Introduction

1. What do you believe are the three main goals of Education?

There are three main goals that I believe that public schools try to achieve:
socialization, equity, and personal growth. A school is a sample of the community
therefore when students enter the school system they interact with others from a
variety of backgrounds. Especially at the high school level, students become very
social beings and it is important to allow students to socialize in classes, when
appropriate, in the school itself, and in the services and extra-curricular activities
that the school provides. Schools contain a very diverse student body and it is
important that students are all given a fair chance at education despite their
backgrounds. Students need to know that everyone is treated equally despite their
cultural and personal diversities. Perhaps the most important goal of the school
system is to challenge the students in order to see them grow. By setting goals and
challenging your students, the student will achieve their goals, gain confidence,
and be ready for the challenges that society will bring. A child believes in the
school system when they can see the growth in themselves. By giving students
success during school they will be able to succeed in society.
2. What components are needed to have a productive classroom environment?
The first essential component that I believe is critical in a productive classroom
environment is to have strong relationships with your students. By having a
relationship with your students you are able to create assessment and lessons that
will best challenge them and learn in the most productive way. This will also
improve the classroom environment because students will feel safe, trusted, and
gain a sense of belonging in the classroom. Having a consistent daily routine is

also essential in establishing a productive classroom. The students will know what
to expect from the teacher and can focus more on the learning rather than the
disorganization of the teacher. Routines also provide structure to students, which
allows students to be responsible for their own learning within the boundaries of
the routines. The last component I believe is essential is the organization and
planning of the lessons. When a teacher has carefully planned a lesson that is
organized the students trust the teacher with their learning. By being organized
with the lesson the routine will be consistent because the teacher will not have to
stop in the middle of a lesson to go photocopy more copies of a hand out. The
students will know that the teacher does care about them because they took the
time to get to know them and plan lessons in order to benefit the students.

3. What are three student behaviours that annoy you?

The first student behaviour that annoys me the most is the opinionated student
who consistently talks out of turn. This student interrupts the teacher, the students,
and is unwilling to listen to anyone elses opinion. I find this behaviour
bothersome because they have no respect for anyone else. Some may think that
they are trying to fulfill their self-esteem needs but sometimes this student already
has a high self-esteem. Everyones opinion matters in the classroom and students
must respect each other in order for a classroom to function at its most productive
level. Another student behaviour that bothers me is when a student puts more
effort into socializing during class than on their assignment and fails any
summative assessment. This is different from the consistent talker because this
student does not disrupt the teaching act, but disrupts student learning during a

work period. Instead of doing their work they just talk to their friends. I find this
bothersome because even though socializing is a part of the education, there is a
time and a place to socialize. In my opinion, socializing and popularity is less
important than learning and expanding your knowledge. Once the student has
satisfied their need to feel like they belong with a group of friends then they need
to begin to focus on their learning. It also disrupts the learning of the person they
are talking to and around. The third student behaviour that annoys me is the
heckler. This is the person who always calls out another students flaws,
weaknesses, or makes negative remarks towards another student. I find this
bothersome because they interrupt the teacher during a lesson and they bully other
students by revealing sensitive issues students may have about themselves. This
student has no respect for anyone else. All of the behaviours that annoy me have a
common attribute; lack of respect.

Implementation
1. What are three different classroom arrangements will you have in place to
minimize student misbehaviour?
In order to minimize student misbehaviour in the classroom I would first place my
desk at the back of the classroom and in line with the door. The back of the
classroom allows for a more private or secluded environment so that if students
have a question they feel that it is private and other students are not looking at
them. Also, on occasion when the dawdler walks by the door, sees their friend in
the class, and starts making gestures at them the desk being in line with the door

will be beneficial. By having the desk in line with the door the straggler could
predict that I may be walking to the desk at any moment.
Some people may disagree with me, but I believe that group tables of three
or four students can be very productive. This brings focus to the group rather than
the entire class and students can be more effective motivators than a teacher. By
placing a misbehaved student with a group of well-behaved and productive
students, the misbehaved student my feel the peer pressure to modify their
behaviour. These desks will also be arranged so that when students are seated I
will be able to walk around the room while teaching the lesson. This way it is easy
to get to a misbehaving student and address the behaviour in a non-verbal manner.
The third consideration I would use to minimize student behaviour is to
organize a bulletin board that would consist of all the due dates and course
outlines for the semester. Each class would be colour coordinated on the bulletin
board with the course outline at eye height. Under each course, I would post
assignments and due dates once they have been established and given. This way if
students were not proactive and missed a day, they could get the assignment
before class starts. As well, they could see when their next summative assessment
was going to be occurring. Also, when applicable answers can be posted on the
board if students need further clarification on graded assessment. This causes
students to be responsible for their own learning and with their organizational
skills. Similarly, there will be an inbox for each course for students to hand in any
assignments before the due date.
2. What are three routines that can be found in your classroom?
One of the most important routines I would like to establish in my classroom is
the rule for bathroom & water breaks, need of a tissue, recycling/garbage, etc. I do

