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Introduction

Since beginning student teaching this past January, the classroom environment has been

the teaching domain pressing me the most. A classroom buzzing with the high energy of twenty-

three first graders has naturally been supplying a constant challenging learning experience.

According to Piaget’s well-known theory on the stages of cognitive development, six and seven-

year-olds are on the edge of transitioning from the preoperational stage to the concrete

operational stage (Kandola, 2019). This transition makes for a young student brimming with

endless excitement for learning, with thoughts that are slowly growing more abstract, and

reasoning skills growing more logical (Kandola, 2019). First graders bring a whole lot of fun to

the classroom with their enthusiasm, which consequently brings the teacher a whole lot of

difficulty as he or she tries to manage the learning environment to make it both enjoyable and

productive. How do I create and facilitate a learning environment for young students that

supports their growth in the most positive way possible while advancing their ability to be

respectful and present? As much as I want my students to have fun and be themselves, I need

them to know when it’s time to be responsible, respectful, and be ready to learn. In order to do

this, I need to establish well-practiced routines and procedures, include my students in

developing rules and reward systems, and develop lessons and manipulate the classroom space

that will promote engagement and offer each student interest in learning. As it’s the grade I’m

currently teaching, my focus is on first graders, but my classroom management system will be

flexible enough to apply to all students in PreK-fourth grade.

Managing Classroom Procedures

There is no world where each one of our students will walk into our classroom on the

first day of school and sit quietly waiting further instruction. Truth be told, if our classrooms
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looked like that we’d need to be concerned as the spunk and fervor in our kids is proof of their

health and happiness! Our students aren’t despondent at the least, so it’s our job to show them

how to respond and how to behave. From the second my students set foot in the door I must be

explicit in my instruction of rules and expectations; at the start of a school year this probably will

mean the first month focused on learning routines and procedures more than anything else

(Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J. S., 2003). Although I’ve yet to experience it, my mentor teacher has

made this bit clear to me, and I understand why it must happen this way. Learning is the main

goal in the classroom but it’s simply not effective if the students are too riled up to listen and too

distracted by others to focus.

There isn’t just one classroom routine and one classroom procedure to teach students,

there are many, and teaching them all takes daily practice and instruction. The routines and

procedures that must be explicitly taught and practiced include (but most likely aren’t limited

to!): how to enter the classroom, put things away, and get settled, all transitions, how to meet

respectfully for morning meeting, how to behave when the teacher is teaching a lesson, how to

behave when doing independent work, how to behave when doing group work, how to ask

questions (raising hands, special symbols, etc), how to treat classroom objects (including taking

them, putting them away properly), how to treat the classroom environment as a whole (no

yelling, name calling, no running, etc), how to behave in line and in the hallway, how to behave

at recess and lunch, how to behave at specials, an how to respond to negative interactions with

others. Implementing each necessary routine and procedure is a complex feat and to do it right I

believe it has to be done slowly but surely. For instance, one week may focus on getting the

students to adapt to two of the routines, and the next week, two more, while practicing the

previous two.
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Managing Student Behavior

It’s wrong to believe our students know how to perfectly act once they step foot in the

school building, and it’s also wrong to believe they will be able to do all they’re asked perfectly

every single day. Teaching procedures and routines is a constant and as the teacher I must be

fully aware of the guidance I must supply day in and day out, using positive narration and verbal

and tangible recognition of students who are exemplary in their behaviors (Marzano, R.J.,

Marzano, J. S., 2003). It’s become clear to me that pointing out the negative is a waste of time

and energy as it does not reinforce expectations to the students and only notes the adverse and

unhelpful energy that negative behavior produces. Further, the negative reactions are often what

students unconsciously want, as any attention is better than no attention for some. Debra

Pickering and Robert and Jana Marzano’s book Classroom Management That Works : Research-

Based Strategies for Every Teacher supplies five disciplinary interventions that a teacher can use

in order to punish unwanted behavior while reinforcing wanted behavior, which the authors find

to be the most productive means of lowering classroom disruptions (Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J.

S., & Pickering, 2003). The five disciplinary interventions listed are teacher reaction, tangible

reaction, direct cost, group contingency, and home contingency (Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J. S.,

& Pickering, 2003).

Regarding my use of these disciplinary interventions, my verbal teacher reaction will

focus on positive narration and encouragement, and my physical teacher reaction will make use

of my placement in the classroom, nearer to students who need more enforcement to follow

expectations. It’s also important to note that my physical presence as a teacher should be a

priority for the entire class, meaning, while my students are in my classroom working, even

independently, the majority of my time should be spent walking around the classroom in order to
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be present for work and behavior monitoring (Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, 2003).

While group and home contingency are more severe and will take place when necessary, tangible

reaction and direct cost are the two other disciplinary methods I will use on a regular basis in my

classroom. Students should always be praised and rewarded for their consistent good behavior

and should be appropriately held accountable for their misbehaviors.

