Classroom Management Philosophies Ava De Jonge

Throughout observation, clinical teaching, and lectures on classroom management, it is

evident that getting to the students has a direct correlation to the success of classroom
management strategies. This ideology is reflected within my teaching philosophy as getting to
know the students can change the reaction and move forward. During my clinical teaching, I
worked with a student who refused to come to the tutoring session. However, when I changed the
narrative, allowing for a greater understanding of the student, I was able to gain a greater
understanding of how to address the situation and how to move forward as a community. We had
a conversation about how to process our emotions and how our emotions influence our actions.
Doing this allowed for a gain of accountability and respect for each other.
Accountability and respect are essential within my ideologies regarding successful
classroom management. During my observations, I noticed the importance the master teacher
placed on accountability and respect. The teacher would often discuss respect and what it means
for the students. It was prevalent that the word respect went beyond interactions between people;
the teacher posed respect in terms of the individual. This is an aspect I found to be highly
profound because so often, the term respect is used to describe our words and actions towards
others, but this teacher posed this word for how the individuals are treating themselves. The
teacher also identified the importance of accountability. Throughout my coursework, I have
found that accountability for the students is necessary and essential within our evolving society.
By creating an environment rooted in accountability for oneself and those around them, the level
of achievement may increase. I found this idea to be prevalent within my clinical teaching
opportunity. I created high expectations for a student, and through accountability, the student
was able to stick to the set goals and encourage their peers to succeed.
While not all classroom management strategies can be rooted in the positivity that always
elicits positive reactions, it is important to be prepared for such events. When setting
expectations for students, it is equally as important to set an approach for how to address
unwanted behavior. During my observations, the teacher would often tell the students to take a
break, and then the student would go to a chair to take a said break. The teacher made a plan for
addressing unwanted behavior; however, I believe a crucial step is missing within this approach.
I find to be missing the conversation as to why the student needed to take a break. While not
every unsolicited behavior needs an explanation, I believe that it is crucial to have a conversation
Classroom Management Philosophies Ava De Jonge

about what behavior occurred. Doing so allows the student to reflect upon the unwanted behavior
that could curve the likelihood of the behavior repeating.
Even though having a set plan in place for classroom management, it is essential to have
flexibility. Flexibility allows for the humanization of both the student and teacher. I believe that
flexibility is a vital aspect of classroom management because when getting to know students,
there is an understanding of the diversities that make them unique. By identifying the diversities,
it is easy to understand that a set framework will not benefit all students. Therefore, flexibility is
an essential part of classroom management to have overall success.