Personal Statement

Every teacher must find the model that best fits his or her beliefs, values, experiences,
and the students in the classroom. After reading about so many different models, for example,
Canters Assertive Discipline, Fays Love and Logic, and Glassers Choice Theory, I believe the
best model for my classroom is, Fays Love and Logic. Fays Love and Logic philosophy uses
tools and techniques to help adults gain a healthy and respectful relationship with students. The
strategy Love and Logic has three basic rules to follow, use enforceable limits, provide choices
within limits, and apply consequences with empathy (Fay, J., & Funk, D.). This model is a good
fit for me as a teacher because I want my students to have their own responsibility in the
classroom and I want to have the feeling of a safe, welcoming environment. Through Love and
Logic, students, teachers, and other staff members create a relationship that result in a better
understanding of the students behavior. When we are faced with behavioral situations, we must
be ready to respond quickly and consistently.
All of us teachers are going to be faced with difficulty, especially with childrens
behavior problems. In order to prevent behavior problems in the classroom, I will model for the
student how we should speak to others, treat others, and act in school. Within the first day of
school, my students will know what the expectations are of themselves. They will know how we
treat others with respect and that we want to build positive relationships between each other.
Each day I will welcome my students into the classroom with a big smile on my face. I will
never raise my voice at the students and will treat them like my own child with the love and
support they need in the classroom. Being a role model for my students will prevent them from
treating me and other classmates with disrespect and misbehaving. With the Love and Logic
approach it is also important to remember the four basic principles: share the control, share the

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thinking, balance consequences with empathy, and maintain self-concept (Fay, J., & Funk, D.).
These four basic principles are very important to remember when responding and preventing
behavior problems in the classroom.
If and when I am faced with a students behavior getting out of control in the classroom, I
will take that student aside from the other students in the classroom. While I talk with this
student individually, I will make sure that the other students are busy working on something.
Once the student misbehaves, I will talk with this student about their behavior and consequences
that follow. According to the Love and Logic approach, it is important to give students choices,
the student will receive two choices, both which I agree with. We do not want to give students a
choice that we are not alright with because that student will most likely choose that choice. I will
make sure to follow the delivery of giving the students the choices by starting the sentence with
Youre welcome to __ or ___. or even What would be best for you __ or __?
I have heard endless scenarios of teachers using Love and Logic in their classrooms and
had to take what I knew about the model and put it into play. When dealing with behavioral
situations, it is important to give the student some control. Giving a student two choices to
choose from will put responsibility on that student for their own behavior and consequence.
There is a specific student in my current placement in an elementary school, that struggles with
his behavior fairly often. Instead of watching his teacher raise her voice at him and seclude him
from the rest of his classmates, I took charge and spoke to this individual one-on-one. We were
waiting in the lunch line one day where I got down to his level and spoke with him about his
behavior. I told this student that he had two choices, either to continue to misbehave and sit in a
desk alone or he could work quietly and join his group. I told the student that it was up to him
and I would really like if he could handle his behavior and sit with his group, but if he chose to

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sit by himself that he would change his behavior quick to get back to his group. There have been
other instances when a student has raised a voice at another teacher in my school. The teacher
told the student that she will wait for him to calm down and can use an appropriate voice. Not all
instances have to be a child screaming at a teacher, teachers can use these techniques to prevent
behavior problems in the classroom.
As the day that I will be in my own classroom approaches quickly, I cannot wait to
implement the model, Love and Logic, in my classroom. I hope to watch my students build
positive relationships with other students and teachers in the school. My job is to make sure that
my students know exactly what they are expected to do and behave inside and outside of school.
I will welcome my students and rely that my student will give me the same respect that I give
them. If a situation happens, I will be ready to respond to that situation using the Love and Logic
procedures.

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Works Cited
Fay, J., & Funk, D. (n.d.). Teaching with love & logic: Taking control of the classroom.
Retrieved April 12, 2016, from https://www.loveandlogic.com/teaching-with-love-andlogic.