creative inexpensive ways to provide students with resources they can
bring home with them.
Section 2. Statement of Your Core Beliefs and Practices Related to Student
Guidance: In Section 2 you are to explain with clarity and detail the basic
beliefs, values, and strategies that serve as the foundation of your overall
approach to your work and relationships with children. You should base your
responses on: the knowledge and skill you read about in the EDT474 required
textbooks and class conversations; what you have learned in other courses;
lessons learned from life experience; and information learned during field
placements, etc. In this section be sure to include the following:
a. Based on the knowledge and skills you have learned thus far in your
academic career and life experience, what can you identify as your Top Ten
Beliefs and/or Strategies about Classroom Management & Student
Guidance? First, identify the source [at least five of your Ten Beliefs and/or
Strategies must come from the Guidance of Young Children textbookfor
each of these, include the page number]; second, succinctly state the belief
or strategy in your own words [do NOT insert a direct quote--instead,
paraphrase the idea in your own words] ; and third, briefly explain your
reason for choosing each Belief or Strategy.
1.) I think that one of the most important things for students to have in a
classroom is a safe and comforting environment. On page 85 of Guidance of
Young Children, it explains how on Maslows hierarchy of needs children have
specific Security needs they have. It is important for teachers to provide an
environment where the students safe and able to be comfortable, and this
can be done by establishing a good relationship with your students so they
feel they can talk to you if they ever need anything.
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2.) I think that teaching with an authoritative teaching style is very important
in a classroom. As stated on page 12 of Guidance of Young Children, the
authoritative style of teaching helps children feel safe, encourages selfresponsibility, and fosters competence and healthy self-control. I think that
teaching with an authoritative style has a good amount of structure and
kindness for an early childhood classroom.
3.) When it comes to disciplining and controlling disruptive behaviors from
my students, I think that positive guidance strategies are the best option. In
chapter 5 of Guidance of Young Children, they discuss how positive guidance
strategies allow the student to be told what to do, but in a way that is kind,
prevents overstimulation and prevents the childs dignity in such a sensitive
time.
4.) When children are at this age, their self-esteem is very fragile and needs
to be protected when calling students out for things they do wrong. In
chapter 5 page 129 of Guidance of Young Children, it talks about how it is
important to encourage students when they do things right. I am a big
believer in people getting recognition for doing good things with complete
sincerity, instead of just giving students attention or when they do things
wrong.
5.) While managing a classroom it is imperative that a teacher leads by
example. I will treat all of my students with love and respect because that is
how I expect them to treat others in the classroom. If I set expectations for
the students to follow and then find myself being rude or unreasonable, that
would show the students its all right to act that way when it is not. I hope
the teacher acting in a polite and kind way will remind all of the students the
correct way to act in the classroom which could hopefully avoid some
unnecessary problems.
6.) As I previously mentioned one of the best ways for children to learn is
through experiences. With that I think one of the best things a teacher could
do for their classroom is connect the concepts to personal experiences
students may have had before. Not only will this help the students
understand the content better, but it also makes the lessons more fun and
shows students that the things we learn about in the classroom are present
in every day life.
7.) Many of us in the education field sometimes put too much emphasis on
the common core standards or lesson plans and doing everything by the
book. However I think it is very important for teachers to be open to change
and adjusting lessons as they see fit. Obviously it is very important that the
objectives for lessons are met, however if an activity isnt going the original
way you planned it to, or you find a better way to do something I think its
great if teachers are able to adjust their plans. Adjusting plans and being
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open to change is a great quality in a teacher that I hope to have in my

classroom.
8.) Having a relationship with each and every student is one of the most
important things a teacher can do. It is important that teachers know the
specific needs for each student in an academic setting such as what kind of
learner they are, what subject they struggle in, etc. However it is also
important to know details about their life and know what is important to
them. As a teacher I will take time out of every day to ask my students
about their life and allow them to talk to me about things happening outside
of school. This will not only help their intellectual development but also their
basic needs as a growing child.
