Karly Sachs

May 14, 2014

Professor Hodgkinson
Education 132
Classroom Management Plan
1. Management Style and Philosophical Beliefs
Background information on why I want to be a teacher:
Ever since I was in elementary school I knew I wanted a job that was
centered around helping children, but I was not sure what I exactly wanted to
do just yet. However, when I walked into my middle school math classroom
in sixth grade, it clicked. I knew what I wanted to be in the future: a middle
school or high school math teacher. Now, I know what one may be thinking: I
must have been pretty good at math if I knew I wanted to teach it as my
profession at twelve years old, but in reality, the answer to this thought is no.
I was not too great at math when I was young. In fact, I was only able to
understand less than the bare minimum of information my teachers taught. I
was that student who, no matter how hard I tried, could not recite her
addition or subtraction facts, could not understand the concept of prime
numbers or factors, and cried at the thought of a math writing assignment. I
was that student that most teachers would leave behind because they
thought I was a lost cause.
I was clueless in any kind of math class up until the sixth grade. This is
when my life changed for the better and it was because of my teacher, Mrs.
Voutiritsas. Mrs. Voutiritsas was different from my previous teachers. Maybe
it was because even though she did not know me, she actually believed in

me. She actually believed that I could excel and do well in her class. Because
of her confidence in me, I had confidence in myself, and from that moment
on I could solve any problem that came my way. There were no more tears
when it came to math. I had a new mentality, which wasBRING IT ON!
If it was not for Mrs. Voutiritsas, I would probably still be counting on
my fingers and I most definitely would not be a Math Education Major today. I
am so glad she changed my view towards mathematics because if she did
not, I would not be as passionate towards math and helping students as I am
now. I want to teach mathematics to help all those struggling learners who
fall through the cracks in elementary school. I want to be that teacher who
gives her students the confidence to succeed. I want to be that teacher who
believes in all her students and helps them with any obstacle that comes
their way. I want to make a difference in students lives and I believe if I
teach math, I can do this!
But why math, why not English or Social Studies? It could not just be to
make an impact on my students because all teachers make an impact on
their students no matter what subject they teach; all teachers bring
something to the table. Science teachers bring discovery, Social Studies
teachers bring the lessons learned from the past and English teachers bring
stories and fantasy to the mix, but Mathematics teachers bring it all! They
bring discovery and involvement. They bring rules and theorems. They bring
problem solving and ones own ideas. And most of all, they bring that ahhh
haaa moment when a student finally understands what is going on.

Mathematics is so important because it uses the skills one needs in all the
other subjects. Not only this, but also it is a major aspect of our society
today. Students need as many math tools in their belts to succeed in their
futures. I want to give them these tools and not only give them to ALL
students, but allow them to find the tools on their own. I want to help ALL my
students succeed and be everyones cheerleader because this is the first
step in getting through to your students. If one believes in their students,
they will soon believe in themselves and I want ALL students to believe that
they can do anything they set their minds to do.
Background Information on my Personality:
My personality is very complex. I can be very outgoing at times, but I
also can be very reserved. It all depends on the situation. In any situation,
however, I would have to say my personality is very happy and kind. I am
very good at smiling. I smile all the time, especially when I am around
students. I am understanding, patient, and calm. I am very positive and
encouraging.
Background Information on my Teaching Style:
I would have to say my teaching style is pretty similar to my
personality. When I am in front of students I am very happy, positive, and
energetic. I want students to learn and I believe they can! If I want my
students to be happy, positive, and energetic in my classroom, I believe I
need to act the same way. I also want to show my students that I care about
them as individuals. After all, students do not care what one knows until they

