Alicia Hirnikel

Miami University
Early Childhood Education
Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan
Fall 2014

Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan:

Part 1
Explanation of Your Core Beliefs About Children, Teachers, and Education
a. What assumptions do you make about the inherent nature of
children (e.g. at birth, is every child inherently good or are
some children born evil- or is every child neutral in this
regard? is every child born with a disobedient will that must
be broken?)
I believe that all children are born as inherently good human
beings. They have done absolutely nothing wrong the day they
come into this world and should not be punished for the mistakes
that those around them may have made. I also believe that no child
is born with a disobedient will, they are just born into a
family/situation that does not promote obedience and therefore, the
child learns from an early age that they do not have to be obedient.
I do not believe that the child has anything to do with the way they
act as an infant and young child, their actions and behaviors are a
reflection on those around them and how they have been treated
and raised to act.
b. To what extent can children learn self-control (physical,
emotional, intellectual, and behavioral)? What actions by
significant adults (especially parents/guardians and PK-6
teachers) promote a childs development of all domains of selfcontrol?
I believe that every action a child does has been taught to them at
some point. The actions of every adult in their lives are a model for
how they are to act and the more self-control those around the child
portray, the more self-control the child will have. While there are
some children with disabilities that prevent them from having any
self-control at all, I believe it would be easier to handle these
children if the adults surrounding them practiced self-control to their
fullest abilities.
c. What meaning do you ascribe to learning? How do children
learn? Based on your current understanding, explain your
definition of learning and then explain the basic processes
by which a child learns any particular knowledge of skill.
I think of learning as something that takes place every part of every
day. Children learn by watching, observing, testing, failing, and
succeeding at every aspect of life. There are many different ways
to learn and every person does it a different way, from learning from
observation to learning from trial and error. Thus, my definition of

learning is the process of living. A person learns from every aspect

of life and, whether it be in or out of the classroom, learning is
always taking place.
d. What can/should a K-3 teacher do to promote healthy
psychosocial development?
In the K-3 classrooms, psychosocial development is one of the main
aspects of the classroom environment. At this age, students are
learning how to interact with one another and how to present
themselves as an individual person. Teachers in these classrooms
should promote a community environment and practice social skills
with everything from learning how to great one another to how to
work together on a classroom project.
e. What can/should a K-3 teacher do to promote healthy
intellectual growth and development?
The K-3 years are some of the most important for intellectual growth
and development since these are the years students are learning
the foundations to everything else they will be learning. Teachers in
these grades should provide an inviting classroom where students
want to come and learn. They should make it comfortable so
students feel at home and can be relaxed in order to do their best.
Teachers should provide grade level learning materials and
instruction that help the student to succeed but also challenge them
to grow and think about new topics and ideas.
f. In what ways might the relationship between a teacher and a
student affect a childs learning and development?
If a child feels comfortable with the teacher, respects them, and
trusts them, the child is likely to be more successful in the
classroom than a child that does not trust, respect, or feel
comfortable with their teacher. A child must be able to build a
relationship with the person they are spending almost half of their
life with if they are going to be able to learn anything form them. If
a child does not respect, trust, and feel comfortable with their
teacher, they are likely to not learn anything and act out in ways
that do not benefit their positive development.
g. In what ways might the school-home relationship affect a
childs learning and development?
If there is a large gap between the school and home, a child may be
confused on what they are supposed to be doing and how they are
to be acting. This confusion may hinder the students ability to
grow, learn, and develop at an appropriate rate since they will be

receiving different messages of what is expected from them at the

two places where they spend the majority of their lives.

Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan:

Part 2
Statement of Your Core Beliefs and Practices Related to Student Guidance
a. Based on the knowledge and skills you have learned thus far in
your academic career and life experience, what can you
identify as your Top Ten Beliefs and/or Strategies About
Student Guidance?
First, succinctly state the belief or strategy in your own
words
Second, identify the source [at least five of your Ten Beliefs
and/or Strategies must come from the Guidance of Young
Children textbookfor each of these, include the page
number]
Third, briefly explain your reason for choosing each Belief or
Strategy
Fourth, briefly describe how you could use this
Belief/Strategy in your own classroom.
1. Set limits well
Be clear about boundaries of behavior and expectations
expected in the classroom.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 327
I believe that it is important to have clear expectations set for
student so they are aware of what they are supposed to do. If
there is any grey area in what is expected, issues can arise
and student can take advantage of unclear boundaries.
I will have a list of the classroom rules either posted on the
first day of class or as soon as the class creates the rules
within the first week of classes. I will be sure to explain each
rule to students and see if they have any misconceptions of
the rules before the year gets underway. With this set of

rules, I will make it clear my expectations for homework and

other turned assignments and papers.
2. Give meaningful feedback to children
Feedback on how a student is doing/is understanding a topic
is just as important as the actual instruction of the topic.
Feedback helps students change anything they may still be
getting wrong about a topic.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 329
I believe that it is important to give meaningful feedback to
children because it is a crucial part of the learning process.
Without feedback, student may believe they have learned and
mastered a topic and then use it in the way they believe is
correct, when in reality it is still incorrect and they need
feedback to adjust their understanding.
I will use meaningful feedback in my classroom by having
time set aside after each project/new unit to talk with the
students individually or in small groups to see their
understanding of the topic and talk them through any
misunderstandings.
3. Listen actively
Communicate to children that you understand and accept that
they have a problem and that you are there to help them with
it or work through their problem.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 332
I believe that it is important to actively listen to children
because this is a key to get them to trust you. Children need
to know that there are adults around them that care for them
and accept them to feel comfortable enough to open up.
I will use this in my own classroom by creating a welcoming
environment and setting aside time each day for students to
share things that is going on in their lives. I will let students
know that I am available to talk with them in a group setting
or individually if that makes them more comfortable. When
students are talking, no matter what they are talking about, I
will be respectful and show interest in anything they are
saying.
4. Identifying problem ownership
Determine who has a problem, what it is, and the best action
to deal with or solve the problem.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 329
I believe that this is important because each person will deal
with a problem in different ways. It is important to figure out
who has a problem and what the problem is to discover the
best approach to dealing with the problem.

I will use this strategy in my own classroom by having an open

atmosphere where students can feel comfortable sharing and
expressing their problems. I will have several methods for
students to express these; including: writing them down,
sharing with the class/group, sharing individually, talking with
a counselor, etc.
5. Teach more positive behavior
Teach students how to cooperate or be assertive instead of
acting aggressively.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 263
I believe that this strategy is important because many
students do not get examples of positive behavior in their
lives outside of school. They come into the classroom and are
easily angered and do not know how to appropriately act
toward actions of their classmates.
I will use this strategy in my own classroom by being an
example of positive behavior for my students as much as
possible.
6. Encourage Children to be Emphatic
Directly tell/teach student how an action they have committed
was hurtful or how they have victimized another student.
Young students need direct instruction on how they have hurt
another person because many times they cannot imagine
being in that persons shoes because young children are selfcentered in thought.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 262
I believe that this strategy is important because young
children do not have the mental capacity to be able to think
about how another person feels and how they might feel
being in a situation they have not yet been placed in.
Children need direct instruction on how to/not to treat
someone if they are using inappropriate methods.
I will use this strategy in my own classroom by stopping unempathic behavior as soon as it begins and explain to
students how they have victimized another student or have
the victimized student explain how they have been hurt. We
will then come up with alternative solutions as a class.
7. Ignore behavior (only when appropriate to do so).
The adult is to change their behavior in the way they react to
a childs unhelpful behavior. The adult should work on
ignoring the behavior, as long as it is not harmful to the child,
so the child is not given the satisfaction of being
acknowledged for unhelpful behavior.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 330

