Brittany O’Toole

Philosophy of Classroom Management

Philosophy of Classroom Management

Over the duration of my school career, I was lucky enough to have incredible

teachers who were constantly supporting and encouraging me in my future endeavors.

This relationship that I was fortunate enough to develop with my teachers, is the kind of

relationship that I would like to bring to my future students. I want them to show them the

same support and encouragement that was shown to me. We as teachers have a unique

opportunity to make an everlasting impression on our students. Parents are allowing us to

educate, mold and inspire their child to be the best that they can be. Building a positive

relationship with our students can truly benefit them and maybe allow them to achieve

goals that before they never thought were possible.

However, building positive relationships are a two-way street. I want to create a

positive atmosphere for my classroom, in order to do that there needs to be a set of ground

rules that will be implemented. For my classroom I want my students to feel that they are

in a safe environment, and that starts with one rule that I believe should be set in every

classroom, and that is respect. Having respect for the teacher, their classmates and any

other individuals who are present at a given time. This all sounds like the ideal classroom,

however, in order to achieve (or try to achieve) a well-ordered classroom, the

responsibility of the teacher is a key component. As teachers, we can have all the rules that

we want, but in order for them to be effective then we have to follow them ourselves. We

are examples for our students and we need to be representatives for the standards that we

are trying to set. Sometimes it might not be the easiest task to do, but it’s a learning
process, we can make adjustments that will benefit our students and continue to maintain a

positive classroom atmosphere.

Working towards maintaining that positive classroom environment, I believe that I

will be looking for guidance from the theorist who also focuses on positivity. An example of

this would be Barbara Coloroso, who has a very positive philosophy and one that I can see

myself benefiting from in the future. Three points that are mentioned are kids are with it

because they are kids and for no other reason, I will not treat a student in a way I myself

would not want to be treated and lastly if it works, and leaves a child’s dignity and my own

intact, do it. These three foundational steps can be used as a constant reminder of why we

as teachers put the hard work and dedication into this profession. Her backbone approach

was one aspect that I truly believe that I can see myself implementing in my classroom. It

started with the six critical life messages; I believe in you, I trust you, I know you can

handle life situations, you are listened to, you are cared for, and you are very important to

me.

Supply teaching in the high school level for the past two years, I saw first hand what

a positive relationship can do for students and those six life messages, in my opinion, can

be a start to building that positive environment with your students. Students in the high

school level are looking for that independence, they are trying to find themselves but at the

same time, some just want someone to be proud of them or believe in them. For me, I want

to be that person for my students, I want them to know that they are safe in my classroom

and they can be themselves. If your students are aware that these six critical life messages

and those messages are fully supported by you then it might be half the battle.
 Another one of the components in the backbone approach is rules are simply and

clearly stated. In my opinion, this can be a game changer. By keeping the rules simple and

practical it can be easier for students to remember them and keep to them. It also sets the

tone of the classroom especially this is laid out on day one. You can create a positive

classroom management style with having a firm set of fair rules that will be abided by all. I

believe that there is a strong balance when it comes to positive and firm classroom

management. Some might think that positive can be more loose and open for problems to

arise cause there is no structure but others disagree with controlling your class with a firm

hand like Seganti can do more damage than good. I believe that if you can find a balance for

your classroom that can implement both a firm hand and positivity then you are

succeeding.

This balance might take some time to reach in my career and I know that there

might come a point where I need to be firmer with my students. However, by keeping the

end goal of wanting to be able to create a positive and safe classroom environment for my

students it can be reached, someday. I don’t expect this to happen overnight and I feel that

it will take a few trials and tribulations before I find a system that works for my classroom.

In my opinion that’s quite all right, we need to have those hiccups to grow and develop as

professionals, our students, in the end, and ourselves will hopefully benefit from it in the

long run.