Classroom Management Plan

Emma Ahart

EDUC 415-001: Classroom Management

December 20, 2020

Introduction
Classroom Management Plan

I believe that effective classroom management falls into two categories. Firstly,

Management as a System being the rules, expectations, procedures, and base standards that are

established at the beginning of a class and are maintained throughout the school year. Secondly,

Management as Instruction, where a teacher must exercise diligent “withitness” in knowing what

is going on in their classroom and with their students in order to work towards the specific needs

of each in their classes. Communication is key in establishing connections and respect between

students and teacher and the knowledge of students that their teacher cares for them as

individuals. Each student views the world differently, and as a teacher I must work to see from

their points of view in order to provide the best instruction possible. Having a classroom

management plan is very important for being prepared and having a system to fall back on as

needed, however it is also important to leave room for flexibility. It is the ability of a teacher to

be open to change and take the time to adapt their methods to what will best suit the needs of

their students that leads to effective classroom management. The five essential categories of the

framework of a classroom management plan are the classroom rules, classroom arrangement,

classroom consequences, classroom conflict resolution, and classroom practices. My approach to

each will be detailed as followed.

Classroom Rules

When considering classroom rules and consequences for breaking them it is important to

keep in mind that many students do not break rules by choice, and that they might be breaking

the rules for multiple reasons such as misunderstanding the rules, not recognizing the reason for

the rules thus making them seem irrelevant, or outside influences that might be influencing

students to misbehave. Due to these possible reason for misbehavior, it is best to address them
Classroom Management Plan

immediately when the rules become relevant. One the first day of class I would like to clearly go

over each rule, laying out my expectations as their teacher. But instead of just simply stating the

rules, I would handle it much more like a conversation for the whole class, asking them why they

think each rule is important, and go into detail explaining relevance and importance. The

students will be able to ask questions and even offer up challenges if they do not think that a rule

is fair, and if the class can come to a logical and responsible agreement a rule might be tweaked.

This will not be an option for safety specific rules or rules regarding tool and workspace cleanup,

and as the teacher I would explain why such rules are essential as they are. When it comes to tool

and workspace clean up, I would give a demonstration, describing methods of clean up and care,

as well as why such methods work and specifically how they are preventing damage. For

example, I remember how in a painting specific class my teacher explained in detail how a

paintbrush was constructed and how certain methods of cleaning were damaging to the brush.

This new knowledge made the process much easier because I understood and now knew what to

be conscious of. With each lesson with new tools being used I would provide a demonstration of

care and clean up, as well and have info-graphs posted around the room in case students might

have difficulties remembering certain things.

Below are my standard classroom rules and consequences that are meant to apply to any art class

but are subject to change depending on additional circumstances.

Classroom Rules (Art Classroom)

Food and drink Because of the materials that will be used in
class, students will not be allowed to eat in
the art classroom. This rule is specifically for
safety purposes as we will at times be using
materials that would be hazardous to ingest. If
there are days where food is allowed the
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teacher will inform the class at least a day

beforehand.
Drinks are allowed in class but must be in a
container with a secure lid to prevent spilling
and/or material contaminating the drink.
Clean workspaces Workspaces must be properly cleaned by the
end of each class period by the student using
them. This is important for taking
responsibility of your own space as well as
making sure it is clean for the next person
who will be using it. There will be time for
clean up before the end of every class period.
Respect for tools Every art class goes through using a lot of
different tools, and multiple classes share the
same tools. Students must take the necessary
time to care for and clean them properly so
that they stay in good condition. Damaged or
broken tools take away from every student
using them and replacing them could be
difficult and costly.
The kiln room Absolutely no students are allowed in the kiln
room without permission and supervision
from the teacher. Kilns are very expensive
and can be dangerous depending on what part
of the firing process they are in, so extra
caution will be taken.
Music Many students like to listen to music while
they are working. The teacher will play a
playlist during worktime for the whole class
to listen to. If students want to listen to their
personal music they may with earbuds,
however one earbud must be out at all times.
This is to make sure that students are able to
hear when the teacher is speaking to them or
if they are making a class announcement.

