Cory Brautigam

Classroom Management Plan

10/20/2020

As I introduce my classroom management plan, I want to make it clear that I do not

believe it is the teacher’s role to manage high school students. Instead, I understand my job as a

teacher to be to manage the conditions within which the students grow and learn. I do not seek to

control their behavior, but instead to invite them into certain ways of behaving that I believe will

be beneficial for their learning. I respect their agency. I respect their boundaries. I respect their

ideas. This respect, often denied to young people, is essential for establishing a culture of

learning. Only people with agency, whose selves and ideas matter, can learn. By recognizing this

in my students, I invite them to recognize it in themselves. I also invite reciprocity and ask that

they recognize my own agency, boundaries, and ideas. Over time this builds respect and rapport.

In order for this to be meaningful, I learn what my students value and what they find interesting

-- shifting “from a focus on control to a focus on inquiry” (Towbin, 2010, p. 44). This curiosity

about who they are as people and what they bring into the classroom places them as meaning

makers, and establishes a culture of constructivism where we build knowledge together. What is

generated is a dynamic learning space in which each member of the collective is important.

Learning should be compelling in the classroom.

A colleague of mine often reminds us that the first intervention should always be

self-assessment. As Sullivan (n.d.) reflected after days of children in her classroom misbehaving,

“I can't change the children, but I can change myself” (“Transforming Teacher Talk,” para. 3). I

will implement practices of self-reflection following my lessons so that I can consider moments I

perceived as disruptive and how I responded. When students “don’t play the game,” as Towbin
(2010) says, I can learn to receive that as a critique of what I am providing as the teacher (p. 43).

Oftentimes there will be legitimate learning about how my lessons could be more meaningful for

the students, and thus, more engaging. Simultaneously, I am reiterating that I take students’ ideas

seriously by understanding disruption as critique.

While a lot of this management plan requires emergent practices by the teacher, there are

also necessary processes and structures to have in place. For example, a morning circle creates

space for a quick check-in. This can be light-hearted and goofy, or deep and thoughtful. Either

way, it invites us to connect on a human level (sitting in a circle democratizes the classroom),

learn more about one another, and recognize where we are in that moment so we can respect

each other’s boundaries. I also greet and welcome each student as they arrive to class, a reminder

that each day is a new day (we might’ve been on each other’s nerves yesterday, but I still

recognize your belovedness as a living being). In class, I also offer time for reflective writing, as

Ferlazzo (n.d.) suggests, so that students can consider their own behavior and its impact (“A

‘Good’ Class,” para. 4). For students who consistently have difficulty engaging in class, either by

withdrawing or disrupting learning, I take time during lunch to connect and learn about what the

barriers are. In these brief one-on-ones I am able to voice why the behavior is not acceptable in

my view, and they are able to consider why they are behaving in that way. I do not expect them

to always agree with me, but I expect them to respect my ideas as I respect theirs. Finally, if

these one-on-ones do not shift the behavior, I meet with the student and a supporter (could be

another staff member, a family member, or caregiver) and we discuss what I have observed and

why I would like it to change. We (me, student, and supporter) determine what that change will

look like and consider positive and negative consequences. Once we have created a plan we can

all agree to, we commit to it with a signature and agree to check back in on a certain date.
Throughout this whole process I think it is important that I am not emphasizing compliance as

the goal, but instead inviting students to think critically about their own behavior and learning.

My goal is for them to learn about the impact of their actions and make intentional decisions

with how they behave. Sometimes, disruption might be the responsible behavior within a

classroom, community, or society. As a teacher I need to be willing to recognize the gray area of

behavior and not be set on stark distinctions between what is bad and what is good. Instead, I

want to be in dialogue about why we behave as we do, and what impact it has on ourself and

others.

Overall, growth and change should be celebrated. I want to encourage students to

recognize that we are not fixed or stuck in our patterns of behavior or thinking. One way I do this

is ensuring that at least every Friday, we share affirmations. Sometimes we sit in a circle and

share an affirmation for the person to our left, sometimes we share an affirmation for ourselves,

and other times we might popcorn around. The point is to recognize our growth and celebrate it.

With this practice we can reward risk taking, instead of punishing failure. Failure is a natural

consequence of risk taking and a necessary step in learning. Punishing students for failure works

against the goal of generating a space that enhances teaching and learning. These weekly

affirmations help ground us in a growth mindset, and help us intentionally choose to behave in

ways that are good for us, our peers, and our learning.
 References

Ferlazzo, L. (n.d.). A "Good" Class Gone "Bad" ... and Back to "Good" Again. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/405-ferlazzo.aspx

Sullivan, M. (n.d.). Transforming Teacher Talk. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/405-sullivan.aspx

Towbin, J. (2010). When Students Don’t Play the Game. ​Educational Leadership​, ​67​(5), 42–45.