not want students to be disrupting the class asking to do their business,

especially during cold season. Also some students prefer to blow their nose
outside the room so that no one has to hear them, therefore with students always
having permission they will be empowered and disrupt less.
The next routine that I would like to establish in a math classroom is a
mixture between mental math and logical puzzles. At the beginning of every class
there will be either be a few mental math questions to be completed or a logical
puzzle that needs to be solved. Students will be given 5 minutes to try and solve
the puzzle or complete the mental math questions. I would prefer to switch every
week between the two so that the students do not get bored with the same
material. Also, the Manitoba math curriculum suggests that problem solving
should be taught 50% of the time, therefore the logical puzzles will tune into the
problem solving capabilities of the students. At the end of class, I would ask the
students to hand in what they believe is the answer or process for that day and
provide a participation mark. This way the students are encouraged and motivated
to solve the problems. It would be similar to an exit ticket.
The third routine that I will implement into my classroom management
model is to have an inbox for all assessments. Each class will have a designated
inbox and students will be responsible for handing in their own assignments. This
maximizes class time because I will not have to go around waiting for students to
get their assignments out and hand them in.
The last routine that I believe is important is the process in which
materials are distributed. By having students sit in groups handing out material
can minimize down time because each desk will have a large envelope given to
them at the beginning of class that will contain all their materials needed for that

day. By having the material in the envelope it keeps them hidden until they are
needed and minimizes the possible distraction that the material could bring.
Students will distribute the material among themselves at the desk and if a student
is absence the material will remain in the envelope for when they arrive back in
class.
3. What are three non-verbal interventions you will have in place?
The three non-verbal interventions that I will use in my classroom will be the
look, proximity interference, and non-verbal arrangement. Firstly, the look will
be used when students are misbehaving in a non-verbal way. If a student is poking
another, playing the desk drums, or behaving in a manner that breaks the
classroom rules I will make eye contact with that student and give them the
look. Proximity interference will be used when a student is distracting other
students by talking to their neighbour about a topic that is not course related. By
being mobile I will be able to pick up the sense of their conversation and put a
stop to it based on my presence. I will stand near the students along enough to
capture their attention. Non-verbal arrangement will be used in the means of a
seating plan. The students will be able to pick their own table groups depending
on their behaviour. When two students consistently talk, do not stop after
proximity interference, and are bothering other students near by, these students
will be split up and put on opposite sides of the classroom until further notice.
They will be able to sit with each other again once they have shown that they are
in the classroom to learn. These interventions can be done subtly and the students
will know how they have been misbehaving and that it was not acceptable at the
time.

4. What are three verbal interventions you will use in your classroom?
The three verbal interventions that I will incorporate in my classroom
management model are explicit redirection, positive phrasing, and calling on the
student as a hint. I will call on a student in a similar way I would use proximity
interference, when two students are talking about material that is not class related.
This verbal communication will be used when I am teaching a lesson that has
many examples that need to be shown on the board. This strategy would be used
because I would be unable to be mobile in the classroom and it may catch the
students off guard. By calling on a student you put them on the spot and they
know that they need to focus on the lesson.
The next verbal communication I would use is positive phrasing. I want to
incorporate this method because it puts the responsibility on the student to change
their behaviour into one that is more productive and positive. I would use this
technique during a work period or when a student is kinesthetically misbehaving, i.e.
air drums, in a way that would bother other students around them during a lesson.
During a work period students may be easily distracted, therefore this technique
would be used to get the student back on the right track. I would use this during a
lesson in order to establish that the students behaviour is having an effect on the rest
of the class.
The third verbal intervention I would use is explicit redirection. The explicit
redirection is more confrontational than the positive rephrasing, but it delivers a
similar message. I would use this strategy during a work period and I would not
announce it in front of the class. I would go up to the student and tell them to stop