Consequences (day by day basis)

Verbal warning If the teacher becomes aware of inappropriate
behavior that goes against the classroom rules
the student will receive a verbal warning. In
addition to this verbal warning the teacher
will ask the student if there is a reason from
them to be breaking the rules and offer ways
to rectify that reason.
*Because of the importance of the kiln room
rule, students breaking it will automatically
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lose the privilege to be in it at all, for the

remainder of the class.
Reduced privileges This of course depends on the rule that is
being broken. For example, if personal music
is being abused then the student will not be
allowed to use their music for the rest of the
class period. The standard for this
consequence is that if a student continues to
show misbehavior for a certain rule after a
verbal warning then they will have their
privileges restricted or taken away from the
rest of the class period.
A meeting with the teacher and email/call to If the misbehavior continues to persist during
parents class or over the course of many class periods
then the teacher will make contact with the
parents, possibly the guidance counselor and
the principle if necessary, and work to find
the source of the misbehavior and create a
solution plan. The meeting with the teacher
will be before or after class where the student
will have a one on one discussion with the
teacher about their actions and what must be
done to rectify these persistent issues.
Higher intervention If the misbehaviors continue beyond the
teacher’s resources to handle, then action will
be turned over to the principal and higher
school discipline. This is a last case option
and of course depends on the severity of the
misbehavior.

Classroom Arrangement

Firstly, when it comes to classroom arrangement, I want my students seating

arrangements to be in pods for the sake of groupwork, as well as students having the opportunity

to communicate ideas and socialize with each other even during solo work. With pods, I as the

teacher would easily be able to get to any student and be able to comfortably work with them to

solve any problems without invading the space of other students. The row of computers mimics

the computers that were available in my high school art classroom, which from my experience

worked effectively with the rest of the classroom. Due to the nature of my classes, there will not
Classroom Management Plan

be a large use for computers outside of students printing off reference images or working in

small groups while researching. If there comes a need where students will be working on a

project that requires more computers than what are readily available in the classroom, I will to

request a cart of laptops from the school or work out a different solution. From the teachers desk

I will be able to keep an eye on the classroom effectively when I am not walking amongst the

tables. The whiteboard and projection area are easily viewable by the whole class, and while I

am standing by it teaching, I will also be able to see the class. When it comes to demonstration, I

will have a documentation camera setup on my desk that will be projected onto the board, so that

everyone can see clearly. The sink and supplies are in the same area together so that once

students have cleaned themselves and their tools, they can return them to their storage easily.

Next to the door will be the classroom rules. Near the back of the room, will be where students

can hang their work for group critiques. In addition to the standing furniture there will be

numerous posters and art examples over the walls. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the

teacher’s desk is not equally close to every student, as well as the farthest away from the

supplies, where it will be more difficult to monitor those areas. I plan to counter this

disadvantage by making sure to move around the classroom often. Moving around a lot will also

help to keep students focused knowing that I am clearly alert to any disruptions or off task

behaviors. Hopefully this will also encourage students to not hesitate to ask any questions as I

will readily be available.

Below is a visual example of my planned classroom arrangement, that will be subject to change

depending on the room that my classes are in.

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Classroom Consequences

In order to effectively give consequences to misbehaviors, it is important to understand

why such misbehaviors are being exhibited in the first place. One of the theoretically best

methods for constructing consequences is that of Logical Consequences. The basis of this

method is to first understand the reason for misbehavior in a student, and then determine a

consequence that logically makes sense in return, and that will act as a learning opportunity and

not simply a punishment. I say theoretically, because while this method seems ideal and makes
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the most sense, its number one flaw is that it is difficult, even for seasoned teachers, to determine

the exact cause of a student’s misbehavior. That is why it is important to establish a standard of

trust and respect between myself as a teacher and my students. I will encourage my students to

come to me if they are having issues that might negatively affect their time in the classroom and

their ability to work under my expectations for classroom behavior. If I know of a possible

problem before it happens, I will be able to work with that student to make a plan for the day that

will take stress off of them and avoid any potential issues. Trust and respect between student and

teacher should also come with less issues due to students wanting to maintain that good

relationship. When misbehaviors do occur, it is important to respond calmly and rationally. I will

make an effort to communicate with my students in order to understand what happened and how

best to provide a consequence that is fair and will prevent the misbehavior from reoccurring.