know that ones cares. My main goal as a teacher is to show my students that
I care about them and that they can come to me for anything. I want them to
trust me and believe I have their best interests at heart.
My Philosophy of Education:
Students do not care what a teacher knows until they know that the
teacher cares. This line is what my whole teaching philosophy is based
upon. I want my students to know that I care about them. I want my students
to know that I care about their learning as well as care about them as
individuals. To ensure they know I care about them, I must get to know every
one of my students on a deeper level. I need to know about their interests,
hobbies, aspirations, and about their family life. I also need to learn how
each of my students learn. Do they learn best through lecture? By doing? By
seeing? Do they like to use technology? How about art? To figure this out, I
need to use many different techniques while teaching. This way I can
differentiate each lesson as well as differentiate projects and lessons to fit
the needs of all my students. A great way to let students know that I indeed
care about them is to get to know them, and not only get to know them, but
by also incorporating their interests into my lessons. As a teacher I want to
differentiate, incorporate technology, integrate art, use discovery learning as
well as include group learning in my classroom. It is not going to be easy, but
I am sure going to try.
My Philosophy on Classroom Management and Discipline:

Classroom management is the most important component while

teaching. If a teacher cannot manage his or her classroom, their room would
be utter chaos and very little learning would get accomplished. In order to
manage the classroom, I plan to use the CARE method. I plan to make sure
my students know that I care about them as individuals as well as their
learning. If students know I care about them and their interests, there is a
great possibility they will reciprocate that action towards me. That is the
goal.
The main classroom management tactic I want to use is showing the
students that I do indeed care about them, but this does not happen over
night. Gaining trust takes time and patience. Because of this, classroom
management rules and procedures must be made before class even starts. I
plan to write classroom rules, procedures, and consequences before the first
day of class. My procedures will be detailed and my consequences will be
clear. I will have an outline of the classroom rules ready to go, but students
will add to them as well as explain to me why these rules are important and
how we are going to implement them. This way, students will feel that they
are contributing to the overall environment of the classroom and in turn gain
a deeper understanding of how our classroom is going to run. The key word
here is OUR. The classroom is not MY classroom, but OUR classroom. It is as
much theirs as it is mine. I want them to understand this.
After we come up with a simple list of classroom rules and agree on
ways we will implement these rules, I will go over classroom procedures and

consequences. I will have procedures and consequences typed out and

printed for my students. Each procedure will be titled and separate from the
rest. This way, if students forget certain procedures, they will have a
document to refer back to. These documents will be placed in a section of all
the students binders and they will be responsible for following them, no
excuses. The entire first week of school will be devoted to learning about the
classroom rules, procedures, and consequences. Once this week is up, I will
expect students to know and follow the rules and procedures. If they do not, I
will be assertive and consistent with implementing consequences. After all,
consistency is key in the classroom.
Lastly, I am going to make sure I implement the five cs of classroom
management while teaching. The five cs include 1) clarity 2) consequences
3) caring 4) consistency and 5) change. If I follow the five cs as well as make
sure I am kind but assertive, understanding but consistent, and adaptable
but reliable, my classroom will be manageable.
**(I know this section of the plan only asks us to describe our classroom management style
and philosophical beliefs, and as you can probably see, I added a lot more to this section. I
did this so you can see where I am coming from and so I can show you why my beliefs are as
such. A teachers reason for teaching, his or her personality, and his or her educational
philosophy will determine his or her classroom management style. Because of this, I thought
I should add these parts in. I hope that it ok.)

Artifact:
Classroom Management Profile
Answer these 12 questions and learn more about your classroom

management profile. The steps are simple:

1. Read each statement carefully.

2. Write your response, from the scale below, on a sheet of paper.
3. Respond to each statement based upon either actual or imagined
classroom experience.
4. Then, follow the scoring instructions below. It couldn't be easier!
(1) = Strongly Disagree(2) = Disagree(3) = Neutral(4) = Agree(5) = Strongly
Agree

(1) If a student is disruptive during class, I assign him/her to detention,

without further discussion. 2
(2) I don't want to impose any rules on my students. 1
(3) The classroom must be quiet in order for students to learn. 3
(4) I am concerned about both what my students learn and how they learn. 5
(5) If a student turns in a late homework assignment, it is not my problem. 2
(6) I don't want to reprimand a student because it might hurt his/her
feelings. 1
(7) Class preparation isn't worth the effort. 1
(8) I always try to explain the reasons behind my rules and decisions. 5
(9) I will not accept excuses from a student who is tardy. 3

