CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN, 1

Ana Yonkers
Classroom Management Plan
Grand Valley State University

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People First as a Way of Building a Learning Community

Classroom Management Beliefs:
Philosophy of Classroom Management: Students are people first and foremost. Unfortunately,
in many classrooms for whatever reason, the moment that children step into a classroom they
are often downgraded from people to a kind of subject who has fewer rights and is taken less
seriously, But any time educators, (or parents) frame the issue in terms of the need to change
a childs behavior, they are unwittingly buying into a larger theory, one that excludes what
many of us would argue are the things that really matter: the childs thoughts, feelings, needs,
and perspectives, motives and valuesthe thing, in short, that result in certain behavior (
Kohn, 69). This dehumanizing view of students is not a factor in other professions, and I dont
think this should be the case in classrooms either. Think about a doctors office or even a
babysitting service; if your child was treated disrespectfully in these contexts most parents
would be upset, perhaps to the point of leaving that particular doctors office or sitter. And yet,
when teachers use disrespectful or punitive strategies to manipulate students, it is socially
acceptable? I dont think so. I believe that students are people first and foremost, and should
be treated as such. This is reflected in my classroom management plan. Although it saddens me
to say it, this idea that students are human being and therefore should be treated as such is
pretty revolutionary. Even in my brief teacher assisting experience I have noted a huge
number of teachers that use punitive strategies, talk disrespectfully or gossip about our
students behind there back, and many who are disrespectful directly to the student as well,
apparently in attempts to put students in their place. Because se of my conviction to treat

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students as people first, I refuse to participate in punitive strategies that are based in the idea
that students can be trained to obey (Hardin,).
Another major concept that influences my classroom management plan is the fact that I
hail to shared control and maximizing student choice in the classroom. In class rooms where
students have more options, they feel ownership of learning because they have had a say in
creating the classroom environment. Student who are allowed to make choices related to
learning also develop self-discipline (Kohn, 2006). Providing more student choice also avoids
unnecessary power struggles: Fighting any person who is in an emotional state for control
usually does nothing more than escalate the power struggle. We need to remember to share
control through choice, whenever possible (Fay, 1995). Not only is it important to incorporate
student choice into things like assessments, activities, and assignments, but also in the
classroom management plan. Student choice in the context of classroom management can be
given in the form of alternatives to disruptive behaviors, helping to develop the class social
contract, and working with the student to come up with a personal behavior plan that works for
THE STUDENT (not just the teacher. Choices and shared control also demonstrates to the
learner that they have valuable things to contribute, and naturally helps to build student
confidence in the class.
All of these basic principles of classroom management related back to my philosophy of
classroom management.
Goal of Classroom Management:

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Ultimately my goal for classroom management is the build a strong classroom

community whose objective is to learn. All of my classroom management practices have been
adopted with this end goal in mind: to help students learn in a place that is safe and open.

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Room Arrangement Narrative:

I believe that most behavior problems and classroom management issues can be
avoided before they even start through good classroom planning, engaging teaching, clear
expectations, and having a plan. Part of avoiding classroom management problems before they
even start involves building a good floor plan such as the one I have designed above. Because I
want to implement small groups (groups of three, usually) on a regular basis I have placed the
rows of students into desks that seat two alongside a desk that seats an individual. In those
moments when I ask for students to get into small groups all that will need to be done is that

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the person in the individual desk to the right of the paired desk moves over, making transitions
quick and easy. I have allowed two different types of desks in the room as an accommodation
to students. Many students have a hard time sitting by a partner because they find it
distracting. Others work best with partners, so the student can pick which seating situation
works best for her.
Because I will be teaching literature, assigning homework is almost essential in order to
get through plays and books. Often times reading assignments will be accompanied with notes
or there will be a follow up reading quiz that will need to be turned in. These documents will be
turned in to boxes that are labelled according to hours to keep things separate and orderly. The
box is located on the corner of my desk so that I can keep an eye on it and make sure that no
one is looking at each others scores.
Over the course of our class studies, I hope people have lots of questions, are
challenged, and that they ask for help if they need it. Students have several ways they can ask
for help. If during instruction they have a quick question, students simply raised their hand. If
there is a piece of work that is handed in, students may write that they have confusion on the
assignment and request help. Finally, if students have questions outside of school they can
contact me via email.
I get the classes attention by raising my hand in the hand symbol they do in the popular
book series the hunger games. Once students see that I have my hand up, just like in the movie,
they get all somber and raise their hands in return. This is a pop-culture reference they know,
and I think the students really appreciate that I do not just yell to get their attention. Once I