Some misbehaviors are not readily foreseen, but some are chronic and will be seen by most

teachers many times throughout their teaching career. Because these misbehaviors are so

common, teacher can plan for a base strategy to fall back on when dealing with them. Having a

base strategy is very important in order to make sure that any subconscious biases a teacher

might have towards certain students will not result in unfair or inconsistent consequences.

Below is a list of common chronic misbehaviors that can occur at all age ranges, and my

standard approach to dealing with each based on what I have said above.

Do you think this What would be a As a teacher – what guidelines would

behavior is logical you follow for this situation?
attention- consequence for (for example, what would you say to
seeking, power- this behavior? the student, would you keep records,
seeking, revenge- talk in private, etc.)
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seeking or Be specific
failure avoiding?
Why?
Chronic
Misbehavior
1. tattling Attention Having a talk with In the instance of the tattling, the
seeking the student in teacher will acknowledge the student
private. and say that they will address the
issue at a later time. This allows the
student to feel heard, but also give a
limited reaction that would satisfy the
attention seeking in that moment.
After class or during an appropriate
down time, the teacher would talk to
the student about why they sought to
tattle on their classmate, and explain
the difference between tattling and
reporting, and why tattling is
disruptive and harmful to their
classmates.
2. clowning around Attention A warning will be The teacher will first give a verbal
seeking given, and if the warning for the student to stop
behavior messing around and no their work. If
continues the the behavior continues the student will
student will be be warned that if they keep messing
asked to sit away around, they will have to move away
from the rest of from their classmates. If the behavior
the class for a persists, the teacher will follow up on
while. their warning, and remove the student
from the situation that gained them
attention. The teacher will check back
in with the student after a while to
check to see if they are now working
as they should, praise them for doing
so, and allow them to return to their
normal seat.
3. cheating Failure-avoiding Require them to In the classroom the cheating policy
redo the test or will be told to the students at the
assignment. beginning of the class with the rest of
the classroom rules. The consequence
for cheating should not be a surprise
to any student.
If a student is caught cheating, the
teacher will ask them to see them after
class. The student will be informed
that they because they were caught
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cheating, they will either take a zero

on the test or assignment, or they will
need to redo the assignment or test
with docked points. The teacher will
make sure to ask if the student did not
feel that they were prepared enough
for the assignment or test and
depending on the circumstances might
offer additional help.
4. lying Power seeking Having a talk with If the teacher catches a student lying,
the student in they will discreetly ask they student to
private. meet with them after class. It is
important for the teacher to seem calm
and open, as opposed to angry or
upset, so the student does not walk
into the talk prepared to lie further in
defense.
The teacher will start the talk by
pointing out that they noticed that
something the student had said earlier
might not have been truthful. They
will say that they need to be able to
trust that student but that they also
understand that in turn the student
needs to be able trust the teacher not
to be angry about something they
might feel the need to hide. It is
important for the conversation, while
serious, to remain open and non-
judgmental so that the student does
not feel attacked. Once the teacher has
established that they will not react
harshly they will talk with the student
about the reason for the lie, and
together work out a plan so that they
student will not feel the need to lie in
the future, as well as address the issue
resulting in this particular lie.
5. stealing Revenge Having a talk with On a first-time offence the student
seeking the student in will be asked to speak to the teacher
private. after class. The teacher will inform the
Depending on the student that they know the student
severity/response took something that belonged to
of the someone else without that person’s
student/frequency/ permission, and that they need to give
or school policy it to the teacher. The teacher will then
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the teacher might explain the school policy on cheating

