Julie Bretthauer

Classroom Management Project

Professor Alan Scher

September 26, 2018

 Abstract

The proceeding paper is a comprehensive compilation of ideas and strategies that I will use in

my classroom. Additionally, I have added reference material to assist me in times when I feel

“stuck”. This project gives me the opportunity to critically think through all aspects of

classroom management. I have carefully incorporated ideas and wisdom from speakers heard in

class. These guest speakers gave real world insight and solutions to real world problems facing

teachers in Los Angeles today.

A Purposeful Classroom Management Project

 The classroom management project is a comprehensive document that entails the

procedures and inner workings of my classroom. This “manual” will be referred to often as I

begin to set up my future classroom. Along with my own ideas and work, I have added valuable

resources. A one stop shop for all of my classroom management needs. I plan on taking a

printed version of my classroom management project with me on interviews. It will show the

interviewer that I am prepared and have carefully thought out my classroom expectations and

students’ needs.

Classroom management and discipline are necessary in order to have a safe learning

environment for all students. Contrary to popular belief, students want rules and thrive in a

structured environment. I believe that all teachers need to have clear rules, classroom

procedures, consequences outlined for students. If a teacher does not able to effectively manage

the classroom then behavior problems will arise. Those behavior problems adversely affect the

other students in class because it detracts their learning time. Additionally, without classroom

management or boundaries the students will feel unsafe. Establishing clear procedures and

policies couples with consistency will created an environment that protects students from

physical and emotional harm. Discipline needs to be consistent. Enforcing rules on a Monday

but letting it slide on a Friday sends mixed messages to the student. They need to know that

when they walk into the classroom that the teacher means what she says and says what she

means. If the teacher is lax in enforcement and consistency then the students will not feel like

the classroom is a safe environment.

My goal is to have a clear set of rules that is understood by all stakeholders within the

classroom. Meaning all of the students and I need to understand and adhere to the classroom
procedures, rules, and discipline. Only by working together will the classroom environment be a

positive, safe place to learn.

Rules and Procedures

Classroom rules and procedures must be presented the first day. According to Wong,

“Most problems in the classroom are procedure related; they are not discipline problems (Wong,
2018, p.8). Procedures need to be introduced and practiced over and over. By the second or

third week they should be second nature to the students. In the beginning, it is imperative that I

consciously focus on the procedure and make them my priority. Once procedure and introduced,

practiced, and mastered I can dive deeper into my content area.

Rules:

On the first day of class I will present the rules to the students on a presentation.

The presentation will start with an introduction of me. The rules will be posted in the classroom

so that students and I can refer to them whenever necessary. Since I will be teaching at the

middle or high school level, I think it is necessary to have a social contract. I was inspired to do

so by Mr. Froy Medina, a high school math teacher. The social contract will require all students

answer the following questions in front of the class and writes it on the poster paper in front of

the class.

1. How do you want me to treat you?

2. Ho do you think I want you to treat me?

3. How should we treat each other?

The expectation will be that all students in the class and I will abide by the social contract. It

will be referred to when necessary throughout the course of the school year. The only “rule” with

regard to the social contract is, no one can use the word respect because respect means different

things to different people. It is not enough to simple post rules but imperative that I follow

through with consequences. If there is no consequence then the student will assume the behavior

is acceptable. The following are other rules that I expect to be followed in my classroom:

1. Be punctual

2. Follow the social contract

 3. Be responsible

4. Be safe

My expectation is that students will come into class ready to learn. I expect them to be on time,

be responsible (bringing all necessary materials to class), and remain safe.

Procedures:

The class period will start the same way each time we meet. The students will

know what it expected when they walk in the order. The bell work routine gets the class focused

immediately and set the tone for the remainder of our time together. The followed are three

steps for teaching classroom procedures:

1. Present
a. Present the procedure to the students
2. Practice
a. Model the procedures for students
b. Give students opportunities to practice the new procedures
3. Positively reinforce
a. Teacher motivates and corrects students
b. Praise and reward when procedures are followed

I believe it is necessary to build a relationship with the students. One way to do this is by

incorporating classroom traditions. The first day of school we play “Two truths, one lie” Each

student needs to list two true statements about themself and one lie. Then the students pass the

cards around and each person puts a tally mark next to the one they think is the lie. Once

everyone has had a guess the card goes back to its owner. One by one the students reveal which

one is a lie. It is a great way for them to get a quick introduction to their classmates. Last, I will

assign seats on the first day. They will be assigned randomly. I reserve the right to move

students is necessary as I begin to know them and their needs. I try to stay away from reading

routing cards before I meet the students. I prefer to develop my own ideas about their

personalities, strengths, and weaknesses before I read the prior teachers remarks. I want students
to display who they are to so I don’t come into the class with a bias. Being that it is middle

school, there will not be traditional classroom “jobs” like one would find in an elementary

school. I will have row captains that will be responsible for collecting and passing out papers. I

will have a classroom greeter who is responsible for welcoming all adults that come into the

classroom.