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have most peoples attention that way, I begin the lesson by asking the few stragglers who are
still distracted and talking a question to get us off the ground, thus forcing them to listen and
transition into active thinking class time: Ok, Brad, so yesterday in Romeo and Juliet Tybalt
and Romeo were about to have a big face off, but Romeo really didnt want to hurt Tybalt. Do
you remember anything about why that is? This technique always gets that individual quit,
attentive, and focused on the lesson, and most of the time it has the same effect on all of the
students.
Because I tend to have my students do a lot of moving in and out of groups it is very
important to have smooth transitions in and out of them. One thing I learned in my semester as
a teacher assistant is that just saying make your own groups can be a total mess. If you asked
for groups of four, there are groups of six here, and a group of three there. The same people
get into groups every time and do not ever work with new people. Someone it seems is always
excluded, and finally, students can take forever to get into groups, and as the time is ticking,
the whole class loses valuable instruction time. For transitions in and out of groups I like to
form groups before and ask that specific group of students to go to a certain place. Students are
asked to stay in their seats and listen to transition instructions COMPLETELY before moving into
groups. These parameters generally avoid messy transitions into groups.
I have placed my desk at the back of the room next to the door for several reasons. One
of these is that a common problem that I have seen in many classrooms during my placement is
that students sneak out to the hall ways or leave the classroom without telling the teacher they
need to use the bathroom or they leave before the bell has rung for the end of the hour. By

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placing my desk next to the door I can see people coming and going and can monitor that easily
without expending a lot of effort. Another reason why I placed my desk in the back of the room
is to avoid students abusing technology in my class. We have all seen students obviously playing
around with their phones underneath the desk, thinking they are being sneaky even though
EVERYONE knows what is going on. But because you cannot directly see the phone, you cannot
ask them to put the technology away. This is where proximal classroom management comes
into play beautifully. By placing your desk behind the students you put yourself in a position to
have a birds-eye view of unwanted technology use. The idea here is not to catch them in the
act, but rather avoid the act altogether by letting the students know that you see them when
they break rules. This lessens the chance that students will pull out there phones.
In my classroom I have also planned for a more informal space which I have lovingly
named the book nook. It is inspired by my mother, a former teacher, who always made a
comfortable separate space for her students to pick up a great book and just read (Yonkers,
2014). As an English teacher, I obviously view reading as very important. It is such a shame that
we have made reading an academic pastime, rather than an extracurricular activity. This
attitude that reading is school and therefore should be dreaded has poisoned the reading
experience for many learners. The object of the reading nook is to resurrect the notion of
pleasure reading. It will be decorated in a more informal way with calming colors, lamps, and
soft seating, and will be filled to the brim with a large variety of books that will be perfect for
any reading level. The nook will not just include classics, but also picture books, graphic novels,
young adult literature, magazines, comics, and other genres.

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I see the book nook as a way to be more culturally responsive to students because it will
be full of things that the learners actually wants to read. So much of what we force students to
read is inaccessible to them because of drastic cultural differences (Shakespeare,) but it is
canonized, so we teach it. These same kinds of texts are often too difficult for readers to
understand or process well, and so we lose student interest. In the book nook students will be
able to read appropriate, fun, culturally relevant material. I think this is important because
when students see themselves and their kinds of stories reflected in the classroom they feel
validated and are more likely to be engaged because they actually find school interesting
(Weinstein, 2003). Presenting students with stories that are interesting or more similar to their
own cultural experience s cab be useful for both teaching and research. At the core of any
narrative is lived experience and these experience can be meaningful for teachers and
students (Milner, 2008.) So, accessing previous student experience can be achieved through
the kind of reading that will be done in the book nook, and this reading, which is distinctively
different from standard classroom reading, can help student feel more involved in their
education and engaged with school work.
Finally as part of my layout I have included white board on three of the walls instead of
just in the front of the room.
Organization of Social Environment:
Classroom rules: In my classroom I plan on developing a social contract with my students, and
this contract is what most of my rules will come from. Research suggests that students who
have helped develop the rules in a class are more likely to abide by these rules because they