need to pass the and let the student know that because
information on to this is the first time, they do not want
the school the student to get into more major
administration trouble and give them the chance to
do the right thing. The teacher will
hang on to the item until the next class
period, where the student may either
return it to their classmate in person,
or write a short anonymous note
apologizing for stealing and the
teacher will discretely return it to the
student. The note option is for the
sake of the possibility of the student
stolen from will have a hostile
reaction even after the wrong has be
righted, as well as developing trust
between the student and teacher.
6. profanity Attention Give the student a Sometimes a student will swear
seeking warning and/or without meaning to, in which case a
have a talk with warning pointing out that what was
the student after said was not appropriate in the
class. classroom should suffice.
The teacher will also discretely ask to
see that student after class. The
teacher will explain that they
understand if it was a mistake but that
they wanted to make sure the student
understood why swearing was not
appropriate for class because it can be
disruptive, offensive to their peers,
and is overall not necessary language
to be using in a classroom
environment. If the swear was said out
of frustration or anger, they will talk
about what the issue might have been
and talk about a solution or a different
way to use strong emotions.
7. rudeness toward Revenge Do not engage in Rudeness to the teacher will often
the teacher seeking the moment and stem from an issue unrelated to the
have a talk with teacher, as is with the intent to hurt, so
that student in it is important for the teacher to not
private after a take it personally, make sure the
period of time, student knows with eye contact that
maybe by the end you acknowledge what they said but
are choosing not to engage, and move
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of class or the on. Once it is apparent that the student

next day. has had time to calm down, then the
teacher will talk with them in private.
They will say that it seemed like the
student was having a bad day and ask
if the student is ok. The conversation
should be used as an open
communication, and might not even
verbally address the rude comments,
because the student will know
anyways. The teacher will explain that
they want the classroom to be a space
that feel safe for every student, and
that if the student is having a bad day
they are more than welcome to let the
teacher know before or during class,
so that they teacher will be aware and
help as best they can.
8. defiance or Power seeking Do not engage in Defiance or hostility towards the
hostility toward the the moment and teacher will be handled similarly to
teacher have a talk with rudeness towards the teacher.
that student in Defiance and hostility to the teacher
private after a will often stem from an issue
period of time, unrelated to the teacher, or as an
maybe by the end attempt to gain power in the
of class or the classroom. The teacher will not
next day. engage, and at most tell the student
that they may discuss this later, but
for right now the class will continue.
Outright dismissing the student would
most likely cause an even larger
response.
During the talk the teacher will start
with saying that now they can talk
about what the student wants to talk
about because it is at an appropriate
and respectful time to do so. During
class was not the appropriate time,
because it was disruptive, and that
now in private the student will have
the teacher’s full attention. They will
talk about the issue and work out a
solution that works for both, and for
the good of the class.
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9. failure to do Failure-avoiding Have a private Art can be hard and overwhelming. It

work in class or talk with the is very important for student to know
homework student and help that everyone is on a different page,
them set small ad what matters more is personal
goals and provide progress and not comparisons. To
any additional avoid failure-avoiding tendencies,
help. expectations for student work will be
based more off of personal growth
than levels of “perfection”.
If a student is not doing work in class,
the teacher will talk with them
privately and try to determine the
motives of the student. If they are
overwhelmed by the task the teacher
could help them set up a plan with
small steps to make it easier to get
started/continue. If they are unsure of
something the teacher can provide
clarification and more details. If they
are lacking inspiration or motivation
they could talk to the teacher in more
depth about the assignment, because
sometimes bouncing ideas off of
another person can be very helpful. If
the behavior does not improve the
teacher might need to seek help from
the student’s parents or the guidance
counselor.
10. Inappropriate Power seeking A warning will be Students will be allowed to use their
use of electronic given, and if not phones in class for references or
devices followed the research purposes. However, if a
student will lose student is blatantly off task, using
their phone their phone inappropriately for
privileges for the extended periods of time, getting no
day. work done, or distracting their
classmates, that will be grounds for a
warning, followed by loss of their
phone privileges for the rest of the
class period. This will be stated
clearly with the rest of the classroom
rules so that students are well aware at
the start of the class.
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Classroom Conflict Resolution

The majority of conflicts in the classroom come from a student’s desire to meet their

basic needs, such as a need for power or achievement, and student responses to these conflicts

might be through an attempt to keep the peace, aggressiveness, or an attempt at communication

and understanding. When determining an approach to conflict resolution, it is important to be

aware of the age and maturity of the students, when and where it is appropriate to intervene, and

what they conflict is about. There are three main techniques that can be used for conflict

resolution are mediation, where students meet and work together to reach a solution with the help

of a neutral third party sch as the teacher, negotiations, where students work together without a

third party, and lastly consensus decision making, where all the parties of the group affected

work together towards a solution. No matter the parties involved or the conflict, it is always

important to go through the process learning the perspectives of each other and having

constructive communication. The end goal should always be a solution that is fair for all of those

involved, so it is important keep the approach to conflict resolution calm and on track. My

general approach to classroom conflicts would center mostly on mediation, because it allows me

to help guide towards a resolution, and I also think that a third neutral party will be able to help

keep the tension down and lend a voice of reason.

