Classroom Management Plan

An experienced teacher once told me that he refused to do anything for students that they were capable of doing on their own. This idea helped form my ideas on classroom management, something that has expanded to include ideals from the book Teaching with Love & Logic. It is empowering for students to know that they are in control of their own behavior and that any behavior is acceptable unless it causes a problem for anyone else in the classroom community. Establishing that students are capable of correcting their own behavior problems is also something that promotes personal accountability. There is still a fair amount of teacher control so that if a student is unable to self-correct the problem I will be prepared to intervene. However a teacher will never be able to control a student’s behavior, they can only influence it. So if teacher intervention is necessary, I will work collaboratively with a student on the consequence so that it is appropriate, fair, and positive behavior is modeled.

This collaborative power base is most appealing to me in that it allows me to work with my students rather than just dictate what they will do in every classroom situation. I am not afraid to offer students choices because I can offer options that I am equally comfortable with in most situations. If a situation ever arises that I may need to make the sole decision on, I will be able to make a withdrawal from my ‘bank account’ of mutual respect that has been built up with the students. This collaborative approach will only be effective so long as my mindset allows it to be. If my expectations for student behavior are negative then I will be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Procedures must be clearly established beginning on the first day of school. The purpose behind the procedures must be discussed so that all students understand why they should follow them. Part of having a collaborative approach to teaching is listening to students’ ideas and thoughts to come up with a system that everyone is happy with. So if the class has a negative attitude about a procedure they will be less effective at performing it. Once students understand the procedures they must be rehearsed until students can execute the procedures easily and without hesitation. If the response to a procedure isn’t automatic then I don’t feel it is that effective and therefore it should be altered or completely gotten rid of. If students grumble and complain about a procedure, I will look into how the procedure can be altered or whether it is even as effective as I need it to be. Great educators are “experimenters”- if something doesn’t work then they will try something else.