Classroom Management Plan

Introduction

        My core motivations for going into education are the opportunities to help students develop skills to have healthy relationships and a positive identity.  I think that the social studies classroom is an ideal place to teach both.  Through civil discussion of controversial issues, students learn to disagree peacefully.  Citizens in a healthy democracy should discuss controversial issues, and often.  Furthermore, skirting conflict is an unhealthy habit that inhibits the adolescents´ ability to differentiate themselves from their parents.  Jane Nelson and Lynn Lott (2000) explain, “If teens are not allowed to rebel, they may do it in their twenties, thirties, or fifties.  Even worse, they may become approval junkies—afraid to take risks or to feel comfortable with who they are’ (p. 8).  Many adolescents must move away from their families to become their own person.  When they go back home, there are tensions as their new identity meets the old expectations of their family.  Constructive conflict is healthy and needed if we are going to become individuals and retain close relationships in our lives.

        Additionally, social studies helps students put their lives in context.  In history there are compelling narratives, role models, and horrific mistakes to study and learn from.  An old Chinese saying explains that the last thing a fish can see is the water that it swims in.  In social studies we have the opportunity to make the water of society explicit and help students understand the forces that shape them into who they are.  Both civil debate and an increased awareness of the self are lofty but attainable goals for most students.

Relationships and Procedures

        In my classroom, I will make efforts to know my students early in the year and work to build relationships with them through the sharing of stories, artwork and informal conversation.  I avoid techniques like public humiliation and shame for discipline.  I instead focus on creating a fair and thorough set of procedures and norms that will mean “students are less likely to act up in frustration, trying to figure out what the teacher wants’ (Wong, 1998, p. 170).  The first weeks of class are dedicated to establishing procedures for sharpening pencils, making up missed work, answering phones, dealing with substitutes, etc.  When students choose to function outside the system that I have created, I highlight this by characterizing their actions as follows, “by doing __________, you have CHOSEN _______ consequence.’  I recognize their autonomy and respect them in this way and let them fight the system rather than me personally.  I remove students from the public venue in instances like this and consult with them in the hall about what we can do together to prevent recurrence of this issue.  I utilize contracts as a reflective tool and paper trail for parent conferences.  I use body language and terse demands to respond to backtalk.  I use regular praise of student actions to help set a positive tone for my interactions with students.  Class begins every day with a quiet warm-up activity and students will always know to expect that.  Students will find routine, stability and clear expectations in my classroom.

Classroom Arrangement

        My class will look different on different days.  The seating arrangements will vary from circles, to small group set-ups, to partner seating.  I will strive to achieve “boulevards’ (Jones, 2000, p. 33) of teacher mobility to encourage my use of proximity to students.  I will number the desks to help students identify their seats when the seating changes.  I will assign seats throughout the year.  Warm-up activities will be consistent as well.

Democratic Practices

        Another element of my system is a sense of flexibility achieved through regular reflection in classroom meetings.  I expect to hold class meeting for the last 15-20 minutes of class on Fridays.  I hope to establish a positive environment where students can reflect on the week in our class, acknowledge good things that others have done for them, and bring up problems for the community to resolve.   Nelson and Lott (2000) explain: “Family[class] meetings are a great way to communicate with teens because there is a cooling-off period before you discuss most issues’ (p. 11).

Aggression

        Anything that is or looks like physical or emotional aggression is highly offensive to me.  Physical aggression will be dealt with using the full weight of the school discipline policies.  Though I would act decisively, I would strive to avoid “downshifting into my brain stem’ (p. 169) as Fred Jones (2000) describes, which would leave me with anger and irrational action.  In dealing with emotional aggression, I would more likely view it as ignorance at first and approach it with an attempt to help the “fish’ see the water they are swimming in.  I would put their remarks in context and help them see the full impact of their words.  Repeat emotional aggression would be dealt with through the discipline system of school.

Unemotional Responses

        I strive for transparency in my actions and decisions and work to keep my ego out of the discipline process.  A strength of mine is keeping my emotions on the back burner while I deal with student issues, even when they are directly challenging me.  Through thorough and clear classroom procedures and norms along with positive relationship building, I hope to anticipate and prevent most discipline issues before they develop.  

Parent Contacts

        I am going to strive to communicate with parents early in the year to establish positive relationships.  I will use parent-teacher night to start off the year well and praise student achievement.  I will try to be flexible about students participating in community events and encourage students to get involved in the school beyond my classroom.  I will try to win parent allies when dealing with challenging students through diplomacy and checking my ego; yet, I will firmly hold my ground when portraying the core of my beliefs.

Conclusion

        Finally, I will strive to keep a beginners´ mind and seek feedback from my CT, SPED instructors, and other school staff to reflect on my classroom plan.  I imagine others with an outside perspective will help me identify if I biased my plan for or against particular students.  I also believe in third-party objectivity to diagnose when things are going wrong. I will admit when I think things aren´t working and won´t be afraid to try new ideas.

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