Below are three scenarios of conflict that I describe what method I would choose to use and how

I would approach reaching a resolution.

Scenario One

Mrs. Garcia has been teaching Family and Consumer Sciences for two years. During an in-
class small team assignment, she notices that Christopher has his head on his desk while his
partners are working through the assignment. When it comes time to turn in the
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assignment, they omit Christopher’s name as a contributor. Christopher notices this and
gets into an argument with his teammates.

The thing I find most concerning about this scenario straight away is that Mrs. Garcia notices
that Christopher is not participating but does not seem to address him about it. If I had been the
teacher of this class I would be moving around the room and checking in with students. If I had
noticed that Christopher was not participating, furthermore by having his head on his desk, I
would be worried that he was having personal issues that were preventing him from
participating. At the very least, addressing Christopher in some way before the end of the class
would have very easily prevented this conflict in the first place.

I believe the best option for resolving this conflict would be to use consensus decision making.
The parties who would be involved would be Christopher, his groupmates, and the teacher. Due
to it being the end of class, now would not be the appropriate time to have a discussion. I would
say to the students that for now, because Christopher did not participate, his name will not be on
the assignment, but that I want them to come in tomorrow before classes start (or during a study
period if the school has one) so that we can resolve this calmly. I believe this would set the stage
that I as a teacher agree that there is indeed an issue with Christopher not contributing to the
assignment, but also that there is a chance for him to fix this somehow. When it comes time to
have a discussion I will let the groupmates who did the assignment work share their side of the
story first, calmly and just stating the facts with no interruptions, and then I will let Christopher
do the same when it is his turn. When they both have gone, I will ask clarifying questions
depending on what both parties said about the situation. The questions I would definitely ask
would be,

To Christopher, “Why were you not participating during the assignment?” and, “Do you think it
is fair to your groupmates to get credit for work that you did not do?”.

To the groupmates, “Did any of you try to include Christopher in the assignment when you
realized that he wasn’t helping?”

I believe this last question is important. As a group they are a team, and teammates should look
out for each other. Yes, Christopher did not participate so he is at fault, but if his teammates did
not try to get him involved then that is also an issue. I would express this to them and ask if they
agree.

I think I would also pose the question, “If Christopher told you he was having a rough day
beforehand, would you have been ok with him doing minimal effort?”

Depending on how the discussion is going, I would suggest two solutions. One being that
because Christopher did not participate in the assignment, his name would not be included in the
assignment and he would have to redo it on his own or do a makeup assignment in order to
receive credit. The other option would be that his name could be included in the assignment, but
that he must promise to communicate with his group more and contribute to assignments in the
future.
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I would let the students talk it out and help them come to a conclusion together in a way that
feels fair to everyone. Whichever agreement is struck, I will make sure to monitor the group later
to see if any similar situations come up again.

As a side note, I think it would be a good idea have teambuilding exercises/games every once in
while in this class in order to build group relationships to be stronger. If the groups feel more
unified, then each member will want to work harder for each other when there are group
assignments.

You are in the teachers’ lounge making copies for your class. You overhear two teachers
disclosing confidential information about one of your students. You inform them that they
should not be disclosing confidential information about students, and one of the teachers
tells you, “Mind your own business.”

Giving these two teachers the benefit of the doubt, the information about this student that they
were disclosing could have been for the purpose of addressing and seeking a solution to an issue
with the student. That is the only thing that I could think of that would make disclosing a
student’s personal information justifiable. However, regardless of why, they were still talking
about it in the teachers’ lounge, where it is not at all appropriate or private, and I and others
could hear it.