their behaviour and start being productive. The more confrontational the strategy
becomes the more privacy I think is needed. These three messages get the students
back on track as well as stop an undesired behaviour.
5. What expectations will you have for the students in your classroom?
At the beginning of the course I will hand students a course outline and a letter to
introduce the student to the class that will both outline the expectations and rules
of the classroom. The introduction letter will be brought home and signed by
parents. By providing the expectations in two ways this it ensures that the student
and the parents have both seen the expectations for the classroom and that we are
all on the same level. The first expectation I will have for the students is to take
responsibility for their own learning. Students will be expected to be proactive
about potential absences in order to not fall behind on the course material and
hand in assignments on time. Due dates will be posted on the bulletin board in
order to make it clear to all students when assignments are due. Also, students
who are struggling will need to put forth the effort to come in for extra help. The
times when extra help can be given will be outlined in the introduction letter and
the course outline as well.
The next important rule to be established in my classroom is that student
behaviour must not interrupt the teacher from giving the lesson or disrupt any
student the opportunity to learn. Students will be given work periods that may be
done collaboratively, but this privilege may be taken away if they are disrupting
the other students. Collaborative work must be productive and respectful to
others. This leads into my next expectation, be respectful. Students must be
respectful to the opinions, feelings, and property of others in the classroom. The

students can expect it from me and therefore I should be able to expect it from
them.
The next expectation that I have for students is be ready to learn. I want to
challenge my students and will have high expectations for all of them. Students
need to have all their materials ready to go and show up to class on time. Classes
will run more smoothly if all students are ready for class when the bell rings. All
of my expectations are not difficult to meet, will benefit all the students, and
create equity in my classroom.
6. What is your plan for documentation?
To store my documentation I will use a USB stick that is locked with a password.
The USB will have a folder for each class with a word document saved under
each students student number. The document would be used to make note of the
good, the bad, and the ugly behaviours or results that occurred that day. I would
like to call parents if their child has made a significant improvement in class or
the first time they had the top mark on an assessment. These phone calls would be
documented with the date of the call, the intention of the call, who I spoke to, and
the comment made by the parent. By having a record of the comment made by the
parent, I will have it in the case that a parent says something negative later on and
in order to predict what another phone call home may be like in the future. For the
cases when I have to deliver disappointing news to parents I will follow a similar
recording style except in more detail and with an additional component including
any witnesses that may have seen the behaviour. The intention of the call will
describe the action of the student, the action I took, and what I suggested to the
parent in order to minimize the behaviour. Again, I would record the parents

comments during the call as a reference for myself. For the ugly phone calls that
need to be made home I would have all my documentation for that student in front
of me in order to have a defense mechanism. If the parent questions the unusual
behaviour or that they never heard about this from the school before, I will have a
record of the behaviour of the student in the class. Similarly to the bad phone call,
I would document the date and time, how the situation arose, actions taken by the
student, justification for my action, witnesses, and parents comments. This will
be documented in a lot of detail with word for word quotes in order to capture
exactly what was said between the parties involved. The actions that are taken by
the student in the classroom will be documented in great detail with a section that
will outline if a phone call home was made and a short detail of that phone call. It
may seem like a lot of work, but I rather have everything documented that needs
to be rather than not have enough.

Communication
1. For what reasons would you call a students parents?
As stated previously, I would call the parents when a student is excelling, when
the behaviour has occurred three consecutive times, and when the behaviour has
become uncontrollable. When phoning the parent of an excelling student there are
three points I would like to convey. First, I would want to let the parent know that
their child took an assessment that day or that I would like to speak to them about
their childs behaviour that day. Next, the parent would be informed that the
student did extremely well on the assessment or in class. Finally, I would tell them

to be proud of their child for their achievement. Some parents will be naturally
proud of their child, but in the case of a parent thinking their child does nothing
good it would make them proud of their child and pass it down to their child.
In the case when I call the parents home about a student misbehaving three
consecutive times, I would want to convey several key points. The first point that I
would like to make to the parent is that the behaviour has occurred in three separate
incidents and that it has become disruptive to their learning and to the learning of
others. I would also let the parents know the action I took in trying to stop the
misbehaviour. As well, I would ask the parents if they had any suggestions, opinions,
and thoughts about how the behaviour could be changed. In doing this I want the
parents to know that their opinions and concerns about their child matter. At the end
of the phone call I would let the parents know that they will be hearing from me in a
week in order discuss if the behaviour has been modified.
In the third situation, I would call a childs parents if the behaviour has not
changed after the three consecutive incidents phone call and has became more
disruptive, damaging, and makes the learning environment unsafe to others. I would
have all my documentation in front of me when I make this phone call home in order
to have the accurate background information. I would initiate the phone call by telling
them that the behaviour I have called them about previously has escalated. I would
also tell them the day(s) when they received the phone call(s) from me in case there is
a misunderstanding. I would also mention how the behaviour has escalated and the
effect that it is having in the classroom. It would also be beneficial fro the parent if I
mentioned how the behaviour is affecting their child in school and if applicable have

the grade book to help make the point. Also, I would let the parents know what will or
could occur if the behaviour continues down this road. The next point would be
similar to the previous situation; I would like their help in trying to change the
behaviour for the best interest of the child. We would make a decision or plan to
modify this behaviour and decide on a time interval in which I would provide a
progress report to the parents regarding the behaviour. In each situation it is important
for the parent to feel that you have the best interest of their child in mind when
making a plan.

