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Hailey Lewis

PSID 1835425

CUIN 4375 Tues. 1-4

CMP Paper
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Philosophical Statement

I believe that classroom management is most effective when a teacher models

appropriate, consistent behaviors and builds strong relationships with each student, plans

lessons effectively, shapes a supportive classroom community, and creates an environment

which is warm, well-structured, and encourages independence. My philosophy aligns with

Ginott’s communication theory, in that the teacher sets the tone of the environment through

their own behaviors (Manning & Butcher, 2013, pg. 59). By modeling appropriate behavior and

treatment of others, the teacher contributes to a positive community as children learn through

observation. By being respectful, trusting, and encouraging to students, they will display these

same social qualities to the teacher and their peers.

If school does not feel like an obligation, students will be more willing to participate and

therefore behave appropriately. I am influenced by Frederick Jones’s Positive Classroom

Management Theory, which is along the same lines as my belief in that student academic

engagement results in appropriate classroom behaviors, and therefore lesson planning will be

thought out and personalized to my students’ needs (pg. 125).

A classroom community in which students feel they belong and are valued is an

important aspect of making school enjoyable and therefore increasing student engagement.

The teacher needs to designate time during lessons for students to connect, have positive social

experiences, and support one another through activities and assignments. By promoting

supportive behavior in lesson planning, students will enjoy school more and therefore be more

engaged.
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Further, I believe that strong student-teacher relationships lead to academic and

behavioral success. Students with a trusting and inviting teacher more so want the teacher’s

approval and are more likely to behave in an appropriate manner. Teachers should never

shame their students, as it lessens the child’s respect and will lead to further misbehaviors.

Teachers who have strong relationships with their students and use encouragement regularly

to promote confidence and a growth mindset are more likely to find students staying on task

and asking for help without the anxiety a hostile teacher may bring.

Environment is vital to effective classroom management. The classroom environment

should be well-organized and structured to promote classroom safety and consistency.

Disorganization of the environment can lead to chaos and distraction and should be avoided

through thoughtful planning. Student art should be displayed to promote the positive

classroom community, as well as cultural art to celebrate diversity. The environment should

also promote independence by labeling centers, materials, cubbies, etc. to allow students to

feel pride in their autonomy and choices.

First day

At the start of each school day, I will greet the students at the door, giving them options

for a high-five, hug, dance, or wave. This will begin on the first day of school, and will allow me

the opportunity to assess students attitudes at the start of the day to know which students I

need to keep an eye on. I will begin class on the first day by introducing myself. I will give fun

facts about myself, my favorite subjects and hobbies outside of school, and explain that even

teachers get nervous on the first day of school because they want to have a successful first day,
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just like the students. I believe this will be an effective way to relate to the students and begin

building the foundation for student-teacher relationships formed throughout the year.

Following my introduction, I will give instructions for “Find-a-Friend Bingo”. In this

activity, the squares will include things such as “favorite animal is an elephant”, “plays soccer”,

“has 2 siblings”, etc., and the students will go around the room to collect signatures from peers

who have the listed attributes. This activity will allow the students to begin interacting and

getting to know one another. It will also be a means of breaking the ice and calming any

nervousness students are feeling about being in a new classroom.

Next, I will lead a class discussion on the responsibilities of teachers and students. I will

create a Venn diagram on the board and ask students to list what sorts of things students and

teachers are supposed to do. In doing so, I will note and emphasize the many similarities (e.g.

be respectful, be honest, do your work). This will not only allow the students to think about

what their jobs are in the upcoming year, but what they can expect from me as a teacher. This

is another beneficial way to relate to my students, and will create accountability in me to

uphold their expectations to further build trust. This will lead into our creating the classroom

rules as a class and discussing of why each is important. As students contribute ideas, I will

write them on the board and we will narrow them down to the most important to follow. The

final list will include 6-8 rules, and I will emphasize that being kind is the highest priority. When

the rules are completed, I will explain the 3-strike rule and the classroom color chart

consequences of breaking disobeying our agreed upon policies.

