My Classroom Management Philosophy

I believe that an authoritative style of classroom management is the most effective and

aligns best with my philosophy of classroom management. In the classroom, rules and

boundaries are necessary. Rules and boundaries not only help the classroom run smoothly and

effectively, but they also help the students feel safe and in a controlled environment. It is

paramount that these rules and boundaries are followed strictly and consistently. But they can

be enforced with love, care, and kindness.

Rules and boundaries must be established right away. The first week of school is very

important to establishing boundaries. To help the students feel like they are taking part in the

creation of the classroom rules, I will ask the students what rules they think we should have in

the classroom. This will help establish communication, empower the students, and help them

feel more responsibility to follow the rules because they helped create them. As students give

their ideas, I will record them. I will then show how all the student’s rules fit nicely into the

three rules that I plan to establish in my classroom. Using only a few rules, instead of a long list,

will make it easier for students to remember and follow them. The three rules I will include in

my classroom are respect people, respect property, and respect learning.

When teaching these rules, the class and I will have a discussion on what the word

respects mean. This will further establish open communication between the entire class as well

as help everyone understands what our rules mean. We will then go through the three rules

and describe what each rule would include. For example, keeping our hands to ourselves and

using kind language would be under the respect people rule. Using classroom supplies correctly

and not throwing things in the classroom would fall under respect property. Raising our hand
and listening to the teacher would be included in the respect learning rule. These rules would

be taught throughout the first week of school through explicit and direct instruction,

collaboration, modeling, and practice. For the first few weeks of school, we would review these

rules at the start of each week. They will then be referenced whenever we need to remind a

student of our classroom expectations.

Like rules and boundaries, classroom routines are extremely beneficial. Classroom

routines will be taught the same way as classroom rules. Routines will be introduced throughout

the first few weeks of school. They will be taught through explicit and direct instruction,

modeling, and student practice. When teaching routines, students will get the opportunity to

act out both following the routine and not following the routine. This will give the students a

good laugh as they get to act a little silly and help engage them in the learning of the routines.

These routines will help the classroom run smoothly both during worktime and transitions.

Here are some examples of classroom routines that I will implement. How to line up

properly. How to ask to use the restroom during class time. How to turn in work when finished.

How to walk down the hallway. Using a timer for work time. Using a timer for transitions.

Routine for bell ringers and exit tickets. How we get ready to leave for the day, such as cleaning

up our desks, plugging in our iPads, cleaning up the floor, and stacking our chairs. How to get

more supplies such as pencils, glue sticks, and scissors. How we properly name and date all our

work. These, and many others, will help the classroom run smooth and help the students work

efficiently with the least number of distractions.

To enforce these rules, boundaries, and routines, I think the most important thing a

teacher can do is build relationships with the students. A relationship with students is the
foundation for almost everything done in the classroom. There are a few things that I do to help

build relationships with the students. First, I try and greet every student right away in the

morning in a positive way. Especially if that student had to be redirected the day before, it is

important for them to know that I still like them and that today is a new day. After providing

every student with a positive interaction right away in the morning, I like to start our classroom

time by allowing students to share what they did over the weekend, what they did last night, or

what plans they have coming up. This is a great way for students to get to know each other, the

students to get to know the teacher, and the teacher get to know the students. What students

share provides valuable information that the teacher can use to continue building relationships

with the students, such as what activities they most commonly do at home. Finally, I try and

have friendly conversations with students about things outside of schoolwork, especially about

shared interests or things I know they enjoy.

Helping students to build relationships with each other through our morning share time

activity will also help build a positive learning culture and encourage students to celebrate and

seek the success of others. To further build a positive learning culture, students will get

rewarded for following classrooms rules and working hard. This reward will be an object that

slowly fills up a jar, such as marbles or pom-poms. Once the jar is full, the whole class will

receive a reward, such as a pizza party or hat day. Every time a student gets rewarded for

positive behavior; the whole class will be encouraged to clap for them. This builds a positive

learning culture and encourages students to seek the best in their classmate.

Along with a positive learning culture should come positive interactions between

students and teachers, especially when a student needs redirection. The foundation of my
classroom management philosophy is always treating students with respect and care. I never

want to raise my voice or have a student feel like I mad at them. I love the idea of “going under

the wave” when dealing with student’s problem behaviors. Rather than meeting a student’s

behavior with an equal intensity, I like to use a low, soft, calm voice to redirect the student. I

find this is the best method to deescalate the situation and get a positive response from the

student. Also, rather than punish negative behaviors, I much prefer to reinforce positive

behaviors. The most common method I use to reinforce positive behaviors is complimenting the

behavior whenever I see it.

In summary, I believe the most important part of my behavior management philosophy

is my focus on student relationships and interactions. I believe in teaching the whole child, not

just teaching academics. My goal in teaching is to prepare all my students for everything that

life will throw at them. This includes how to interact socially in acceptable ways, deal with

failure, and how to succeed in academics. If done correctly, my students will be excited to come

to school, enjoy their time learning, and interact with peers in a safe environment.