(10) The emotional well-being of my students is more important than

classroom control. 3
(11) My students understand that they can interrupt my lecture if they have
a relevant question. 3
(12) If a student requests a hall pass, I always honor the request. 2
Each shape represents one classroom management style. To score your quiz,
add your responses to statements 1, 3, and 9. This is your score for the
authoritarian style. 8
Statements 4, 8 and 11 refer to the authoritative style. 13
Statements 6, 10, and 12 refer to the laissez-faire style. 6
Statements 2, 5, and 7 refer to the indifferent style. 4
And the winner is
Authoritative
The authoritative teacher places limits and controls on the students but
simultaneously encourages independence. This teacher often explains the
reasons behind the rules and decisions. If a student is disruptive, the teacher
offers a polite, but firm, reprimand. This teacher sometimes metes out
discipline, but only after careful consideration of the circumstances.The
authoritative teacher is also open to considerable verbal interaction,
including critical debates. The students know that they can interrupt the
teacher if they have a relevant question or comment. This environment
offers the students the opportunity to learn and practice communication
skills.

Ms. Smith exemplifies the authoritative teaching style. She exhibits a warm
and nurturing attitude toward the students and expresses genuine interest
and affection. Her classroom abounds with praise and encouragement. She
often writes comments on homework and offers positive remarks to students.
This authoritative teacher encourages self-reliant and socially competent
behavior and fosters higher achievement motivation. Often, she will guide
the students through a project, rather than lead them.
This sounds like the teacher I want to be one day! I want to be nurturing and
caring. I want to be positive and encouraging. I want my students to know
that I do indeed care about them! I want to be Authoritative.
2. Establishing a Positive Classroom Culture
The ideal classroom environment I would like to create would be an
environment that is safe, positive, motivating, and calm. Knowing how I want
my classroom to feel, though, is one thing; implementing it is another. How
am I going to ensure my classroom is safe, positive, motivating, and calm?
Each element will require different steps. In order to make sure my class
feels safe I will need to implement rules on being kind and respectful in the
classroom. I will also plan get to know you activities and other icebreakers the first week of class so students can begin to get to know each
other and build positive relationships. My main goal here is to make students
believe once they walk through the classroom door cliques are non-existent
and that we all can get along. If my classroom feels safe, students will be
more eager to participate in class. Once students feel comfortable enough to
participate and share their own ideas, my classroom environment will be

more positive and motivating. Another way I could enhance the positivity
and motivation in the classroom is to be positive and motivating while
teaching. Feelings are contagious, arent they?
The major way I am going to establish a positive environment in the
classroom, though, is by developing a positive student-teacher relationship.
After all, this is going to be my main classroom management tactic when I
become a teacher. Some ways I can develop a positive student-teacher
relationship are by contacting my students before school starts, having my
students complete student interest surveys every semester, sharing stories
about my life to the students, listening to stories about the students lives,
and by attending their extracurricular activities. I can also call their parents
when they are doing well in class so the students as well as the parents know
I am very proud of what they have accomplished. As one can probably see,
all of these methods have something in common; the something is I want
to show students that I genuinely care about them. By doing the methods
listed above and by showing students I really do care about their interests as
well as them as individuals, developing a positive classroom environment
should be pretty successful.
Artifact: Here is an example of a student interest survey I might use:

Student Interest Survey

Please print as neatly as possible
Name: ___________________________ Birthday:
_________________________________

Adults who live with me:

Name and Cellphone Number: _______________________________________________
Name and Cellphone Number: _______________________________________________
Brothers and Sisters:
Name and Age: _____________________________________________________________
Name and Age: _____________________________________________________________
Name and Age: _____________________________________________________________
Name and Age: _____________________________________________________________
Name and Age: _____________________________________________________________
(If you have more than five, please list them on the back of this page.)
Friends:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What I like to do most at home:
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
My favorite hobbies:
_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
My favorite book(s) and magazine(s):
_________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
If I had one wish, it would be:
_________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
School would be better if:
____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
If I had a million dollars I would:
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
One thing I am really good at is:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I do my best thinking when:
__________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
This is what one of my teachers did last year that I liked the most:
______________
______________________________________________________________________________
This is what one of my teachers did last year that I liked the least:
_______________
______________________________________________________________________________
After I graduate, I would like to:
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Something else I would like you to know about me is:
__________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

My home phone number is:

__________________________________________________
Do you have access to a computer at home?
_________________________________
Do you have access to the Internet at home?
_________________________________
My all-time favorites:

Candy: ________________________________________________________________
Movie: ________________________________________________________________
Song: _________________________________________________________________
Musical Group: ________________________________________________________
Type of Pizza:

__________________________________________________________
Color: _________________________________________________________________
Car: ___________________________________________________________________
Cookie: _______________________________________________________________
Professional athletic team:

_____________________________________________
Style of clothing:

_______________________________________________________
Vacation place: _______________________________________________________
Board game: __________________________________________________________
Radio station:

__________________________________________________________
TV station:

_____________________________________________________________
Outdoor Activity: ______________________________________________________
Subject in School:
______________________________________________________

3. Developing Classroom Rules and Procedures

Rules:
I expect all my students to follow all of the rules and procedures. If
they do not, they will have to follow the consequences. On the first day of
class the students and I will come up with a list of class rules. I will already
have an outline of the rules made, and students will add their own input as
well. They will tell me what the said rule entails as well as how they will
implement it. They will also tell me why said rule is important. The outline of
the rules is as follows. The red parts in this list are possible ideas students
will come up with for what each rule entails.

Class Rules

Middle School: Eighth Grade: Mathematics

1. Be on time
2. Come to class ready to learn
a. Mentally
b. Come to class with all the materials needed for the day
(physically)
3. Have a positive attitude
4. Treat others the way you would like to be treated
a. Be courteous
b. Be respectful of other peoples feelings
5. When in doubt, ask questions
6. Try your hardest
After we come up with our set of classroom rules, I will hand out different
documents of the classroom procedures and consequences. We will go over
them during class as well as do activities with each rule, procedure, and
consequence so students can learn all the classroom management tactics I

am going to implement. The first week of class will be devoted to learning

classroom rules, procedures, and consequences.
Before school starts, I will send out a list rules, procedures, and
consequences to parents and administrators via snail mail or by email. I will
also send out a letter to the parents explaining who I am and why I am
implementing these rules and procedures so hopefully we can be on the
same side when their child misbehaves. I will make sure they have my email
and or my school phone number just in case they have any questions. Parent
and administrator support is very important to have and one way to gain
their support is by keeping them informed of what is going on in the
classroom. I plan to do this.
**(My classroom rules will parallel the schools rules as well. It is hard to add
that in my classroom rules now just because I am not a working teacher yet.)
Procedures: Here are a few classroom procedures I hope to implement in my
classroom:

Homework Format Policy: Students will receive homework, at most,

four times a week. If they receive homework problems in their book,
they will be asked to do their homework in their homework spiral.
Before completing each book assignment students will need to
o Buy a classroom spiral for the use of MATH HOMEWORK only
o Label the cover of their spiral with
Their name (first and last) in the top right hand corner
The words Math Homework in the center
Their name (first and last) in the inside cover
o Label each assignment with
The date in the top right hand corner

(Section Number, Book Page Number, Problem Numbers)

on the first line of the assignment

Students must highlight the title of each book assignment
which is just the (Section Number, Book Page Number,
Problem Numbers) as well as each individual problem

number
Students must also circle their answers
o If a worksheet is given instead of a book assignment make sure
to put your name on it
o Each homework assignment will be graded for completion on the
day it is due. A student can receive up to three points each day
for homework completion.
If homework is completed as well as the correct format is

followedstudents will receive a three

If the correct format is not implemented they will receive a

point off (-1)

If homework is missing 25% of the problemsthey will be

docked a point
If homework is missing more than 50% of the problems

they will be docked two points

If homework is not donestudents will receive a zero for

that homework day

o The day after every test, a homework quiz will be given. Make
sure to have all your homework done by then. We will discuss

homework quizzes in more detail in class.