9.) Building a relationship with a student will help them know you believe in
them and that they can succeed. Going off of that, it is completely
necessary that I never give up on a child. No matter how hard it may be, no
matter how many strategies I will have to try, and no matter how long it may
take I will never give up on a child and simply say they will not understand or
learn something. Each child is unique in their own way, they all have
different needs, they all learn differently and it is important that as a teacher
you find the best way for each child to learn so everyone can succeed.
10.) As a teacher it is important o create a good relationship with all of the
students parents/families. On p 124 of Guidance of Young Children it talks
about building a strong relationship with families so if there are any problems
or concerns you can feel comfortable communicating with them about that.
Family life is a vital part of a students success in learning so it is important
that you can talk to parents about practicing at home with their children to
further their education.
b. What role/s do you expect to play in the lives of your students?
I want to be someone that my students can learn from, someone they
can look up to and someone they can go to if they need anything. As a
teacher, my main goal is to obviously make sure that my students
learn new things and gain the knowledge they need to grow. However
I also want it to be known that my students can come to me for
anything non-school related as well. If there was something wrong or if
they just needed someone to talk to, I want my students to realize I am
an adult that will always be there for them for anything they might
need.
c. What legacy do you hope to leave imprinted in your students minds,
hearts, and souls?
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I hope my students think of me as a teacher that taught them valuable

information for inside and outside of the classroom. I hope I can make
children believe in themselves and think they can overcome any
obstacle no matter how hard it may be. Those early years in school
are so vital to a students self-esteem, and I want to make sure all of
my students feel confident and capable to do anything they set their
mind to. This was something that all of my elementary school teachers
did for me, and here I am 10 years later still talking about them. I
hope that someday I can be like the educators who inspired me and
made me believe in myself when it came to my education and
otherwise.
d. What needs of your own do you anticipate getting met by your work as a
classroom teacher?
I hope with becoming a classroom teacher I can feel like Im making a
difference in childrens lives. Education is obviously not the field to get
into if you are expecting to make millions of dollars, but that is not a
need I have. I genuinely enjoy teaching and watching a student have
that switch flip and have them understand a concept. My life would
be so meaningful if I just made a difference in one childs life, but the
fact that I have the opportunity to changes the lives of so many
children is really an empowering feeling. I hope that as a classroom
teacher I am genuinely happy in my work, and that I help students
learn and grow into the person they will later become.
Section 3. Classroom Management: Procedures and Routines--Section 3
should include a clear, detailed explanation of how you will manage the
following aspects of classroom life: Your response for each question below
should be 3 or 4 sentences. Remember, the following routines and
procedures should be designed to assure that they are implemented in an
efficient manner, using the least amount of time possible!
a. When the school bell signals the students to enter the building, where will
you be and what will you be doing for the first 3 minutes of the school day?
When the students first arrive I will be at the front door of my
classroom greeting my students as they enter the room. This will give
me time to say hello, ask them how they are, what they did after
school the day before, etc. I think this time of friendly conversation is
very important because it sets the tone and mood for the rest of day. I
feel it is vital that every student feels welcome and cared about so
they can have a good start to their day.
b. How will you manage students lunch tickets and/or money?
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When I was an elementary student, my school had a school-wide

system that I think is a great way to organize lunch tickets. Each
classroom had a lunch envelope that held all of the students lunch
tickets, and they would be passed out to the students who were buying
right before lunch. When the students went through the lunch line, the
lunch ladies collected the tickets and put them back in the envelopes
at the end of the day, and returned them to the teachers so they could
have them the next day. If I had to figure out my own class system for
tickets, I would still have an envelope for them to use, but I would have
one of the student jobs be an Envelope Carrier. This person would be
in charge of bringing the envelope to and from the cafeteria, passing
out the tickets to the buyers and collecting them at the end of lunch.
c. How will attendance be taken?
In order to take attendance, I will have a seating chart to account for
every student. I think checking the seating chart and noticing what
students are and are not there would be easier than roll call or
anything involving the entire class. This will save time for the students
in the morning and I will quietly be able to check on my own time at
the beginning of class.
d. How will morning announcements be made?