Due to a student’s personal information being put at risk, I think this issue goes beyond a conflict
just between myself and those two teachers. I think that negotiation would be a good start at least
in the immediate situation. I would suggest to them that I am really concerned that they are
sharing a student’s private information, presumably without that student’s consent, in a space
that is public to all of the staff at the school. I’d address that I want to mind my own business,
but that as a teacher my business is the care of our students, and that right now they are not
caring for the student who they are talking about. I would try to be as non-confrontational about
it as I can because I certainly do not want to hold resentment towards these two teachers and vice
versus. If they communicate with me about why they are discussing the information and seem to
realize their mistake, then maybe I would not go to the principal or administration about it.

That is a hard maybe though, again because they are disclosing private student information,
which is potentially harmful to the student and rather shameful for educators to do. I don’t think
it would be morally right for me keep this incident to myself. I personally believe that this is a
situation that would be most properly handled by the school administration. Even if myself and
the two teachers came to the resolution of the conflict between each other, that still does not
make disclosing private student information ok, and just because I called them out on it does not
mean that they will ultimately stop.

Should I go to the administration, what I would like to see from them would be an all teacher
meeting discussing student information privacy, it’s importance, and what the logical
consequences would be to those who do not respect that privacy.
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You are a high school teacher and have scheduled a parent- student-teacher conference for
a difficult student named Joe. He consistently challenges your instruction and classroom
management and bullies the other students. Joe is a know-it-all and calls attention to your
mistakes. You spend the majority of your class time addressing Joe’s antics. During the
conference, his father accuses you of being a bad teacher.

This is when keeping thorough notes of conflicts in the classroom is important. I think it would
be best to not give much acknowledgment to the “bad teacher” accusation, because that would be
a useless and unproductive argument to have. I would respond with explaining the conflicts
between this student and the whole classroom, giving examples from my notes, and what I have
done so far to reach a solution. It will be important to be clear to the parents and the student that
the purpose of this meeting is to come up with a plan for a solution to these issues. As a teacher it
will be important to voice that not only is his behavior in the classroom detrimental to his
learning, but also to his classmate’s learning as well. I would ask the student if this is how he
would treat his parents at home, and ask them if there is any issues at home like what has been
happening in the classroom or if there are issues at home that would be contributing to his acting
out at school. It will be interesting to see how the student reacts to his parents being present for
addressing these issues.

The father sounds like a pretty confrontational person to throw out the “you’re just a bad
teacher” excuse for his son. If he continues with such things, like saying that I need to do better, I
would calmly agree with him and reiterate that that is the purpose of this meeting. With further
thought, the student’s attitude might very well be reflective of his father’s.

It will also be important to inform the parents of the rules and expectations that you have for all
your students, and how their son continuously chooses not to respect them, even after numerous
attempts to address his behaviors. Hopefully the parents will be receptable to my attempts to
form a solution with their son, but if they are not, I would have to inform them of the next steps I
would have to take based on the school’s policies for dealing with difficult students. This would
most likely be speaking/working with the school counselor and administration.

Classroom Practices

There are so many classroom practices that together create a harmonic classroom

environment for students, such as monitoring student performance, building positive

relationships with students, and selecting appropriate interventions. All are very important, but

there are a few that I find to be particularly important in an art classroom, the first being

managing transitions. The art classroom requires a unique creative focus that I would consider to

be a lot different to other classroom environments. As always, students need to be able to

Classroom Management Plan

concentrate in order to learn, but with art they also need to be in a mindset that harbors new ideas

and creative critical thinking. When students enter class, they are coming from another class and

from the noisy and energetic hallway. Transitioning into the learning mindset of the art room is

very important. I plan to handle this transition by having a five to ten-minute drawing exercise,

that could either be a free draw with a random prompt, or a specific exercise that would relate to

the lesson of the day. This will serve as a calming exercise, as well as a mental and physical

warmup. Secondly, which applies to all classrooms, is planning for the beginning of the year. At

the beginning of the year a teacher set the stage for how they will be handling the class in its

every aspect, from rules to procedures and expectations. First impressions are powerful for a

reason, especially for students. If a student decides that they do not like a teacher, odds that that

mindset will stick with them for the rest of a class. It is very important to present yourself as

someone with authority and well as someone whole cares deeply about their subject and their

students’ growth and success. Lastly, the use of routines is very important. Routines give

structure to everyday classroom practices. There is a sense of safety in routines, where students

know what to expect and what is expected of them. Routines are also a great way to practice and

reinforce good habits. Using routines in the classroom could look like doing a mindfulness

practice every day at the start of class, where students can practice calming exercises to help

regulate anxiety, and which they can use outside of class as well.