Rewards

“ Rewarding positive behavior reinforces and encourages children to repeat the same

behavior” (The Effects of Rewarding Positive Behavior in Children). Positive reinforcement is

the key ingredient to effective classroom management. Teachers can choose from a variety of

ways to reinforce positive behavior once expectations and rules are set. Some types of positive

reinforcement are: praise or nonverbal communication (e.g., nod or thumbs up), social attention

(e.g., special time with a teacher or friend), or tangible (e.g., candy, award, or stickers). Of
course the easiest (and cheapest) is verbal or non verbal praise. The following are types of

positive reinforcements I will use.

1. “Caught Ya” ticket- students caught following the rules or setting a good example will

receive a “Caught Ya” ticket. Every other Friday I will bring in a special treat such as

cookies or doughnuts. I will choose 5 students to get a treat. The idea is the more

“Caught Ya” tickets the student earns, the better his/her chances of winning a treat.

2. Homework pass- this can be earned for positive behavior or for going above and beyond

on a particular assignment.

3. I will reward students with 5 minutes extra recess or lunch time. This would probably be

used once a month and they could go with a friend from class. It wouldn’t be fun to leave

class early and by alone!

4. Positive call or note home. Parents love to hear how wonderful their child is and students

love to hear what you have to say about them. Sometimes I would mail a note home to

the family. Sometimes the student doesn’t get to hear the wonderful things I have to say

about them. The note home allows the student and the parent to share in the good news.

5. Sit at the teacher’s desk. I am not sure exactly why but students at every level love the

reward to sit at the teacher’s desk. I will award this to one outstanding student a month.

According to Robert Goldstein, the best way to handle future class disruption is through by

praising positive behavior. I will make a conscientious effect to find positive behavior in all

students but especially those that struggle with self control or other behavior issues. It is my

hope that earning rewards will encourage them to continue the positive behavior.
 In addition to my specific classroom, the students at my school can earn the following

good behavior academic awards:

Head of School’s List

● Awarded annually

● Each student earning a 3.9 or better in academic and enrichment subjects

● Students receive a “Head†of†School’s List” certificate

Academic Honor Roll

● Awarded annually

● Each student earning at least a 3.75 GPA in academic and enrichment subjects

● Students receive an “Honor Roll” certificate

Certificates of Academic Achievement

● Given for outstanding academic achievement in a specific subject area

● Teachers honor each student uniquely

Character Award

● Given for outstanding character achievement

● Teachers honor each student uniquely

 Consequences

Robert Goldstein, founder of One Hand Up, trains teachers on the benefits on Restorative

Justice. He reminds us that not all students are created equally and that every situation is

different. Therefore, teachers need to be equipped with a variety of consequences that fit the

student. Depending on the type of behavior will be the first guiding factor for the teacher. If the

poor student behavior is not distracting the other students and not harming anyone, then it is best

to ignore the behavior. If the teacher stops the flow of class because of one student’s behavior,

she is doing a disservice to the other students in the class. On the other hand, if the poor student

behavior is disrupting the other students from learning then it must be addressed immediately.
How it is addressed depends on the severity of the behavior. My personal philosophy is that

discipline involves repetitive training, teaching, and correcting all done in the context of love.

Discipline is not merely punishment, it is teaching students to understand what is right and

wrong and then helping them choose to do what is right on their own. Discipline is both

encouragement and instruction not merely consequences. In the event that disruptive behavior

occurs the following are consequences the student will incur in my classroom.

Consequences for Disruptive Behavior

1. Student will receive a warning

2. Student will receive a detention

3. Student will meet with the school counselor.

4. Student will receive a referral to administration.

5. Parent conference will be held with teacher, administration and student.

The key is being consistent with consequences. I need to be mindful that the same consequence

is being given to all students breaking a rule. Although, I may want to give certain students a

“second chance’ or am in a forgiving mood and decide to ignore the behavior, it is a bad idea. It

sends the wrong message to students. Students begin to keep score. Meaning, they notice who

gets the consequence and who doesn’t. I need to be sure students know that I am fair. I mean

what I say and say what I mean.