Morning announcements will be written on the board before the
students come into the room so they can read what they are supposed
to do and whats going on for the day as children start to filter in. After
the class has all settled in and everyone is accounted for, I will then
explain the announcements to the class and answer any questions
they may have.
e. How will you collect students homework?
When students have homework, I will have them turn it in the
homework tray. For any papers the students turn in, I will have a
tray that specifies whether it is where they should put there homework,
classwork, etc. If for some reason we were going to go over the
homework, I would have them keep it at there desk, and then they
would put it in the homework tray once we were over.
f. How will students line up at the door to leave the classroom for another
part of the building (music, lunch, etc.)?
To line up and leave the class, I will have a line leader and a line
caboose who are in charge of making sure that the line is being
respectful in the hallways. I will have these people line up first, and
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then call students to line up by calling the tables who are quiet and
ready to go.
g. How will you manage use of the rest rooms by students throughout the
day?
If a student has to go to the restroom during the day, I will have a boys
bathroom pass and a girls bathroom pass to prevent more than one girl
or boy going at a time. Instead of having the student take the pass, I
will have them place the pass on their desk so I know which student
went to the bathroom. In addition, this will limit the passes becoming
dirty from various bathroom situations.
h. How will you manage student use of the hallway drinking fountain?
If a student has to use the drinking fountain in the hallway, I will have
the students simply ask me to use it and have them come right back.
Getting a drink is quick enough where I dont think a pass is necessary.
In addition, after recess I will dismiss students by tables to go outside
and get a drink if they need to.
i. How will you manage student use of the classroom sink [lets assume there
is one]?
If there is a sink in the classroom, it will only be used if a student has to
wash their hands or if we need water to clean up a mess, an
experiment, etc. I will make it very clear to the students that we do
not play around in the sink and it is only used for approved activities.
j. How will you manage student use of the pencil sharpener?
At the beginning of the morning I will have a part of the students
settle in routine be to sharpen all of their pencils. This way, they
dont have to be getting up in the middle of the day and sharpening
pencils, especially if there is an electric pencil sharpener. If for some
reason ALL of their pencils break or need to be sharpened at some
point during the day, I will have an extra pencil bin where they can
borrow a new pencil.
l. How will you organize and manage student Classroom Helpers--what
classroom jobs will there be? What procedure will you use to assign
Classroom Helpers?
There will be a variety of classroom jobs, and the job positions will rotate
every week. Examples of jobs would include: line leader, line caboose, lunch
helper, calendar helper, snack helper, table washer, etc. I will randomly
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assign each student every week, and I will have a chart hanging up so all of
the students can see who is assigned to each job.
m. How will you collect daily assignments from students?
As I mentioned earlier, I will have specified trays for students to turn in
all of their papers. If there are any daily assignments they are passed
out throughout the course of the day, I will have a classwork tray in
which they can turn in all of their papers.
n. As you bring the school day to a close: what will the students are expected
to do--and what will you be doing--during the last 3 minutes of the school
day?
During the last three minutes of the day, I will expect the students to
clean up their desk area, pick up all of their mail and put it in their take
home folder, and pack their backpacks to go home. In my classroom, I
will have a large filing system where each student will be assigned to a
shelf/cubby where all of their graded assignments, newsletters, etc.
will be passed back. This will avoid the commotion of passing back
individual papers to each student and making sure that every student
gets the worksheets they are supposed to get. During this time, I will
be back at the door saying goodbye to all of the students as they
leave.
Section 4. Implementation of Student Guidance Practices: In Section 4 you
should provide clear, detailed explanations about the expectations and
strategies you will use to guide student behavior so that an optimal learning
environment will be maintained in your classroom.
a. Classroom rules/expectations: By whom--and how--will these be
determined? Once determined, how will you communicate these
rules/expectations to students and parents/guardians?