I’ve witnessed my mentor teacher, Mrs. Martorelli’s, tangible reaction to student

behavior through her own classroom reward systems and the school wide PBIS system. Mrs.

Martorelli gives out the PBIS “dolphin dollars” as tokens of good behavior to individual students

and keeps score of a whole-class tally for when they behave well during their independent work.

12 tallies mean the class gets to pick a reward to celebrate their accomplishment. Additionally,

Mrs. Martorelli uses a system of direct cost for student behavior, giving out laminated pictures of

stop signs to students when they are misbehaving and not meeting expectations. When a student

receives a stop sign it means that they must sit out of recess for five minutes. While no one,

including Mrs. Martorelli, likes to take students away from recess time, the system is

encouraging because the students leave the stop signs on their desks and know that if they exhibit

improvement in behavior the teacher will come and remove the stop sign, giving recess time

back. I’d like to implement Mrs. Martorelli’s stop sign system in my future classroom because

it’s a very productive means of consequence: students are not only explicitly called on their

negative behavior, but they are simultaneously given the chance to correct it and better

themselves.

Of course, negative behavior can’t be ignored completely, and direct cost can make a

student who repeatedly offends feel isolated, so I’d like to also have systems of consulting

negative behavior head on that doesn’t extend its presence. This is where it’s key to include
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students in whole class discussions and activities that promote reflection. This can be done in

many ways throughout the day- I personally strive for a classroom that feels like a true

community, and to that extent, hope to make time for it wherever possible. During morning

routine I’d like there to be five to ten minutes set aside for personal sharing (through a question I

propose) and during the day I will take five minutes whenever it is necessary to call my students

to the front rug and address the whole class on behavior improvement and expectations. I’ve

witnessed my mentor teacher always make time for these moments when the class’ behavior is

falling apart. Mrs. Martorelli speaks to them directly, explicitly stating the behaviors she is

witnessing and how they are wrong, and what she expects to see instead. This isn’t a time for

questions or whining, but a time for direct consultation and feedback, where I as the teacher

objectively assert myself as the class reflects together.

So strongly valuing deep reflection and thinking myself, this is a skill I feel responsible to

pass on to my students. Rules are important but so is one’s ability to be open to themselves and

consider their own impact on others and the world around them. I’d like each of my students to

have a personal chart in their desks that will help them set and track their own goals. This is a

chart they would take out each morning before moving into their work. While I always knew I

wanted this type of system in my future classroom, I wasn’t sure how it’d look, but after reading

Larry Ferlazzo’s article, “A "Good" Class Gone "Bad" . . . and Back to "Good" Again”, I finally

had the ideas I needed to create it. Combining Ferlazzo’s suggestions of regular reflective

activities, daily evaluations, and the idea of everybody starting over with an ‘A’, I decided on my

goal chart (Ferlazzo, 2020). This chart will have a list of behavior goals written by me in

advance, the students reviewing their strengths and weaknesses each morning by noting if they

received a star by the written goals from the day before. If a student didn’t get a star, they know
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what behaviors they need to work on and what goals they need to set for the day. On Friday of

each week the students will look at their charts and fill in answers to the following written

questions (as appropriate): what was the goal I met the least? What can I do next week to do

better? While older students could easily do this in writing, at a PreK-first grade level this may

be answered by drawing a picture or discussing their ideas with the teacher. Every Friday these

charts would be sent home with the students, in my effort to maintain a partnership with parents.

Regardless of their weakest goals the week prior, every Monday the students will receive a new

chart and be given a fresh start on their goals.

Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport

As the Marzano’s and Pickering note in “Classroom Management That Works” students

should also be involved in helping to create a class list of rules and expectations, which helps to

create a community of involved and accountable learners (Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J. S., &

Pickering, 2003). Having the students work with the teacher to establish rules and expectations is

a powerful way to develop the mutuality of respect and rapport. There is no greater message we

can send to our students than one that states, “we are in this together and I care about your

opinions and needs!”; having students actively involved in creating the classroom rules

communicates that message. A community can only work together if everyone is included in its

foundation, which such an activity accomplishes. This rule-making activity can be further

enhanced by devoting time to having students act out skits or draw out pictures of what the

classroom should or shouldn’t look like. A multisensory approach to such intellectual concepts is

a sure way to advance student interest and understanding of rules and expectations.