 Intervention & Support Strategies

Sustained inappropriate behavior can not always be corrected with the aforementioned

consequences. There will be students that challenge the rules for a variety of reasons. Many of

which we can not foresee or presume. I believe it is necessary to have close contact with parents

at the very beginning. First, I will attempt to establish a positive relationship with the parents in

the beginning of the year. I use a variety of ways to do this. I mail a note home letting parents

how much I enjoy their student and happy to have him/her in my class. This positive note home

is personal and sets a positive tone. Most parents only hear from the teacher when something is

wrong. If this is the case, eventually the parent will just shut down and not want to help any

longer. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be continuously called only to hear what is

wrong with your child, never hearing what is good. As behavior issues arise I will be in direct
contact with parents. Students that receive a warning will receive just that: no further action will

be taken. If the same behavior occurs, the student will receive the next consequence (detention),

and the parents will be notified by email. I choose email because I feel it is the preferred means

of communication for most parents. In allows them to receive the information quickly, while

they may not be able to take a care in most cases an email can be read. I encourage parents to

call me if they have further questions. I do not encourage back and forth emails because tone

and feeling can be lost in the text. Email also serves as an easy way to document instances in

case needed in the future. Each infraction thereafter will involve parent contact. If necessary, I

will set up a time to conference over the phone with the parent. My intention is to work together

to come up with a game plan to “fix” the problem. For example, a daily behavior report could be

emailed home. The parent will agree to reward or take away a privileged at home based on the

day’s report. I believe in keeping administration aware of troublesome students. I would let the

administrator know what is going on but only ask for help if I have exhausted the

aforementioned procedures.

Positive relationships with students is critical for success. I believe that most of the

disruptive or negative behavior is rooted is something other than my class. Throughout each step

of the consequence list I will communicate with the student privately. This time would not be a

time to reprimand or lecture on the importance of rules or English class but rather a time to get to

know the student as a person. What interests him/her? I will make it a point to educate myself

on things that interest them. I will talk to them about their interests and follow up other different

days. Building a relationship that is not solely about English class and homework can be a

motivator. “Students won’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

Intervention Steps:
 1. Establish positive parent relationship at the beginning of the school year.

2. Verbal warning (no parent communication)

3. Detention for same infraction- email to parent

4. Follow up phone calls to parent ( reporting positive or negative behavior)

5. Action plan developed by teacher and parent

6. Administration notified but not involved yet.

7. Administration, parent, student, and teacher conference.

Engagement and Motivation

The goal of teachers is to get the students to “buy in”. In other words, the students need

to buy what you are selling. This is not an easy thing to do, especially in the middle and upper

grades. By this time many students have made up their mind about what subjects they are

“smart” in and what subjects they are “dumb” in. With that type of fixed mindset, students are

unwilling to try. This is not true of only children and teenagers. The same can be said for many

adults. I, myself, have had internal conversations that I am not good at (fill in the blank) so why

bother trying. All that to say, we need to engage all students regardless of their personal opinion

regarding their self worth. Eliphas Levilt once said, "A good teacher must be able to put himself

in the place of those who find learning hard." Most of us chose our content area because it is

what we enjoy and comes natural to us. Thus, it sometimes is hard to understand why our

students do not feel the same passion as we do about our subject. It is the teacher’s, job to

ensure that every student succeeds. Success looks different for each student. I plan on teaching

middle school English. Success for a high learner may be challenging them to write an at
elevated level or analyze a text. The middle learner may be challenged to write a five paragraph

essay with proper organization. The English Language Learner and student with exceptionalities

may see reading a simple text or writing a paragraph as a challenge. The point is, allow students

to recognize their own potential and challenge them to reach a little further. I plan to celebrate

every achievement and stride a student takes to reach a goal. All students deserve to be

celebrated at their level.

Next, it is the teacher’s job to engage all learners. This is not an easy task on many

different levels. We must balance our own learning and teaching style while still remain

cognizant to our students’ learning style. Varying the types of lessons is a goal of mine to reach

all learning style and learning levels.

Engagement Practices:

● Change lesson presentation

● Collaborative groups (homogeneous and heterogeneous) to reach

all learners.

● Allow students to choose their end project to “show what they

know” (For example: presentation, song, drawing, commercial,

essay)

● Make it personal- I like to find a way to connect the lesson to

things going on in their lives.

● Incorporate games and competitions to bring excitement. (Add a

prize for an extra bonus)

 I think it is important to get to know my students. At the beginning of the year I have

them take a series of surveys. There are no right or wrong answers. I ask them questions such

as; what makes learning hard for you ? What make learning easy for you? Do you prefer to

learn in small group, partner, or alone? Do you work better along, with a partner or in a group?

Based on the students’ answers, I try to customize my lesson plans to fit their needs. This can be

extra work for me because I may need to re-plan a lesson. However, in the end the students will

retain more information and that is the ultimate goal. Self reflection is essential for every

teacher. I often make notes on my lesson plans about what went well and what I can change next

year.