Parent-Teacher Conferences
1. How would you get organized for these conferences?
There would be several pieces of information that I would gather for the
conference. First, I would print out a simplified version of the student behaviour
document saved on my USB stick. This way the students behaviour in the
classroom has been documented and can be used to defend the student or myself
as the teacher. Secondly, I would have a copy of the students report card available
in order to verify the information with the parent. I would also have a copy of the
course outline and the signed slip from the Welcome to the Class letter. For the
case, that students have various missed assignments, I would have a copy of the
missed assignments and give it to the student during the conference where we
would establish a new due date with the parents involved. Finally, I will have
prepared a list for each student that suggests different ways in which the student
could improve. By doing this, goals are being set and the opinion of the student

Parent #2

and parent will

Parent #1

be heard. If a
parent believes
that they have a
more beneficial
academic goal
than my
suggestions,
than we can
work together to
help the child

Student

Teacher

reach the goal. I

would have
premade goal
sheets available

to fill out during the conference that would be signed by the teacher, the parents,
and the student. I would organize the information in file folders on the spare desk.
The file folders will contain documents that are paper clipped for each individual
student in alphabetical order. This way the information can be quickly retrieved
without any hassle.
2. The following diagram is the seating arrangement I would use in a parent-teacher
conference.

I would arrange the seating this way because of what I learned in a management
class three years ago. People argue best and are more defensive when you are
facing them head on and are parallel to each other. Having the parents sit more
perpendicular will lessen the attack mode that the parents may have towards
their student or to myself, the teacher. Also, with a misbehaving student there has
already been a discussion between us about how their behaviour is inappropriate
in class. I will know the students more than I know the parents and will be able to
predict the students behaviour in the conference based on classroom behaviour. It
is less intimidating for me to face the student than the unpredictable parents.
There is a second table in the diagram in order to keep material spread out and
less cluttered. Material can be passed from myself to the parent(s) and then to the
student with organization. Also, the parent may get the message that the teacher is
organized by the potential piles of paper on the desk for the conferences to follow,
completely confidential of course. It is also important that the desks are not square
because the right angle brings the parents closer to the teacher than an obtuse
angle would. It is important for the student to know that they have a circle of
people who have their best interest in mind.
3. How will you make the interviews less intimidating?
There are several steps I would take in order to make the conference less
intimidating to the student and to the parents. Prior to the conference I would

make sure that the classroom is organized and there is no garbage on the floor that
may have been left behind from the previous conference. A clean and organized
classroom is less intimidating and more inviting. First, I would greet the parents at
the door with a handshake and introduce myself. I would lead them into the
classroom and offer anyone a glass of water. By offering them a glass of water
they may feel more comfortable because if anyone is feeling nervous or anxious
they can drink the water to cool themselves down and be more relaxed. I would
also make casual conversation with the student and the parent before getting into
the guts of the conference. This will put the student at ease and that this
conference is about the student and their learning. The student will benefit the
most from this meeting and therefore it is important for him/her to be relaxed and
open with what will be said.
4. How will you ensure that the conference was beneficial?
To ensure that the conference was beneficial for all I would make sure that
everyone has asked the questions that they wanted to ask. The conference is a
risk-free environment and therefore if there is a question or concern I would like it
to be addressed. As well, by having the goal sheets made during the conference
and signed by all parties involved it ensures that everyone agrees to the terms. If
the parent does not want to sign because they do not believe in it then there is
some adjustments that needs to be made in order to satisfy everyone. Also, I want
to make sure that the student has voiced their opinion; therefore I would ask the
student various times if they have anything to add to what is being said in the
conference. After all, the conference is occurring because of the student and we
all have the best interest in mind for that student. I would let the parents know

that they can reach me by email at anytime if there is anything they forgot to
mention in the conference. Some parents may want to discuss an issue without the
child present or they have an issue that they find difficult to vocalize, therefore
email allows parents to express what they were not able to in the conference.