Below are several classroom routines that I plan on using in my classroom.

1. Entering the Classroom: What will the students and teacher do when students enter?

On a normal day, students will be expected to enter the classroom calmly and respectfully. They
will need to retrieve their sketchbooks from the drawer labeled for their class and sit down in
their seats. Depending on what is planned for the day, the teacher might be setting up supplies,
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finishing something at their desk, or hanging out at the door greeting students as they come in.
Student are encouraged to approach the teacher during this time if they have any questions or
concerns that would be best addressed before the class starts.

2. Beginning of the Day or Class: What will the students and teacher do when the day or class
starts?

When class starts (when the bell rings) if students are not already seated in their designated seats
then they should do so. The teacher will greet the whole class, and remind them that if they have
not already, they should grab their sketchbooks and sit in their seats while attendance is taken.
After attendance is taken, the start of each class period will start with a sketchbook warm up that
will act as a transition to help students shift from the mindset that they entered the classroom
with into a creative mindset for the rest of the class. This warmup will usually be from five to ten
minutes with a specific drawing exercise or a free draw with a prompt.

3. Taking Attendance: What will students do while the teacher takes attendance?

Students should remain quiet and respectful in their seats while attendance is taken. It will be in
the form of roll call, and each student should answer clearly when their name is called.
Sometimes instead of just saying “here” students will be given a fun prompt to respond with
instead, like what is your favorite color today.

4. Group Alerting: How will the teacher get the students’ attention?

This will probably be a range depending on how the teacher is feeling and what mood the class
seems to be in. It could simply be calling for the class’s attention or using some sort of noise
making object. If the class is in a mood where they might need a little help calming down, the
teacher could use something like a chime or a rain stick. If the class seems more somber the
teacher could use a funny object, like a kazoo.

5. Bathroom Requests: What will the students and teacher do when a student needs to use the
bathroom?

This could vary from school to school. If a school uses a pass system for students exiting the
classrooms during class time, then a student would need to approach the teacher to have them
sign off on a pass. If the school does not use a pass system, students will still need to approach
the teacher to let them know that they are going to the bathroom. If it is an inappropriate time to
ask the teacher, like say during a presentation, then they should raise their hand and make eye
contact with the teacher and point at the door or indicate in some other way that they need to use
the bathroom. Students are discouraged from using the bathroom unless it is urgent during any
time other than independent work time.

6. Hallway or Lunch: What will the students and teacher do in the hallway or lunchroom?

Students should always maintain responsible behavior in the hallways or at lunch, like no
running, yelling, or roughhousing. If the teacher happens to be doing rounds in the hallway in-
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between class periods they can act as a monitor for improper behavior and will intervein if
necessary. Simply the presence of a teacher is usually enough to prevent any issues.

7. Distributing Papers or Materials: How will the teacher distribute papers or materials to
students?

The class will be split into table groups. If there are handouts that need to be distributed to
everyone, then one student from each table group will collect for their group. The teacher will let
the class know which person from each group will be collecting the handouts. When it comes to
materials, not every student might need the same thing, so all students will grab their own
materials when the teacher gives them permission too. While grabbing materials or handouts
students should do so calmly and respectfully.

8. Collecting Papers or Materials: How will the teacher collect papers or materials to
students?

Students will return their materials the same way the first retrieved them and should make sure to
do so properly. This includes making sure that materials are stored properly, and tolls cleaned
properly. The teacher will have given a detailed instruction of how to do so when first
introducing such materials and tools. Collecting papers will look differently depending on the
time and what they are. For group papers or papers that will be returned during class, the teacher
will ask the same person who gathered them to return them to the teacher. If the papers are to be
collected near the end of class at the same time as clean up then the students will do so
individually.

9. Absent or Tardy Students: What will the students and teacher do when a student is absent?

Each school will have a different policy for handling absent or tardy students, and the teacher
will follow accordingly. This will most often look like marking down if a student is absent or
tardy, and giving warnings if it becomes a problem for particular students, that might eventually
result in a call home or further disciplinary action according to the school administration.
Students will not be considered tardy unless that they enter the classroom after attendance has
been completed.