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feel a sense of ownership over the rules and are therefore less likely to violate them because
they are our rules. Because each class will have their own social contract that they have
agreed upon as individual classes there may be some variance in the class rules from one hour
to the other. I do acknowledge however, that some rules may have to be enforced by the
teacher, even if they are not suggested for the social contract. Some of the key rules will be:
1. Respect one another.
2. If you have something to contribute, do so in an organized fashion (raise your hand.)
3. Complete assignments thoroughly and on time.
4. Do not talk when the teacher or other classmates are talking.
5. If you are doing anything that is distracting others from learning, please be respectful
and stop. Ultimately, we are here to learn, and if you are keeping other students from
this objective, we have a problem.
There is no knowing what my classs social contracts will look like for certain, but whatever
form they take, they will be proudly displayed for all to see to ensure that they are always
present in the minds of my students as well as to be sure that the students always know what is
expected of them. I think that clear expectations, whether they be in the form of rules, grading/
assignment expectations, or directions. I have already had many experiences where I was not
completely clear on what my expectations were for an assignment or a speech and the result
was a lack luster performance and I was unable to criticize it because really, it was my doing
because I had not been clear about expectations. In my classroom management plan I put

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emphasis on avoiding classroom management issues before they even start, and one important
component of this is being clear about classroom expectations (quote.)
Classroom Procedures:
In the spirit of building a learning community, I do not plan on spending the majority
of the time doing direct instruction, lecture type teaching. I really do not think that this type of
teaching is best for the learning of most students. I hail to the constructivist philosophy. In the
constructivist theory, the teacher demonstrates learning through direct instruction only at the
very beginning of the process of learning something new, with the ultimate goal being that with
time, and as students begin to master content, the teacher takes on less and less of a leading
role and begins to support the independent thinking of students (10.) For this reason, I do not
plan to structure class activities and lessons in a way that is teacher centered, but rather,
student centered. Group work will be common place in my class, and will allow students to
learn together in community whenever possible. In these group learning scenarios, I will act as
a facilitator, question answerer, and I will check to make sure the students in my class are on
task rather than be in the front of the room doing traditional teaching.
With how much group work I want to have happen in my class it is important to have a
thorough plan regarding transitions, grouping strategies, assessment of group work, amongst
other factors involved when students work in groups. These details will be outlined more
thoroughly in the Transitions section.
As my content area is literature, and students are required to read sometimes large
pieces of literature, it is almost inevitable that some homework be given, otherwise we would

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spend half a term on a novel. Many times the homework will be reading, and will not result in a
physical product but rather participation of the student through contributions to class
discussions and higher performance on informal assessments such as quizzes and writing
responses to readings. Some days however a physical product will be the result of homework. If
the homework is a physical product, I plan on having a box for each hour in which the students
will deposit their work. If the homework was a more sustained piece of writing or work, the
student can feel free to submit their work to me digitally through googledocs for security
purposes so long as the students lets me know that this is how she decided to submit the
homework, project, or paper.
How will you inform students of deadlines?
It is very important that the teacher keeps in regular contact with students about when
school work is due. For me, it is a matter of respect towards the student to keep them
informed. It is only fair to students that they know exactly what is expected of them with
regards to their school work, and part of this involves keeping students in the loop regarding
due dates. I plan on doing this through multiple means that are both accessible in as well as
outside of the classroom.
In the beginning of the semester each of the students will be given a syllabus which has
a calendar section with the tentative due dates for all assignments. We will go over these dates
over the first few days of class and students will be encouraged to put major assignment dates
in their agendas. The syllabus will also be sent home to be signed by parents. The idea here is
that the parent looks over the syllabus, and will understand what we are trying to accomplish in

