Classroom Management Plan

Elizabeth Bitterman

Overall Philosophy of Classroom Management

I believe that classroom management is one of the most important parts of being an

effective teacher. When a teacher has steps in place to manage the classroom, the school day runs

more efficiently and students learn better. In order to successfully manage a classroom, I also

believe that a teacher needs to first create relationships with their students. This relationship will

help the teacher and students work together and create mutual goals for the year. Once this

relationship is established, the students will look up to me as a teacher and role model and will

want to do their best. My classroom management plan will focus on my students understanding

that I want what is best for them and if they work with me, not against me, they will be doing

what is best for them as well.

Creating a Positive and Production Classroom

An important part of classroom management is creating a positive and productive

classroom. To create a positive atmosphere, I will put encouraging words and posters on the

walls, I will always be willing to listen to students, and I will greet them with a smile every time

they walk in my door. I will also make sure my classroom is fun and comfortable. To create a

comfortable space, I plan on having lounging chairs for students to use during reading time and

comfortable chairs at a group table for group work time. I hope this will give students a feeling

of home and they will be able to feel comfortable in my classroom. To create a productive

classroom, I will have all materials students will need organized and easy to get to such as

writing paper, tape, extra pencils, hand in basket, etc. I will also have our schedule for the day
posted, have our classroom library organized and easy for students to use, and I will have seats

arranged in a way that allows for collaboration. An organized and positive classroom will help

the students know where to go when they need something and will lead to fewer questions.

Classroom Rules and Routines

Rules and routines are another essential part of classroom management. It is important to

establish these rules and routines during the first couple weeks of school. The students will then

be able to practice them and they will become second nature to them. A few morning routines I

will establish in my classroom will be to come into the classroom quietly, hand in any homework

into my hand in basket, and work on any corrections on their desk or read silently until we are

ready for the day. I will have students practice this the first couple weeks of school until they

know exactly what to do. Some other routines I will use are to have students only ask to go to the

bathroom when I am not teaching, have them put a bathroom pass on their desk when they leave

to use the bathroom, don’t sharpen their pencils when I am teaching but instead grab a sharpened

one from my pencil jar, and have students always raise their hand when they want to answer a

question. I will make sure to explain my reasoning for each of my routines when I introduce

them such as I don’t want students using the bathroom when I am teaching because they will

miss out on learning something important. By using all of these routines I hope to create a

classroom where students know what the expectations are and know when and when not to do

certain things and why. Rules in the classroom go along with the routines. A classroom without

rules would be chaotic so it is important to create rules for your students. I will create my rules at

the beginning of the school year with my students and will include things such as keep hands and

feet to yourself, no running in the classroom, don’t talk out of turn, and treat others with respect.

I will write down these rules and other rules the students think are important on a poster and
hang it up on the wall. I will refer to the poster whenever a student breaks a rule to help explain

to them why what they did was wrong. Both rules and routines are crucial to effectively

managing a classroom.

Student Involvement

I believe student involvement in creating rules and routines as well as other parts of

classroom management helps the students feel involved and important. As I mentioned before, I

will have students think of their own rules that they believe should be included with our

classroom rules. I believe that when students have a say in their classroom rules, they will feel

more responsible for their actions because they were the ones who created the rules. Another

way I will get students involved is to have them think of a solution when a routine or rule isn’t

working in our classroom. Again I believe that students will feel more accountable when they are

the ones who come up with the solution. Overall a classroom should be student-centered and

making it a priority to include your students helps achieve that student-centered learning

atmosphere.

Parent Involvement

Just as students are involved, parents should also be involved in classroom management.

One way I will get parents involved is to tell me about their child at the beginning of the year. I

will have them give me suggestions as to what rules and routines help their child best feel

comfortable so they can learn to the best of their ability. Another way I will include parents is to

have an open house night where they can come in a see the classroom and ask me any questions

before the school year starts. During this open house night, I will explain to the parents what my

rules and routines are, what their child will be learning during the year, and how they can contact
me. I will continue an open door policy throughout the school year and remind parents that if

they ever have any questions, concerns, or ideas to feel free to contact me anytime. Another way

I will include parents is to keep them updated on anything happening in the classroom with a

newsletter. The parents will be up to date on activities and things the students are doing in the

classroom. I will also involve parents when their child is having issues in the classroom but also

when their child is doing something extremely well. I believe this involvement keep the parents

up to date on how their child is doing in school and what they could talk about to improve.

Interfacing with Building and District Policy and Procedures

It is important for me to know about my school’s building and district policies and

procedures so I can follow all of the guidelines. I will look at the student expectations in the

policy and revolve my classroom rules around those policies and procedures. I will also

familiarize myself with the teacher policies and procedures and follow each in my classroom.

When a student breaks a building or district policy or procedure, I will follow the consequences

that are listed in the handbook. When the policy or procedure says that it is up to the

administrator’s discretion, I will immediately go to my building’s principal and have them

decided what to do about the situation. I will then work with the principal to follow the necessary

procedures for the particular situation.

Discipline Plan

Discipline in the classroom helps keep order and consistency with your day to day

activities. It is important to have a plan in place to follow if a student or students break one of the

classroom rules. In my class I will have a clip chart. The clip chart will consist of a clothespin for

every student with their names on it. There will be five colors: purple, blue green, yellow, and
red. Each student will start on green for the day and they will have the chance to move up when I

see good behaviors and they will move down when I see negative behaviors. When I see a

student breaking a classroom rule, I will first give them one verbal warning. If they continue to

break the classroom rule, I will have them clip down a color. If students are caught breaking a

more serious rule, have a big issue at recess or with another teacher, or have had many warnings

in previous days, I will skip the verbal warning and have the student immediately clip down a

color. I will then have a discussion with them about why their behavior was wrong and what they

can do the next time to improve. I will also remind them that when they misbehave, it hurts me

and it hurts them as well. For the most serious offenses such as hitting, cursing, throwing objects,

and hurting other students, I will send the student to the principal’s office. I believe this plan

motivates students to do well and also gives them a chance to redeem themselves and clip back

up if they are showing exceptional behavior. In addition to the clip chart, I will also have a

marble jar. Each day I will count how many students were on blue or purple and I will then put

that many marbles into a jar until the jar is full. When the jar is full of marbles, the students will

be rewarded with a good behavior party. This emphasizes good behavior as a team effort and

leads students to think about how their actions affect not only them but their classmates as well.