I will then explain the classroom job chart and class cash. I will read Wemberly Worried

by Kevin Henkes as our first-day read aloud as a means to discuss the jittery nervousness that
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comes with a new school year and emphasize that we will have a fun and successful year

together. Throughout the day at appropriate times, I will go over procedures such as how to

line up, walk in the hallway, where and how to get supplies, the appropriate times for restroom

use, the hand signs for needing help, bathroom, and pencil sharpener, and how to

appropriately use the classroom centers.

I will end the day with a “first day of kindergarten” memorabilia activity, in which the

students draw things that surprised them, worried them, excited them, and other things they

want to note. They will place their final products into envelopes, which I will keep for the

students to reflect on during the last day of school and see how far they’ve come.

Classroom Policies

Classroom rules will be set on day one with student contributions, however, I will

emphasize that the number one rule is to be kind. The list of rules will be concise, between 6-8

main rules which will be displayed at the front of the classroom and reinforced with

consistency. I believe young children deserve to go home after school and have free time to

play without work hanging over their heads. Homework will only be assigned if not finished in

class.

I want to encourage my students to have a growth mindset and not fear failure.

Therefore, any assignment, quiz, or test may be redone/retaken after a one-on-one discussion

with me. It is important to me that in no way do discussions about failed assignments include

shame or blame, but are supportive and productive. The one-on-one will entail a discussion of

what needs work, how it can be improved, and if needed, what extra help I can provide.
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Every Thursday students will be sent home with their designated “parent folder”. This

will be a way for me to maintain consistent communication with families and encourage their

participation. Each week in the folder I will provide information on what we are learning in class

to encourage parents to reinforce concepts at home. I will also send home information on

upcoming school or classroom events, donation opportunities, volunteer forms, etc. Finally, I

will use this as a means to transport important student documents such as progress reports and

weekly behavior reports, which should be signed and returned on Fridays. If parent signatures

are not attained, they will receive a polite email reminder to check the parent folders and

return the information.

Classroom Procedures

To gather the students’ attention, I will keep chimes at my desk to ring when the focus

should be on me. Volume will be referred to as “voice levels” and students will be expected to

stay at a level zero in the hallways, between level one and two in the classroom depending on

the activity, and level three at recess. If the classroom is becoming too loud, I will use the

chimes to regain their attention and remind them of the appropriate voice level. At times when

I notice the whole group is becoming antsy and unfocused, I will allow a brain break, in which I

will display an age-appropriate music video on the projector for students to dance out their

wiggles for 2-3 minutes.

Desks will be grouped, and groups will be given a team color which corresponds to their

supply bucket and table folder. Each table folder will be prepared by me before the beginning

of each days and will contain daily worksheets. One student from each group will be designated
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the job of table manager each week, and the table managers will be in charge of collecting and

passing out the materials when instructed. For smooth transitions, I will call tables by color one

at a time to move from one activity to another.

Time for using the classroom centers will be planned into each day’s schedule. Centers

are an important aspect of promoting autonomy in my classroom. When it’s time for students

to change stations, the students will hear an alarm and move independently. Each center in the

room will have a chart with the appropriate number of Velcro squares, and students will each

have a Velcro name to put on the square when they choose a station. For example, the reading

center may have 3 squares, meaning 3 students can be there at one time. If all the spots are

taken for a wanted center, it is the student’s job to find a center with availability and wait for

the timer to move stations. This will foster independence and develop their self-regulation

skills, as they practice accepting not necessarily getting their first choice and waiting patiently.

There will be hand signals designated for student needs. If a student needs help or a

question answered, they will raise an open hand. For needing a pencil sharpener, they will hold

up their pointer finger. To ask to use the bathroom, they will hold up their pointer and middle

fingers crossed. While there are designated bathroom breaks, students will be allowed one-

bathroom break outside of designated time. They may go a second time, but it will cost them a

classroom dollar from their bank; if they have none, they will “be in debt” and owe the next

dollar they earn. To get a tissue, students will not have to raise their hand as long as they are

able to retrieve one quickly and quietly, without disruption. It will be made clear that

independence in center time is a privilege, and if students are not behaving appropriately in

their centers, they will lose choice during the following few days until their trust is regained.
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Steps to Address Misbehavior

I am highly critical of using shame as a means to address misbehavior. I strongly believe

students deserve chances, and that behavior should be addressed separately from the student

himself. In private discussions about misbehavior with students, I will get down to their level,

ask why they are misbehaving rather than become aggressive, and strive to address the root of

the problem.

