Kathryn
Wineland
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Philosophy of Management
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he
most important lesson I have learned about classroom management is to be
consistent from the start. As a teacher,
you must have concrete expectations which are clearly communicated to the student
and parent. Next, these expectations
must be carefully monitored, especially within the first week of class. These expectations should be reasonable and
fair, yet not over burdening to the student.
Classroom issues are, for the most part, addressed in the
classroom. The educator must realize the
difference between school/classroom procedure and school/class rule;
consequences should then follow logically.
For example, it would not be fair to send a student to the
administration for forgetting pencils, nor would it be fair to overlook drug
abuse in the classroom. Students must be
aware that their actions are of choice, yet each action bears its own
consequence. I have found one of the
most effective methods of correcting an undesirable behavior is to meet with a
student individually and discuss the possible consequences of their
actions.
Parents
are one of the most important allies I can have as an educator, if used to the
educator’s advantage. I believe in
communicating with the parent from the first day of class. This is the best chance a teacher has to set
the ground rules of the class. I then
take the opportunity, through letters, web pages and phone calls to update
parents on changes in the class, where we are going with the class and how
their student is doing. In my
experience, my students respond better to positive praise given to their
parents than to negative reporting.
Finally,
I am a new teacher and understand that my methods are fallible. As hard as I plan lessons that will keep all
students engaged in learning, there are outside variables which I can never
perfectly account for. Therefore, my
major approach to management is flexibility.
I will easily admit that my management strategy was not perfect from day
one. Yet, I have altered my plans to
meet student needs, while remaining true to the core of my philosophy. I believe it is the ability to reflect on
management strategies and the flexibility to make the necessary changes which make
for the best classroom management.