Late Homework Policy: Students will receive homework at most four
times a week. They will also receive one writing assignment or project
each month (relatively)

o If regular homework is late, your homework completion grade for

the day will be a zero. I suggest you still complete the
assignment on your own time, though, because homework
quizzes will be given the day after each test.
o If a project or writing assignment is late, your grade will be
docked 10% each day it is late. No exceptions.
We will discuss the format of each project and writing

assignment when it is assigned

When you walk into class:
o Sit down quietly
o Put your homework on the right hand corner of your desk
o Take out a sheet of paper and a pencil
o Work on the opener that is on the board
o Put the opener in the opener section of your binder
o If you finish before the rest of the class is ready to go over the
opener and the homework, you can check your opener and
homework with your seat partner. If your partner is not done,

check your homework and see if you have any questions.

If you forget your pencil:
o Come to my desk before the bell rings
o Sign the I forgot my pencil clipboard
o Give me your id or cell phone
o Take a pencil
o Return you pencil to me at the end of classno exceptions
If you need a sheet of paper:
o Walk quietly to the paper shelf and grab what you need
Other procedures I will implement in the classroom include
o What to do during transitions
o What to do during test days
o What to do during quiz days
o What to do during homework quiz days
o What to do on review days
o What to do if you need a drink of water or need to use the
bathroom
o There will be other procedures as well.

Some procedures I will address the first week of class. Other procedures I will
address when the time is right. Most procedures I will type out, but some I
will not. It all depends.
The artifacts in this section are incorporated throughout.
4. Classroom Layout (Artifact)

Student Seating will be group seating

Teachers desk is at the back of the room facing the rest of the class
The round table is for the Elmo and other supplies
The projector screen is at the front of the room (labeled projector on
the diagram). The actual projector will be above the round table.

As one can probably see from the diagram, my classroom will not contain

desks, but tables. Tables will allow students to sit in groups instead of sitting
individually. The students will be arranged in groups so they can collaborate

and learn through each other. I am a big believer in Lev Vygotskys theory on
Social Constructivism. Lev Vygotsky emphasizes the importance of
collaborative learning, which is working with other students and finding
information out together. Collaborative learning also includes students
helping other students, students sharing their opinions and thoughts with
each other to create a better understanding of a task or topic, and how
students can learn though others. Having the chairs arranged in this manner
will allow students to learn collaboratively and work with others, which is one
goal I have as a teacher. (I do want to point out that even though the chairs
are arranged in groups, every student can see the projector screen and or
whiteboards at all times.)
After every unit or every quarter, students will change who they work
with. I will probably choose where each student sits and who they work with,
but I will be observant and place students logically. Changing student seating
will allow the students to work with more than four people all year. This will
enhance their ability to work with others as well as give students the
opportunity to hear most if not all of their classmates views on certain
topics.
As students work together I will walk around the room to monitor
activity as well as answer any questions students may have. During class
time, I will rarely sit at my desk. This is why my desk is at the back of the
classroom way out of the way. I plan to be a very hands on teacher but I
also plan to guide and help students whenever I see fit. This will show