When it comes to my plan for addressing misbehavior, my beliefs align with that of

Skinner’s Positive and Negative Reinforcement ideals in that positive behaviors are rewarded

and negative behaviors lead to unpleasant consequences (pg. 47). There will be a color chart

near my desk with the three in-line smiley faces colored green, yellow, and red. Each student

will have a labeled clip to identify their individual behavior level for the day. The chart will be

placed intentionally out of direct sight with the intent to be a visual reminder only for students

who need it, and they will be asked to move their clip themselves to emphasize their choice to

behave appropriately or inappropriately. Each student will start the day with their clip on green

and move to yellow after three strikes, and red following yellow as such. My three-strike rule

will include 1st a nonverbal warning, the 2nd strike will be a reminder that they have no strikes

left, and the 3rd strike will result in a color change. Bullying will be the only exception for the

three-strike rule and will result in a nonnegotiable call home after a private discussion.

I do not agree with taking away recess time as it is necessary for young children and will

not use it as a consequence. Students on yellow will not be allowed to earn classroom cash on

the given day of their color change. Students on red will either receive a note home, call home,

or office referral depending on the severity of their misbehavior. Each week in student’s
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Thursday folders, there will be a behavior form which shows the students color by the end of

each day of the previous week. This will include a description of the misbehavior and

identification of the class rule broken in order to place accountability on the student. Parents

will need to sign and return the form to school so I know they are aware of their student’s

behaviors in class.

For students who consistently display misbehaviors or struggle to stay on task, I will

create a “secret sign” such as pulling on my earlobe or scrunching my nose as a nonverbal

warning. This is not only a good way to get an individual student’s attention but is a means to

building the student-teacher relationship, as the child feels that the sign is special to only them.

If a student is feeling flustered, frustrated, or angry they will be allowed to sit in the

quiet corner in order to calm down. The quiet corner is my take on J. Ron Nelson’s “Think

Time”, something I see as highly beneficial and productive, especially for young children

(pg.74). For the quiet corner I will provide a private space which includes pillows to sit on, a

handful of books on feelings, Happy the Hippo (a comforting plush toy), and writing materials in

case the student wants to write me a note, write out their feelings, or simply scribble.

Student Motivation

I believe students put their best effort forward when they feel valued in their classroom

community. To incorporate this ideal, there will be assigned classroom jobs. Classroom jobs will

include table manager, door opener, electrician (light), table cleaners, librarian, line leader, and

caboose. The jobs will be switched weekly in order to provide everyone with the opportunity to

participate.
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I will use positive reinforcement as a means to intrinsically motivate student social

behavior and high-quality work. By providing vocal appreciation and encouragement, my

students will gain the approval and confidence boost to continue showing this good behavior.

While I hope to use intrinsic motivation for social behavior and work quality by communicating

recognition and appreciation, I am understanding of the difficulties young children have staying

focused and on task consistently throughout a long school day. To motivate student

engagement, there will be opportunities to earn “class cash”, 2-3 times a day during

independent work time. I will place a classroom dollar on the corner of students’ desks during

lessons. If the student remains on task, the dollar will stay on the corner of their desk

throughout the activity and they will have earned it and can put it in their bank (name-labeled

pockets kept in the classroom); however, if they are not following directions or distracting

others, I will pick the dollar up off their desks and they will not be able to cash it in. I will do this

quietly and without disruption in order to avoid shaming the students. At the end of each week,

they will have the opportunity to “cash out” and visit the classroom store, which will have

various options which range in price. Options will include a desk buddy pass or shoeless study

pass for $15, a treasure box toy for $20, lunch with the teacher for $30, a pajama pass for $40,

and a homework pass for $50.

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Reference

Manning, M. L., & Bucher, K. T. (2013). Classroom management: Models, applications, and

cases. Boston: Pearson.