I believe that this strategy is important because there are

many times when a child acts in an inappropriate way just to
get the attention of those around them. By ignoring behavior,
children will be trained that they will not get a reaction for
unhelpful behavior.
I will use this strategy in my own classroom by ignoring
students when they are acting inappropriately and being
unhelpful to the classroom environment. When other
students begin to react to unhelpful student behavior, I will
attempt to continue my lesson/activity and keep the other
students on track while ignoring the unhelpful behavior (while
appropriate).
8. Set up practice sessions and give on-the-spot guidance.
Set up practice time for students to learn a newly acquired
skill with a teacher or student who has already mastered the
skill.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 328
I believe this strategy is important because practice is what
helps skills develop for any topic. By having students practice
newly acquired skills with others who have previously
mastered the skill, they will be reinforcing the skill to imbed it
in their memory and they will be receiving immediate
feedback on any misunderstandings they have.
I will use this strategy in my own classroom by having
students who have mastered a skill pair up with student who
have just learned or are still learning a skill so they can
practice together. The student who has mastered the skill can
give immediate feedback and help the student who is still
learning.
9. Learn and use students names.
Students need to know you perceive them as individuals
rather than just members of the class. By learning students
names and having other students learn each others names, a
community will form within the classroom and students will
address and interact with one another.
http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/strategies/Pages/increasingparticipation.aspx#.VIETNItSb8E (Washington University in St.
Louis, The Teaching Center-Increasing Student Participation)
I believe that this strategy is important because students
need to know each other on a more personal level to be able
to work well together. By getting to know each other and
understanding that you are trying to get to know them on a
personal level, they will feel more comfortable and participate
more in the class.
I will use this strategy in my own classroom by doing activities

at the beginning of the year to get to know the students and

have them get to know each other. I may have them fill out a
personal interest inventory to see what types of things they
are interested in or have them create a poster that they can
present to the class of their interests so all members of the
class can get to know them.
10.
Recognize signs of stress, anxiety, or strong emotion;
prevent overstimulation; teach calming techniques.
Notice underlying causes of behavior and get the autonomic
nervous system under control.
Guidance of Young Children pg. 333
I believe that this strategy is important because all children,
at some point in their lives, will be stressed, anxious, or have
strong emotions about something or another. The younger
the children are, the less likely they will know how to
appropriately deal with the situation, thus causing them to act
out in ways that could be hurtful or harmful to themselves or
others. It is the responsibility of the teacher to help these
students deal with their emotions and find ways to cope and
get back in control.
I will use this strategy in my own classroom by observing each
of my students behaviors and acting on any behavior that
seems out of place. I may have strategies to deal with the
behavior myself, I may go out and seek help, or I may refer
the student to a psychologist or other professional in the
school.
b. What role/s do you expect to play in the lives of your students?
1. Instructor- As an ECE educator, I believe it is my responsibility to
first be in the classroom to teach the students. Teaching can be
a very broad topic, so I am not limiting this role to teacher. An
instructor can be someone who teaches about different aspects
of life, school subjects, and anything else that may come up in a
persons life. I do not want to limit my title of instructor to just
the students that will be in my classes, but also to their families.
I want to be able to share my love of teaching with
parents/guardians/families so that they can then go and further
help their students.
2. Authority figure- As an ECE educator, I want to be an authority
figure to each of the students that walks through my door. I have
learned from experience that not all children have an authority
figure at home to care about their well-being and interests. By
assuming the role of authority figure to every student in my
classroom, I hope it will be evident that I am there to be the
teacher but also care about each student individually.

c. What legacy do you hope to leave imprinted in your students

minds, hearts, and souls?
I hope to imprint on my students that each of them matters. I want
them to know that they are important and that someone loves
them. It is my goal as an ECE educator to show care and support
for each child that walks through my classroom door and I want
them to be able to take away and spread that care and support to
others in their lives.
d. What needs of your own do you anticipate getting met by your
work as a classroom teacher?
I have always loved children and spending time with children
whenever I can. To see a smile on a childs face is enough to take
whatever I may be dealing with at that moment and make all better
in the world. By going into an ECE career, I anticipate hard days but
I also anticipate being able to see thousands of smiling children to
show me that everything is and will be okay. No matter what kind of
situation a child is in, they always seem to find something to smile
about, and that is something I feel that any adult can learn from.

Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan:

Part 3
Classroom Management: Procedures and Routines

a. When the school bell signals the students to enter the

building, where will you be and what will you be doing for the
first 3 minutes of the school day?
When students walk in the door to my classroom, I will be standing
right inside the door greeting each student. I believe that, no
matter how much work I still have to do to prepare for a lesson or
activity, greeting the students upon entry is a vital start to the
school day. This will allow time to say hello to each student, listen if
they have something important to say, collect any papers they have
brought to school, and get a feel if any of the children are sick or
have something going on outside of school that could impact their
learning. Also, by standing in the front of the room greeting the
students, I hope to convey to them that I care and that I am there
for them in ways other than just being their teacher.
b. How will you manage students lunch tickets and/or money?
Explain your procedure for collecting lunch tickets or money to
purchase lunch ticketsexactly where will you place the
tickets and/or moneyhow will you quickly determine how
many of your students are either buying the school lunch or
have brought lunch from home?
This procedure is strictly dependent on the school policy in how the
lunch process works. But from my experience, the process that
worked the best was having a clothespin with each of the students
names on it and a laminated chart where students clip their name
under the heading of packers and buyers (you could have multiple
buying choices for students to choose from if this is how the school
operates). I also feel that it is helpful to have students get their
lunch box out of their backpack at the beginning of the day and put
it in a basket in the room (near the lunch chart) to have fewer
distractions when trying to line up for lunch. For lunch money, I
believe that it would be beneficial to have an envelope with each
students name in a basket (near the lunch chart). When student
put their clothespin on buyer or packer, they can put their money in
the envelope with their name or put their lunch box in the basket.
This will get everything out of the way in the morning, and when
lunchtime comes around, students can line up, get their money out
of their envelope, or their lunch box out of the basket and proceed
to the lunchroom.

c. How will attendance be taken? Explain your procedure for

determining which students are present or absentand, how
will you convey this information to the school office?
I will take attendance first by greeting each of the students as they
enter the classroom. I will use this time to take note of which
students did not come to school, which ones were on time, and
which ones were late. I will double-check these results when every
student has been seated and began working on the morning work
for the day.
Conveying this information to the office will depend on the schools
policy. If the school I am in uses an online system, I will enter this
information while the students are completing their morning work or
listening to the offices morning announcements. If the school I am
in uses a paper system, I will also record the information while
students are completing their morning work or listening to the
offices morning announcements and then have a student or two
quietly bring the paper to the office with other notes/ information.
d. How will morning announcements be made?
For morning announcements in my classroom, I will have circle time
each morning after students complete their morning work. We will
all come together as a class on the carpet/meeting area and discuss
what we are doing that day, any special activities, upcoming events,
and then go through calendar time. Calendar time will include
things such as: days of the week, the date, the weather, counting,
reading a book, etc.
e. How will you collect students homework?
Each student in my class will have a folder given to them at the
beginning of the year with a side for keep at home and return to
school. I will collect these folders at the beginning of each day
while students are walking in/completing their morning work. Any
homework they have completed, notes to school, or other
forms/paperwork will be in the folders and I will go through each of
them while the students are completing their morning work/doing
other work/at specials. I will have a chart for the weekly homework
packets and mark off each student as they turn theirs in. I will
create a chart or other tracking system for other homework
assignments/ paperwork that is to be turned in. I will then be able
to use the charts that I create to keep track of students who have
and have not completed their homework.
f. How will students line up at the door to leave the classroom
for another part of the building (music, lunch, etc.)?