students that I trust them to stay on task and work together in groups as well
as show students that I do care about their learning.
During mini lectures I will teach from the round table. The round table
is in the middle of the room but towards the back of the class. This will allow
me to monitor student activity. Are students taking notes? Are they staying
on task? Are they talking to their neighbor an excessive amount? By sitting in
this spot, I will be able to observe what is going on as well as teach.
Not only does this seating arrangement reflect my educational
philosophy/teaching style, but it also relates to my classroom policies and
procedures as well. Let us take, for example, the policy of getting an extra
sheet of paper. The paper shelf is located in the back of the classroom. It is
out of the way of everything. If students have to get a sheet of paper, all
they have to do is get up, walk to the back of the room quietly, grab what
they need, and sit back down. The placement of the shelves allows students
to get what they need without disturbing their classmates. Another policy
that can be implemented due to this classroom arrangement is the cell
phone policy. Because of where the round table is placed, I will be able to see
all the students that are distracted due to cell phones and or any
technological devices. Also, because to my teaching philosophy, I will be
walking around the classroom throughout most of the period, so I can catch
the distracted students in the action then.
5. Monitoring the Classroom and Responding to Student Misbehavior:
Responses to Misbehavior:

If a student misbehaves in the classroom, I will have to be consistent

with my consequences. If a student comes to class without his or her
homework, they will receive a zero for their homework completion grade for
the day. If they come to class without their homework twice in one week, I
will call home as well as ask them to stay after school or come in during
lunch to do the assignment they missed. If a student is off task and I have to
walk up to the student and tell them to get back on task two or more times
during a class period, they will have to see me after class. I may call home. If
I catch a student on their phone or I-pod, or any electronics for that matter, I
will call home. If a student curses in class or is rude to another student and I
catch it, they will have to call home. Obviously, there will be other
misbehaviors in class. I will have to address these when they come.
Most of my consequences seem to involve calling home. To make sure I
have home phone numbers, I will have students fill out a notecard with the
students name, their parents names, who they live with, their home phone
number or maybe their parents cell numbers if they do not have a land line
phone. They will do this on the first day of class. I will put these cards in
alphabetical order in a recipe box. Each class period will have their own box.
When a student misbehaves and I need to call home, I will take their name
out of the box and call home during passing period. I will write on the back of
the card when and I called home and why just so I have some
documentation.
How can you monitor, maintain, and reinforce appropriate student behavior:

One way I can monitor, maintain, and reinforce appropriate student behavior
is by rewarding students when they act appropriately. I came up with a
rewards system called tessellation teamwork to maintain and reinforce
appropriate student behavior. It also deals with the idea of teamwork, which
is very important in the classroom.

Classroom Management Challenge: Tessellation Teamwork (Artifact)

As you already know, in the future I hope to be a middle school math
teacher so I wanted to come up with a classroom management idea that
appeals and connects to these students and the subject at hand. I also
wanted to come up with an idea that is sort of like ticket picks (kids get
tickets for being goodthey save their tickets and put them in a bag every
Friday if they want tothen the teacher pulls x amount of tickets out of the
bag and if the teacher pulls your ticket out of the bag you get to pick a prize)
so students can get rewarded for good behavior because I feel like, at this
age, students can be very disrespectful and very unmotivated to do tasks
that they are given. My goal for this classroom management strategy is to
get kids to step up their game and want to learn the topic at hand. I know
rewards are an example of extrinsic motivation and we should try to limit this
because it is better to get children to motivate themselves and want to learn.
This is middle school, however, and I do feel that kids want to learn
themselves but sometimes they just need a little bit of an incentive to get
the ball rolling. So my idea is to

My Idea: Give tessellation pieces out to my students if they show good

behavior (I will go into more detail on what is good behavior and how one
could receive a tessellation piece later in my plan). The first day I would
explain to my students what a tessellation is and what it entails just so they
can see the math aspect of it and learn about all the different characteristics
of tessellations, transformations, and shapes! I would call this tactic
Tessellation Teamwork!
How a student receives a tessellation piece:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Do their homework everyday for the week

Participate positively in class
Come into class and work on the opener without having to be asked
Helping students or the teacher
Improvement made
a. Getting more homework done than usual
b. Higher grade on a quiz or a test
6. Paying attention
7. Being prepared/ have supplies everyday for a week (90% of the class
comes prepared each day = 1 piece)
8. An act of kindness
(When a kid participates positively, does the opener without being asked, or
pays attention I would casually walk over to him/her and put a piece on their
deskI would not interrupt the class at all.) (For the rest of the ways, I would
want to make a bigger deal about it so I would give the pieces out after the
opener the next day.)
What they do with the piece once I give it out:
1. Put there name on it
2. Hand it to me
3. I will put them up after class on a board (students can help if they
want!)

