HAYLEY FULTON

(810) 730-3677 | hfulton@umich.edu | www.hayleyfulton.weebly.com | 5697 Woodfield Pky, Grand Blanc, MI 48439

Philosophy of Classroom Management

The principle that guides my classroom management philosophy is empathy. This is the quality

that I aspire to cultivate in my teaching practice and in my students. Empathy has the power to transform

a classroom space into a healthy and safe environment for students to learn Spanish as well as become

individuals who display kindness and seek to understand. I believe that students must receive instruction

and opportunities to practice empathy in the classroom. I model empathy by being intentional about my

responses to mistakes. I make clear that I value each student's input and offer a quick remark of

reassurance or an opportunity for self-correction if a student is wrong. For example, my response to a

student who says “I don’t know,” is always “Okay, that’s okay! Let’s try it together.” In my experience,

with this support, students are usually able to work through the discomfort and give the question a try. I

take care to be attentive and make sure students are not too uncomfortable with this level of challenge and

support. If a student becomes visibly uncomfortable or embarrassed, I would move along and handle it in

an empathetic way, and check in with that student later. But I have not had this occur because I think

students know they can make mistakes with me, and we will work together to learn from them. My

classroom is a space where empathy thrives and we learn better together because of it.

A fundamental part of cultivating an empathetic learning environment is classroom norms. In my

classroom, norms are not “rules to follow” but instead mutually agreed upon responsibilities for the

students and the teacher to uphold throughout the year in order to create a learning environment that is

kind, respectful, and focused upon the learning goals. I will communicate some of my needs for norms as

the teacher in order to fulfill my responsibilities, and students will work together to agree upon norms that

will work for everyone. Creating norms that work for everyone requires the entire classroom to engage in

listening. I believe it is vital to empower adolescents to have agency in their own learning. We want to

create an inviting learning environment where everyone feels comfortable being who they are as they

learn and grow. I always provide students several ways to express their concerns about class norms and
policies. I believe in the power of teacher-student collaboration: students must have opportunities to

respectfully communicate their thoughts and ideas to advocate for themselves and their peers. For

example, when teaching virtually, I once had a student privately message me in chat about her concern at

the frequency of our quizzes. We did have two quizzes in one week, because the first quiz was postponed

to better support students. This student expressed some stress at having a second quiz so soon and asked if

it could be rescheduled. I first made sure to communicate my understanding and that I was on her side. I

said, “Thank you for bringing this up, I do not want you to be stressed. I know it seems soon, but I would

never ask you to take a quiz if I didn’t believe you had enough chance to practice the concept. That’s why

I moved the previous quiz - many students had questions and it was clear that more practice opportunities

were needed. Now, I really do not believe this is the case with tomorrow’s quiz. If you have any questions

as you are preparing, please ask because I am here to help.” This response validated her concern and

shows that I was hearing her out, and explained my rationale for why it was important for me to keep the

quiz where it is even though I do understand where she is coming from. I always want my students to feel

comfortable in approaching me respectfully as this student did. When teachers and students listen to one

another, we are able to find solutions and come to an understanding. This idea is at the heart of my

teaching practice, and that is why my students must always have a large role in co-creating the classroom

norms with me.

With the guiding principle of empathy in my classroom, I have a good understanding that every

behavior is a need trying to be met, even behaviors that violate classroom norms. It is vital for me to

understand my students’ needs, and when problematic behaviors of all kinds arise, I must know how to

effectively intervene in a way that supports my student in meeting this need. Different behaviors require

different, appropriate, and proportionate interventions. I want my personality as a firm but kind teacher to

inform all of my classroom practices. I know that students will need different levels of support as we set

these goals of self-regulation and responsibility. Listening to my students is always the most effective way

to determine the best approach to ultimately correct the problem behavior. Only then can collaboration

toward actionable consequences to amend for any problem behaviors take place. One-on-one
conferencing is an opportunity for students to be heard and be empowered to take responsibility for their

behavior. It is also an opportunity for understanding so that I may better address the behavior by

understanding where it is coming from, and what need is not being met. I believe my commitment to

listening and empathy when handling classroom management will help me to support my students

holistically and cultivate a respectful, inclusive, and highly supportive learning environment. While I

believe this and am careful to empower and guide rather than punish, it is important for students to see

that there are consequences for their actions, and as a teacher I must be firm in setting my expectations. If

my students fall short of expectations, they can expect firm reminders to self-correct. They can expect

certain consequences depending on the seriousness of the action in order to make up for their wrongdoing.

I will not tolerate behaviors that violate our classroom norms. However, my approach seeks to understand

and support rather than punish. I expect my students to uphold their responsibilities as learners and to

behave in ways that are productive to our learning environment. I do this by exhibiting patience but

providing firm reminders to students to fulfill their responsibilities as a learner. When teaching virtually, I

often used to go into different breakout rooms to check on students. Once I entered a breakout room when

students were doing a speaking activity, a low-stakes way for them to enhance their proficiency. A

breakout room I entered was totally silent. I called out each of them by name, encouraging them to

unmute and participate. I said, “It is very important that you practice when you have the opportunity to do

so, especially with speaking. I want to give you the support you need, but you have the responsibility to

utilize the practice opportunities I provide. Now, who is going to start with #1?” Both students quickly

chimed in with this reminder. I made sure to stay around and validate their participation, and offer them

an opportunity to ask questions. I did not make them feel uncomfortable or guilty for not meeting my

expectations, and rather extended them understanding, patience, and a friendly but firm reminder of their

responsibilities as learners. Ultimately, though, I am an advocate for all members of our classroom and do

not tolerate hurtful language or behaviors that bring disrespect or distraction into our learning

environment.