My Personal Management Philosophy
As a teacher, providing a safe, comfortable classroom environment and maximizing opportunities for student learning are the most important factors in governing student behavior.
In order to help all students feel welcome and comfortable, I get to know their names and interests right away and have informal conversations with them. All students’ interests, strengths, and cultural backgrounds are welcomed and valued. I treat all students equitably and interact and communicate with them to make them feel cared for, listened to, and respected. My efforts to respond to all student questions and to remain patient and calm contribute to my comforting, welcoming classroom environment. With that I will show my students I care by greeting them all individually by name as they come in the door every morning. Thus creating caring and nurturing relationships with each individual student.
At the beginning of the year, I communicate my rules and expectations clearly and directly. I require students and their parents to sign a contract stating that they have read and understand my behavioral and academic expectations and consequences. This contract is help to create a safe, positive, work-oriented environment where students are comfortable and time is not wasted on unnecessary or preventable events; as a result, there is more time available for quality instruction. I will always be clear about my expectations, and expect nothing less than their best.
I will establish routines and procedures that are easy for students to follow, such as quiet reading time or bell work when students first come in the classroom. This means an assignment or task is already posted, it's there every single day and in the same place. The consistency and structure will help students feel more secure and hopefully contribute to success in the classroom. I will also establish creativity, in preparing my lessons this means avoiding talking at students for the whole lesson. Instead, create constructive learning experiences where students become responsible for their own learning. Always knowing that I should have a good backup plan if the activity planned does not work out or motivate my students interests, i have to be able to modify my lesson.
I will design tasks that are not clearly to easy but will not bring up frustration either. There should always be some kind of balance to lead to the students academic achievement. As a teacher, I should model how I want the student to behave in my class. I need to be positive, caring, enthusiastic, respectful and firm with high expectations so that there is always that clear boundary line. I will have my students come up with the classroom rules focused on values, respect and cooperation. We as a class will decide and talk about why these rules are important to us in the classroom. We will also decide the fair consequences that will be made when the rules are not followed. This is to avoid any unfairness by me as the teacher towards my students, I will have to be consistent and fair when applying the consequences.
I will always look for positive praise, chances are that other students will start to imitate good behavior if it is being noticed. I will praise my students not just for good behavior but for effort, and willingness to succeed. Focus on what the students are doing positively and reward appropriately, things like being line leader for the week or some kind of class job. Making sure that the rewards have nothing to do with skipping homework assignments or missing important class time. I will incorporate a signal so that the students always know I am ready for their attention. These can be things like putting my hand up and waiting for others to follow, clapping a pattern and they reciprocate and then listen, there are many ways to do this but my classroom will have some technique for a signal.
I will teach my students to be polite, passionate human beings, by using their manners like please and thank you. Also, by helping others with troubling tasks, holding the door for someone and saying excuse me. My students need to know how to behave in and outside of the classroom. I will embrace students with disabilities and exceptionalities and modify and accommodate them to my best ability.