When deciding the rules of my classroom, I want to make sure I include
my students when making the final choice. At the beginning of the
year, I will have a set of rules that I think are important for the
students to know, but I will first have the students tell me what they
think the rules should be. We will sit as a class and make a list of rules
that the students seem to agree on. Afterwards, I will share the list of
rules I made, and then go through and pick the ones that correlate
between the two lists. This way the students have some choice when
deciding the rules, but there is still some direction from the teacher. In
addition, allowing the students to come up with the rules on their own
allows me to bring up any time someone breaks a rule that these
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were the rules you made. I will make a poster of the final rules and
have it hanging up in the class. In addition, I will include these rules in
a newsletter to the families at the beginning of the year so they are
aware of the decisions we made.
>>For items be below, provide an example of the kind of student
behavior described--then, explain how you would deal the student/s
and behaviors you provide.
b. Level I: Some student behaviors may be off-task but not disruptive to your
instruction or other students learning [e.g., sleeping in class; staring out the
window, etc.]. How will you deal with this type of student behaviors?
If one of my students were engaging in an off-task activity such as falling
asleep or daydreaming, I would handle the situation in a way that would not
disrupt the entire class. For example, if the student was daydreaming I
would walk over to the students desk and gently place my hand on their
shoulder while still teaching my lesson to the rest of the class. That way the
student knows to change their behavior, however I am not stopping my
instruction and disrupting the entire class.
c. Level II: Some student behaviors will be off-task and mildly disruptive to
your teaching and/or other students learning [e.g., two students chatting
during instruction; two students passing notes back and forth, etc.]. How will
you deal with this type of student behaviors?
If two of my students were engaging in a mildly disruptive activity, I would
simply just call their names out. For example, if I were reading a story at the
carpet and two of my students were whispering back and forth, I would
simply say their names and go right back to reading. Usually when the
behavior is mildly disruptive they are trying to be sneaky about their actions
and they know they should not be doing what they are doing. There is no
need for me to explicitly call out what the students are doing, because as
soon as they hear me recognize that I know what they are up to, they will
stop in hopes they wont get in trouble.
d. Level III: Some student behaviors will be off-task and seriously disruptive
to your teaching and every other students learning [e.g., a student throws a
soggy paper towel at you and it splatters against the chalkboard; a student
says loudly, Youre not my mother and I dont have to do what you say!
etc.]. How will you deal with this type of student behaviors?
When this type of disruption occurs in my classroom, it will do no good to call
the student out in front of the class, so I will ask to speak with the child out in
the hallway. If a student is acting out as much as throwing a wet paper towel
at me or yelling at me, there has to be something else going on that got this
student to this level of irritation. I will have the students flip a card (or any
disciplinary system similar to that) but hopefully taking the child outside will
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give them time to explain to me whats going on and why they are acting out
in such a way. If the student continues to be disruptive, that will be when I
ask them to flip a second card, and I will make a call to home.
e. Level IV: Some student [or others] behaviors will pose an immediate,
serious threat to the physical safety of you and/or your students [e.g., 1. a
stranger bolts into your classroom holding a pistol and threatens to blow
you all away; 2. One of your students grabs a pair of scissors and holds the
point at the throat of another student]. How will you deal with the student or
intruder behavior described in your example?
If a student was to hold a pair of scissors up to another students throat, I
would try in every way possible to protect the other students in the class
while explaining to the student it is not a good idea. My first instinct would
be to tell all of the other children to either get out of the classroom or get
behind me (whatever would be more convenient at the time). I would tell
the student threatening another student that this is not the answer to their
anger. I would say something like I know you are upset at the moment, but
hurting someone is not the answer. I would try to say anything that might
scare the child out of going through with the act, such as You know this isnt
the right thing to do, youre parents would be very upset with you, you will
be kicked out of school for this, you will get in trouble with the police, etc.
Since children have no concept of their actions having long-term
consequences, I hope bringing up some of those consequences would help
them realize what they are doing is wrong.
Section 5. Physical organization of your classroom: In Section 5 you are to
provide a computer-generated map of the physical arrangement of your
classroom. Be sure to include all of the items that are typically found in an
elementary school classroom.

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