Ford

Erin Ford

Amy Thomas

EDU 250

6 April 2019

Educational Philosophy Paper

After taking the quiz on pages 280-281 my highest result was category B. This category

suggested that I should use the following classroom management theories: Discipline with

Dignity, COMP, Building Communities and Discipline without stress punishments and rewards.

My second highest score was category C, which stated that the best theories for my classroom

would be Inner Discipline, Positive Behavior Support, Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation,

and Judicious Discipline. My lowest category was category A, which suggested theories such as,

Behavioral Management, Assertive Discipline, Positive Classroom Discipline and Logical

Consequences. I do believe that the quiz was accurate based on my results. I think its accurate

because as we were going over the various theories in class, the theories that I thought I would

use in a classroom were the same theories that I scored highest in.

In a future classroom, I plan on using a mixture of theories. There are two that I like;

however, there are some negatives to each of them and I will most likely try to incorporate them

together in a classroom. The first theory I would like to use is Discipline with Dignity because I

think it is important to take into consideration the student’s feelings when I am choosing how to

handle the situation. The second theory I would like to incorporate is the Building Community

theory because I do not believe a paraprofessional can help orchestrate a fully functioning

classroom not only without creating an environment for students that make them feel safe and
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free to express their feelings, but also teaching the students how to work together and respect

each other in the classroom and outside the classroom.

In a classroom, I do not want believe there should be an excessive amount of rules. I would

rather have a fewer number of rules and use important and impactful rules. For example, instead

of listing a large number of “do not hit”, “do not kick”, or “do not run” I would rather have a rule

that states students are expected to respect one another’s space and property. Or have another

rule that states students should use the time given to the fullest; meaning students should not be

running or goofing off with one another when the teacher has given the adequate time to

complete the task that was given. The main management approach I would take is Discipline

with Dignity because I believe it’s important for students to still feel secure even after a

redirection or punishment. On the first offense the student will receive a nonverbal warning and

their name written down. The second offense the student will receive a redirection and a check

mark next to his or her name. On the third offense the student will be held for ten minuets during

free time to talk about why the misbehavior took place. In an extreme or violent case, the student

should be sent to the office and the parents will receive a call from me to set up an appointment

to discuss the issue and solutions. I do not believe in incentives such as Token Economy, but I do

firmly believe in positive comments and praise. Praise that is thought out and often times not

given when expected. For example, if I can tell a student worked very hard on a paper, instead of

writing good job on the paper, when I hand the paper back I will say “Thank you for putting so

much effort into your homework. You did very well.” When a student feels secure, even after a

disciplinary action, the building blocks of a strong community start to form. I believe it is

essential to a child’s education that they are in an environment where they feel safe and
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supported. A strong classroom community is essential to education regardless of the students’

background.

I. My Educational Philosophy

1) My philosophical beliefs for students are that all students should have access to the same

quality education no matter what their background or their learning abilities and that all

students should have the opportunity to excel beyond expectation.

2) My philosophical belief for teachers is that all teachers and paraprofessionals should be

provided the right resources to be able to give their students the best education as they

can. I also believe that teachers and paraprofessionals should be just and fair regardless of

the child’s background, struggles or strengths.

3) My philosophical belief for classroom management is that the school district should

always do their best to work together as a system for the better of student and the

surrounding community.

4) My philosophical belief for instructional planning is that all lesson plans should be

thought out with the best interest of the students. This work load can be overwhelming;

therefore, the classroom paraprofessional should do his/her best to assist the teacher.