I believe that it is important to have various ways to have students

line up to give them a variety of situations in which their behavior
may differ. I will always have the students get into a line, but I will
change the order up each time, weekly, monthly, or quietly
depending on the students behaviors. Some of the line up criteria I
will use are: clean desk and quiet voice (call one or two students up
at a time), alphabetical order, boy-girl-boy-girl, self regulated line,
etc. I will always have a designated line leader of the week, to
ensure that everyone gets to be at the front of the line at some
point during the year. The line leader will be announced when
classroom jobs are assigned each week.

g. How will you manage use of the rest rooms by students

throughout the day?
I believe that students have the right and responsibility to go to the
restroom as needed throughout the day. I wouldnt want someone
to force me to sit at my desk and work when I am uncomfortable
and need to go to the restroom. This being said, I will have 2
restroom passes in my class, one for boys and one for girls.
Students can get up at any point during the day and go to the
restroom as long as their respective pass is available for use. This
will allow students to be free to use the restroom as necessary but
also cut down on the amount of students in the restroom at a given
time.
I will have set restroom breaks when walking through the halls: on
the way to lunch, on the way back from recess, and on the way to
specials. This will allow each student to use the restroom and
release talking energy at vital transition points in the day.
h. How will you manage student use of the hallway drinking
fountain?
I will consider the hallway drinking fountain as part of the restroom
pass. Students will be free to use the drinking fountain if their
respective restroom pass is available. I believe this will teach the
students to use their time wisely and combine trips if they know
they can only leave when no one else is out of the classroom.
Students will be permitted to get a drink from the hallway drinking
fountain when the class is on the group restroom breaks, as long as
they can do it quietly.
i. How will you manage student use of the classroom sink?
As with the restroom policy, I believe students should be free to use
the sink at any time during the day as long as it is not disrupting the
class. Students will have to wait until no one else is at the sink to
use it, unless we are working on a project and everyone lines up to

use it. Students will not need to use the sink before going to lunch
since we will stop at the restroom on our way to lunch everyday as
an entire class. I will request that students use the sink to wash
their hands if they have just coughed/sneezed into them or have
just blown their nose. This policy will teach student good personal
hygiene and sanitation skills.
j. How will you manage student use of the pencil sharpener?
I will have both an electric and manual pencil sharpener. I will also
have a bucket of sharpened pencils at the front of the room each
morning. Students will be requested to sharpen their pencils when
they first arrive in the morning or at the very end of the day so they
are prepared for the next morning. If a pencil breaks, students can
get up and switch their pencil with a pre-sharpened one in the
bucket. If there are no sharpened pencils left, students can use the
manual sharpener quietly. Only the teacher can use the electric
pencil sharpener throughout the day, student can use it at the very
beginning or end of the day.
k. How will you organize and direct student use of common
classroom supplies (paper, books, etc.)?
I will have all classroom supplies on a shelf, in baskets for
organization. Students will have access to these supplies at any
point in the day and can get up as needed to retrieve the supplies.
The supplies can be taken away if student are disruptive or abuse
the privilege of having the supplies always available.
l. How will you organize and manage student Classroom
Helpers--what classroom jobs will there be? What
procedure will you use to assign Classroom Helpers?
Classroom jobs:
o Paper passer outer (3)
o Paper collector (3)
o Line leader
o Line ender
o Door holder
o Pointer (board and calendar)
o Hall monitor (2)
o Folder filer
o Board cleaner
o Office messenger (2)
o Chair pusher
o Floor sweeper
o Teacher helper
o Lights and door shutter

o Library book carrier

o Vacation/No job (remaining students)
Procedure: Each student will have the opportunity to have each of
the jobs at some point throughout the year. Each week, student will
be drawn one at a time and they get to pick their job when their
name is drawn. They cannot pick a job they have already had, until
each person has had each job once. Jobs will change each week,
new jobs will be picked at the Monday morning meeting/circle time.

m.How will you collect daily assignments from students?