10. Make-up Assignments or Tests: How will students make-up an assignment or test they
missed?

Due to the nature of art, the pace that students work at will vary. Each project will be set up to
give students ample time to complete while in class. If a student appears to be falling behind the
teacher will address it with them to help prevent them from needing to turn the project in late. If
a student does not complete an assignment on time, they will generally have a week to complete
it on their own time, and points will be docked past that. If a student is struggling and have
outside circumstances that will hurt their progress, they should talk to the teacher about it so that
a plan going forward can be developed. In general, requiring students to complete work outside
of class time will be avoided, because some student’s homes lives could make such very difficult
for the student.
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11. Discussion and Questions: How will the teacher facilitate discussions and questions from
students?

It will be important for the teacher to make it very clear to everyone that all questions and
contributions to discussions are welcome. It is really easy for student to feel uncomfortable
speaking with the whole class watching them, and this can be helped by not putting students on
the spot and having a good sense of community in the classroom. If a student does contribute the
teacher should acknowledge their contribution encouragingly and build off what they have said.
No student should ever feel like their contribution didn’t matter.

12. Placing Students in Groups: How will the teacher place students in groups for learning
activities?

Students will already be seated in table groups as part of the general seating chart, which will be
their groups if there is any sort of group project or activity. Seating at the start of the class will be
determined by how students choose to sit. How students are seated at the beginning of the second
class will be the seating chart for the foreseeable future. (second day because the students will
have had a chance to see who all is in the class and choose who they feel comfortable sitting with
accordingly). Changes to the seating chart will be made if necessary if certain students cannot
handle sitting by each other appropriately.

13. Closure of Activity: What will the students and teacher do when a learning activity is
finished?

This will of course depend on the activity. If it is the sketchbook activity at the beginning of
class, the teacher will let the students know when they have a minute left to work, and then let
them know when it is time to stop. When finished the designated person of the table group will
be instructed to return their groupmates’ sketchbooks to the class drawer. Other activities will be
handled similarly, with an announcement of when time is almost up, and when students should
be done. If any student finishes early, they should remain in their seats and wait patiently for the
rest of their classmates to finish.

14. Transition to New Activity: How will the teacher transition to a new learning activity?

Most transitions between activities will be announced, and clear instructions of what students
should be doing next will be given by the teacher. It is important for students to know what they
need to do to ensure that the transition is smooth. The teacher will ask if there are any questions
before each transition to make sure there isn’t any confusion.

15. End of the Day or Class: What will the students and teacher do when the day or class ends?

The “end” of the class will always start with the teacher directing the students to begin cleaning
up their spots and putting materials away. Students should do so appropriately and thoroughly.
As mentioned before, the teacher will have given detailed instructions for cleanup for each
specific type of material and tool, and why it is important. If students are aware of how improper
cleaning can damage tools and materials, they will be more likely to do so properly. When
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students have finished putting things away and cleaning their tables they should return to their
seats and wait. If the teacher has timed cleanup correctly there should be a minute or two left
before the bell rings, where they will ask some closing questions in relation to the lesson of the
day. When the bell rings the teacher will wish the class well and the students may leave.

Conclusion

There are essentially two reasons why I became a teacher. One being my love and

passion for art that I wanted to continue keeping as a focus in my life and one that I can share

with others. The other was influenced by the wonderful teachers that I learned from throughout

high school. My art teacher in particular I was close with and who was always there for me and

supported and inspired me through all of high school. He was a pivotal part of my development

as an artist and as a person, and if I can I want to have a similar role with my students. Teaching

and learning are incredibly important to the development of future generations, and as teachers

we must always strive to better ourselves and our practices, and always be aware that our own

learning never stops. That is why I am careful to keep in mind that my approaches to classroom

management are always subject to change depending on different circumstances, while still

maintaining a base plan that I can fall back on when needed. The core to my classroom

management plan is trust, respect, and communication, as is reflected through my approaches to

classroom rules, classroom arrangement, classroom consequences, classroom conflict resolution,

and classroom practices. So many of the issues that arise in the classroom stem from

misunderstanding and frustrations. Good relationships are the foundation for creating a safe and

positive learning environment where all students can learn and develop freely.