Classroom Management Philosophy

Classroom Management Philosophy In order to be the most effective teacher that my abilities allow, I must be honest with myself and my students. I believe most in the value of hard work, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Those four values can change lives; they have changed mine. By exhibiting these for my students, I expect to serve as a role model for them to follow. In order for my classroom to fit my expectations, it must be a place where those principles can be manifested. My classroom management plan has been developed with that in mind, as well as several theorists’ studies which have been adapted for my personality. Those theorists who have inspired me are Marvin Marshall, Fritz Redl and William Wattenberg, William Glasser, Lee and Marlene Canter, and Barbara Coloroso. Through their research, I conclude that I will take a proactive role in my classroom by establishing clear rules and procedures from the beginning of the year and being consistent in the consequences for misbehaviors. I plan on being honest and appropriately open with my students so that we can develop a respectful relationship in the classroom. My classroom expectations for my students are based upon my expectations for myself. I wouldn’t ask my students to do or be something that I was not doing and modeling. Therefore, in my classroom, I expect my students to be kind and respectful to others, as I will be kind and respectful to my students. Similarly, my pet peeves of laziness, excuses, and lies are characteristics that I will not demonstrate, and will not likely be tolerant of them. Personally, I am a social person and love talking to and working with my peers. Therefore, I will build group work into my class and will allow talking, as long as it is appropriate and not disrespectful (such as talking at time in which I am giving instructions). As a new teacher, I will likely create the kinds of interactive activities that I enjoyed in school, until I develop a better understanding of my students and their learning styles. Furthermore, I will begin by treating the students the way that I liked being treated when I was in school, with respect. I liked when teachers would talk to me as though I was a human being capable of higher order thinking and I respected the teachers who held me responsible the most. Therefore, I will have high expectations for my students and will show them respect as long as they do not cease to deserve it. Theorist Barbara Coloroso has several perspectives to classroom management that I fully support. Her overlying goal is to promote responsibility and inner discipline for students. I agree with several of her claims, such as: “Right and responsibility go hand in hand” (Charles 75). I plan on taking this stance in my own classroom. I will offer many opportunities to my students such as the power and choice to choose which topic they want to write about, whether an assignment can be done individually or in groups, or even how to review for their tests. However, the students must also earn this right through demonstrating their responsibility. I believe students really enjoy group work, and I would be happy to oblige them in working with their peers, but if my students are in groups and are talking off-topic for extended periods of time, then they will lose the privilege of having a say in their daily activities. Because I value student responsibility, Marvin Marshall also makes my list of inspiring theorists. Marshall studies internal motivation as a means of promoting student responsibility. He encourages teachers not to bribe their students with tangible rewards, but to positively reinforce good behaviors (Charles 178). Therefore, I believe the most effective motivational strategy for maximizing learning is to use Marshall’s theory to verbally reinforce students’ efforts with sincerity and genuine caring. Closely related to Marshall’s internal motivation theory is Fritz Redl and William Wattenberg’s theory that “urged teachers to behave toward students in a helpful manner, remain as objective as possible, show tolerance, keep a sense of humor, and help students maintain positive attitudes toward school and the class” (Charles 63). Their theories will be combined and instilled in my class through the way I treat my students. I will try to empower my students to want to learn for their own benefit by modeling my own desire to learn. I will use humor as a tool for relieving tension when emotions run high. Also, it will be essential for the success of my students that I remain supportive of their efforts and positive when they struggle with academics. This will be especially important for the at risk students who do not tend to make good grades in school; they tend to get down on themselves. Remaining positive and encouraging will essentially be the instructional strategy that I am going to utilize to maximize learning and minimize student misbehavior, because it likely will help to keep the classroom atmosphere a welcoming and safe one for my students. Though the previous theorists I mentioned influence my behavior and expectations for appropriate student behavior, the last theorist has more impact on preventing problems with inappropriate behavior. Lee and Marlene Canters devised a plan to prevent misbehavior that consists of having a clear set of rules for behavior and corresponding consequences for each of those positive and negative behaviors. The theory is one that will be easy to incorporate into my classroom because it doesn’t require any additional laborious work. Every good teacher has rules and procedures established to maintain the best interest of the students. Rules are necessary for many reasons; Canter’s theory simply stresses the importance of sharing those reasons with the students (Charles 72). As an educator, I value my students’ knowledge of content; however, I also know that it is similarly important to know why the content is important and how it is personally associated with you. Canters guidelines easily fall under that teaching philosophy; I will ensure my students not only know the rules, but know why they are necessary. I believe explaining the rules, and their purpose is how I will prevent misbehavior in my classroom. Though Lee and Marlene Canter address preventative measures, they do not provide strong intervention strategies for once misbehavior has escalated. For circumstances such as these, I could not find a theorist that I believed would be realistically successful in my classroom. Hence, I reference the section on the rage cycle explored in my textbook (Charles 54). My response to a mild or severe tantrum would be the same; I would remain calm and professional. I would evaluate the severity of the situation and my first response would be to ensure the safety of all my students. Once I was composed, I would remain unemotional and work to keep my body language non-confrontational. I would not, however, try to calm the student down or question them for their behavior. I would have to accept the melt-down and respond to it after the situation has mellowed. The strategies listed in this section (53-55) can be applied to many situations and circumstances; therefore, are a versatile selection of responses that would be effective and professional in a multitude of conflicts. Ultimately, my classroom management plan consists of a contribution of several theorists’ studies that have been sculpted to fit my classroom personality. Marvin Marshall, Fritz Redl and William Wattenberg, William Glasser, Lee and Marlene Canter, and Barbara Coloroso all have something positive to contribute to my style. They have added to the knowledge base and have altered my belief on how it would be best to respond in many circumstances such as: student misbehavior, a student’s sense of inadequacy, and student success. The total collaboration constitutes my classroom management philosophy and has given me to confidence to enter into teaching, secure with my ability to handle anything that may head my direction.