Assignments will be collected upon completion as to not distract
students on their desk or get lost throughout the day. If the
assignment was completed as a whole class or during whole class
time, the paper collectors will pick up each persons assignment. If
the assignment was completed during individual work time,
students will turn their assignment into the assignment box at the
front of the room.
n. As you bring the school day to a close: what will the students
are expected to do--and what will you be doing--during the last
3 minutes of the school day? Closing the school day is as
important as opening it! Follow the format in item a when
responding to this question.
Students will have already gotten their mail and folders from their
mailbox and put them in their backpack. Upon leaving the
classroom, students will have their desks cleared, collected all of
their belongings, and make sure all supplies in the classroom have
been put away. As students leave the room, they will put their chair
in the designated place (either pushed into their desk, stacked on
top of their desk, or stacked in another part of the room).
I will be standing at the front of the room, making sure all students
have their belongings and have put their chair in the correct spot. It
will be my goal each day to say goodbye to each student personally
as they walk out the door.

Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan:

Part 4
Implementation of Student Guidance Practices
a. Classroom rules/expectations: By whom--and how--will these
be determined? Once determined, how will you communicate
these rules/expectations to students and parents/guardians?
I will have a generic set of classroom rules prepared at the
beginning of the year. Our first classroom project will be to amend
these rules and fit them to our specific classroom. Students will be
able to have input into the rules, but the final decision will lie in my
hands. The rules will be posted for the class to see for the entire
year, and a copy of the classroom rules/expectations will be sent
home in the first newsletter to parents.

b. Level I: Some student behaviors may be off-task but not

disruptive to your instruction or other students learning [e.g.,
sleeping in class; staring out the window, etc.]. How will you
deal with this type of student behaviors?
During silent reading, Beau fell asleep with his head on his desk.
I would walk over to him, gently tap his shoulder to wake him up,
and tell him to quietly go into the hall to get a drink. This would
hopefully wake him up enough to come back into the room and get
back on task.
c. Level II: Some student behaviors will be off-task and mildly
disruptive to your teaching and/or other students learning
[e.g., two students chatting during instruction; two students
passing notes back and forth, etc.]. How will you deal with
this type of student behaviors?
Brooklyn and Jersey are talking to each other while I was giving a
math lesson.
I will walk over and stand near them while continuing to give my
instruction. If they do not stop their behavior I will pause my
instruction and ask the students to stop talking while continuing to
stand near them while giving instruction.
d. Level III: Some student behaviors will be off-task and seriously
disruptive to your teaching and every other students learning
[e.g., a student throws a soggy paper towel at you and it
splatters against the chalkboard; a student says loudly,
Youre not my mother and I dont have to do what you say!
etc.]. How will you deal with this type of student behaviors?
Maddy stands up while I am going over a math worksheet and starts
screaming and crying because she got a problem wrong.
I will first quietly ask Maddy to stop crying, sit down, and take a
deep breath. If this works, then I will continue my instruction and
reassure the entire class that it is okay to get some questions
incorrect. If this does not work, I will ask Maddy to go to the back of
the classroom until she can calm down and tell her we will finish
going over her paper at a later time since she is disrupting the
class. I will still reassure all students that it is okay to get some
questions incorrect once in a while and then I will continue with my
instruction.
e. Level IV: Some student [or others] behaviors will pose an
immediate, serious threat to the physical safety of you and/or
other students [e.g., a stranger bolts into your classroom
holding a pistol and threatens to blow you all away; a
student grabs a pair of scissors and holds to point at the

throat of another student, etc.]. How will you deal with this
type of student or intruder behaviors?
A person walks into the school with a gun drawn; the office has
enough time to get on the loudspeaker and alert teachers of the
intruder.
I will first lock the door and make sure all students are in the
classroom. Next, I will turn off the lights and have students quietly
move to a wall unseen by the door and hopefully windows. I will
cover any windows as quickly as possible and ask students to
remain quiet and calm.
For students that are upset by the situation, I will try and either
quietly talk to them and explain the need to be quiet without
explaining too much of the situation as to not scare them further or
I will attempt to read a book to the class to make it seem like a not
as scary situation.

Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan:

Part 5
Physical organization of your classroom