Respect and rapport is important to have between the teacher and the students and the

students and their peers: the rules, procedures, and reward systems won’t accomplish this alone.
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As the teacher I need to be ever-present in my student’s lives both inside and outside of the

classroom; this is very much part of the reason a teacher’s work is never done. Sure, we build in

birthday and holiday celebrations in our classrooms, but there is so much more to celebrate! As

the teacher I want my students to know they can come to me with all their good and bad news,

and I will be there for them. A lost tooth, a new baby brother or sister, big feelings they are still

processing from a bad morning- this will all be welcomed to share in my classroom. Maybe a

student will want to share it with me one on one, and I will take time to do that. Maybe a student

will feel comfortable sharing it at morning meeting, and as a class, we will respond to that. Just

as the teacher differentiates learning based on skill level, I believe the teacher must differentiate

learning based on the student’s emotional needs. If one day out of the five in the week the

student needs time to talk to the teacher about something personal, which means they miss their

independent worksheet, why can’t this be worked out? The student could do the worksheet at a

different time and he or she will probably work much better after feeling a safe connection.

Establishing a Culture for Learning

As much as I focus on social and emotional development, my job only comes full circle

when the students in my classroom enjoy and appreciate what they are learning. One of the most

important lessons I’ve learned recently is that as explicit as I am with directions is how explicit I

need to be when conveying the importance of the lesson as well. We cannot assume the students

intrinsically value every single concept they are taught; it’s up to the educator to clearly state

why the concept is important, and how they will use it through school and life. Just the same, I

need to show my students that the way they complete their work is valued as well: their

handwriting needs to be neat, they need to take their time, they need to think for themselves.

Truthfully, at times, no matter what expectations we ask for, and no matter what direction and
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encouragement we give, a concept won’t jive with a student, and that’s expected. At moments

like these, I’d like to have games up my sleeve and student-friendly language that helps promote

interest. For example, much of the time Mrs. Martorelli tells the students that she is teaching

them a “trick” that she “still uses as a grown up” and it really gets the students more interested in

what they are learning.

The more students are interested in a lesson, the more they will strive to produce high-

quality work. It’s important to read your class as a whole and find what activities the majority

enjoys, but also to have separate activities ready for the few students who really prefer something

different every now and then. This could mean including more students coming to the board to

participate in a math lesson which you may not usually like because it tends up more time. This

could mean being overly flexible when they chose a writing topic for their informational text

practice: you’d rather they give information about dogs in general for the sake of the assignment,

but where they are presently at in their learning means they are only ready to approach the topic

by giving information about their own dog. So much of being a teacher means meeting the

students where they are, which provides them comfort and engagement when it may not have

been present otherwise.

Organizing Physical Space

From my management plan so far, I sound very flexible and patient, which I am, but this

is not to be undermined by my ability to set limits and keep my class in line! Organizing the

classroom space is another key strategy in holding this authority. As a teacher I need to keep in

mind so many different factors to make sure my classroom space is safe, pleasant, and accessible

for everyone. Aisles need to be wide enough for everyone to walk through, and for a wheelchair

and crutches to get through safely when necessary. Books, paper, and art supplies must be at
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levels the students can reach. Most importantly, students must be sat in an arrangement

conducive to learning, which is easier said than done. Facing the students all in rows to the front

of the room better keeps attention to the teacher, but it takes away from student collaboration.

Student collaboration is best done in desk clusters, and these clusters are a helpful way to

organize students by their skill levels in order to facilitate peer tutoring. For instance, in Mrs.

Martorelli’s classroom, an accelerated reader is always placed directly next to a struggling

reader. Further, Mrs. Martorelli makes sure to move desk clusters around throughout the year so

students get a chance to work with each and every peer. It’s critical that not only our young

students help one another, but that they learn to work with others who may not be their friend or

their first choice!

Conclusion

Young children come to school to learn academic skills, such as reading, writing, and

math, which are vital for a successful life, but there is much more subtle learning day in and day

out that they’re absorbing and processing. As much as students are learning to read, each social

interaction they have with their peers and educators throughout the day is fodder for their

development. Further, each time they push back on classroom rules and expectations, young

children are only doing what is natural to them in their growth: challenging norms in order to

understand their own roles; essentially to learn what is considered okay and what is considered

not okay as they form their own identities in the world (Schore & Wipfler, 2016). In order for me

to have a classroom that fosters both academic and social/emotional learning, I must assert and

maintain my role as teacher and adult who is foremost in control and secondly...in control! There

is a way to be an adult identified as the rule-keeper and behavior-management specialist, without

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being the “bad guy” and running a classroom that’s weighed down by scolding and punishment.

It will be hard, but I want to do everything in my power to have this role and this classroom.

References

Ferlazzo, L. (2020). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/405-ferlazzo.aspx

Kandola, A. (2019, April 25). Piaget's 4 stages of development: What do they mean? Retrieved

from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325030.php#formal-operational-stage)

Marzano, R. J., & Marzano, J. S. (2003, September). The Key to Classroom Management.

Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-

leadership/sept03/vol61/num01/The-Key-to-Classroom-Management.aspx

Wipfler, P., & Schore, T. (2016). Listen: five simple tools to meet your everyday parenting

challenge. Palo Alto, CA: Hand in Hand.