Reward are a great motivator for students. Verbal recognition is the cheapest reward and

should be used from time to time. I like to keep my students motivated, so I am constantly

thinking of new ways to excite them. The motivator changes with each class. One year I let

them flip water bottles for 5 minutes if they all completed the assignment. I have promised the

winner a fidget spinner. (Those were a hot item for about one month). Sweet treats and

homework passes are alway crowd pleasers. If the class has 100% participation and homework

is turned in then we can listen to music on Fridays. I have found that the key to middle schoolers

heart is letting them think they are getting away with something when in reality they are doing

exactly what you wanted them to do!

In conclusion, I allow the students in on a little secret. I make them part of the “plan”. I

like to tell them that “I am not sure if this is going to work, but let’s try it together and you can

tell me when we are done if I should do this again.” It may seem like I am setting myself up for

a revolt but in reality it empowers the students to feel like part of the process. I get them to “buy

in”.
 Social/Emotional Skills

“ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) recognizes social-emotional education as an

important factor in helping students develop crucial life skills that go beyond academics”

(Mulvahill, 2016). Not only do teachers need to make sure we are preparing the students for

college and the workforce, we also need to develop their social and emotional skills. This is not

an easy task! At times if seems like it is impossible to cram everything in. The silver lining is

that it is possible. There are simple steps teachers can use to get students ready for the real

world; both academically and emotionally. Below are some tips I will use in my classroom:

● Start each day with a personal connection. This does not need to be a big time spender.

Just a quick check in with each student so that they know I care and I value them as a

person.

● Work in with partners. It builds community and trust within the classroom.

● Work in groups. Student learn the art of listening, talking, and compromising.

● Once a month we embrace each others strengths. About half way through the year we do

“wordy Wednesdays” One at a time students stand in front of the white board and their

classmates write positive words about them. I take a picture of the student with their

words and post them in class. At the end of the year they get to take the picture.
 ● Embrace and practice Growth Mindset. Allow students to “fail” and let them know that

failure breeds growth.

● Talk time. Allow students to talk in both a structured and unstructured environment to

foster relationships and community.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

New students and other classmates should be able to share personal experiences. This

is similar to bridging activities in a lesson plan. Connecting the lesson with student personal

experiences helps the students “buy in” to the lesson. It is a good idea for teachers to look for

ways a student can shine amongst their peers. Collaborative learning activities are a great way

to focus on a student’s particular strength. It empowers each group member to be an “expert” in

the group on what they are best at. This “expertise” validates their part of a whole group.

Collaborative learning and SDAIE strategies such as bridging support the idea posed by Haley

and Austin, “Learner-centered instruction is based on the premise that children learn more

effectively by becoming active participants in the process.” (Haley and Austin, 2014, p.276) The

students should have accessibility to supporting materials that may help the EL students.

Connecting their experiences with the lesson content helps the student learn. It makes the lesson

material relevant. As part of connecting the lesson with student personal experiences can further

enrich the classroom. If the students are given an opportunity to share their experiences then I

and the other students can learn more about his/her life. Making the classroom a safe place for

all students should be a priority for all teachers. Students must feel safe in order to get the most

out of the learning experience. The following are strategies I will use:

● Bridging personal experiences to lesson.

 ● Mixed level group work.

● Classroom is a safe environment.

● Learn and accept each other for cultural differences.

● Apply differences to life and the lesson.

Reflection

As I reflect back on this class I have come realize I had a lot to learn. Like many, I was

stuck in my ways and accepted them to be the best practices. Reading the textbook, reading

lectures, listening to speakers, and reading through numerous websites I discovered there was so

much more out there. I had class rules but never understood the full impact behind why rules are

important. It was simple: I posted rules to create a quiet learning environment and if a student

broke the rule he/she was punished. I learned that rules are in place so that students have a safe

environment in which they can grow not only academically but as a good young adult. In

addition, class procedures were in place for me to keep my sanity and keep organized. I learned

that class procedures that are consistently practiced and enforced make for a more efficient

classroom. Thus, reduced chaos increases instruction time. Working at a private school has

allowed me to hide from the realities facing many public schools. My eyes have been opened to

the issues facing public school teachers today. As I begin my teaching career in the public

school system I will be better equipped through intervention and support strategies.

Additionally, I have learned how to deal with discipline problems and the benefits of restorative

justice. One thing that I learned I have implemented immediately. That is, how to deal with a

student that is off-task and breaking a class rule. I learned that if the student is only affecting

their own learning then I do not need to stop class to address the issue. In doing so takes away

instructional time that the other students deserve. It is only necessary to intervene immediately if
the behavior issue is affecting other students in the class. Lastly, the two biggest takeaways that

we learned the first night of class: QTIP (quit taking it personally) and what I have named our

class motto: “Students don’t care what you know until they know you care.”

References

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