The incentive aspect of it: The board will be divided into x amount of
sections per class. I will fill up the sections with the pieces so they all fit
together like a tessellation (students can help too). Once the pieces get into
a new section, the whole class will receive the prize it says on the line (it is
kind of like a finish line and once the class passes the finish line with their
pieces, they get the reward the finish line represents). Remember that there
are x amount of lines on the board meaning x amount of prizes. (Each prize
gets better until they start over) (They start over every quarter or if they
finish the board)
Examples of finish line prizes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Candy
Free Seating
Get out of homework free pass day
Game day
Themed party day

I feel that this technique of classroom management, rewarding the whole

class instead of an individual, teaches the students about a sense of
community in the classroom and how it is essential in order for them to
learn, feel comfortable in the class, and get rewards. I feel that this way of
rewarding students enforces that the students count on each other and
shows them that team effort is important.
I also want to reward the individual as well, though, which is why I want
them to put their name/initials on their tessellation piece so they can see
how much they are helping the class! They will also get positive

reinforcement when I hand them the piece, which is a reward in itself. (End of
artifact)
The main ways I am going to monitor student behavior is by walking
around the classroom, listening, and just by being aware of what is going on.
I will use proximity control to make sure students are staying on task. I will
use timers to make transitions run smoothly. I will use the thumbs up,
thumbs down technique to monitor student learning. As long as I am aware
of what is going on in the classroom, monitoring and controlling the
classroom should not be a problem.
6. Parents and Partners
Communication is key while teaching. Teachers must communicate
with students, parents, colleagues, and so many other individuals in order to
succeed while teaching. We communicate with students to learn about their
hobbies and interests as well as to communicate the content to them. We
communicate with parents to make sure they know how their child is doing in
school as well as what they are learning everyday. We communicate with
other teachers to learn better ways to teach and to come up with lessons
together as a team. We communicate with other teachers to touch base on
student behavior as well as student achievement. As one can see, we
communicate a lot throughout the day and like it or not, it is essential if one
wants to be a great teacher.
Communication is very easy to do these days; there are so many
modalities. We can talk to parents by emailing, talking to them on the

telephone, or by setting up a meeting to come together and talk in person.

We can talk to teachers as well as other colleagues the same way. No matter
what method one choses, teachers need to stay in contact with parents and
colleagues.
Teachers should talk to parents at least once a month. Whether it be a
simple email of what the next unit is on or an exciting phone call on how well
a particular student is doing in class, we must inform parents what is going
on in the classroom. For most cases, parents want to be in the loop, so we
need to try to make sure that happens. Some specific ways I plan to keep
parents in the loop are by 1) sending out an introductory email about myself
and about the class their children are about to take 2) sending parents
emails when a new unit is approaching to tell them what the unit will cover
3) calling parents on the telephone if their child did really good on a test,
quiz, or project 4) calling the parents on the telephone if their child could use
some improvement 5) scheduling times to meet up with the parents if I am
concerned about their childs mathematical education 6) preforming follow
up phone calls after a meeting with a parent occurs and 7) sending out a
monthly calendar on important due dates or test dates that are coming up.
An example of a script for a positive phone call might look like
Artifact:
Hello Mr. and Mrs. (Insert Childs last name here)! I just wanted to inform
you that (Childs Name) did very well on her test this unit! (He or she) not
only showed me (he or she) knew the material, but (her or she) also

improved drastically, grade wise, from the last unit test! I am very proud of
(him or her)! I can tell (Insert childs name here) has been really working
hard! You should be very proud!