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the class as well as be aware about the due dates for major assignments within the class. My
hope is that students will also get support from parents with regards to remembering
important due dates in my class. Inside the classroom I will make dues dates clear with regular
verbal reminders about important upcoming events or due dates. As all teachers should, I will
have the daily plan written on the board. This will include a section at the end about homework
and any upcoming due dates. Finally, I think it is important to be culturally relative to my
students and meet them where they are with regards to communication, and the reality is that
many students have a hard time remembering things that are told to them or that they read
because they are used to having instant access to information online. In attempts to make my
class relevant and easy for students to maneuver I will also design a wikipage that will receive
constant updates about what we did in each class on any given day. In addition to being able to
see what students missed in our class as a result of absences, the student can also keep
apprised of any upcoming due dates. Some other resources available on the wiki will be a digital
copy of the class textbook, a copy of the syllabus, contact information of the teacher, as well as
the instructions for all major assignments.
Classroom Incentives: I do not plan on having an incentives program. The following is my
reasons as to why.
I remember all too well the incentives that were used on me in school; If you get the
average grade up to an 85% on the next test we get a pizza party! Many times these kinds of
incentives work wonderfully, and I have seen the same be true in my teacher assisting semester
as well as during a student teaching semester that I had in El Salvador C.A. Some teachers

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really believe in this kind of system, putting aside money from their classroom budget to buy
doodads to reinforce positive behavior. Lots of teachers think that rewarding the kids with a
trinket, certificate, food, or a day off of academic work is a great way to validate students hard
work and show them that hard work pays off.
But what happens when you start giving learners things every time that they do a good
job? It is true that doing so may improve performance, but how does that really work?
What teachers are essentially doing when they give students things in exchange for learning or
cooperating is that they have externalized the reason for wanting to learn, or wanting to
comply? The teachers leverage hinges on her ability to dangle a carrot in front of her learners.
In this system, if there is no reward to give students, they are unmotivated to try at school. So
while you might get immediate results by throwing a pizza party once a month if scores go up,
you are not helping the student develop habits of a lifelong learner, or even promoting an
interest in your subject. You are promoting an interest in pizza. So what are the alternatives to
externalizing the reason for learning and rewarding kids with stuff?
Inspiration or a reason for learning or complying has to come from somewhere. As a
secondary teacher, I hope that my students are mature enough to understand that you do not
need to get credit for some things. The incentive in my class will be that the students know they
are doing what is asked of them to the best of their ability, and they get satisfaction from this
fact. I know this sounds nave, and like no kid would ever buy into it, but I saw it work in my
semester as a teachers assistant. More students got on board with learning when it was
presented as to their benefit to learn and get joy from that process than from telling kids that

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they would get a cookie decorating party at the end of the year if they did well and no fist fights
broke out.
The way that this works is that students internalize the importance of trying and doing
well in class. The student realizes and adopts the philosophy that school is important, and I
want to do well in his/her own mind. As I mentioned before, I plan on fostering a culturally
responsive classroom built around a community in which our main focus is learning. With this
atmosphere of safety and emphasis on learning, I feel that many students will be able to
internalize the importance of school without needing a lot of external pressures or rewards.
This ties to the main thrust of Kohns book Beyond Discipline, which argues that punitive
strategies might bring compliance, but do not make your students better people (Kohn, 25.) By
using classroom management as instruction, I hope to help students develop into better, more
personally responsible people (Hardin 2012).
Responding to Disruptive Behavior:
In my class room the definition of disruptive behavior is anything that impedes the
learning of my students or makes the students feel uncomfortable or afraid, or is disrespectful
of a member of the class.
I do not plan on having a set number of warnings before applying a consequence. This
is a more elementary type system and also assumes that all disruptive behaviors that students
do are the same. Obviously, a student who continuously taps her pencil and annoys her
classmate is very different than someone who would be caught cheating or being verbally or
physically aggressive towards another student. More tact is necessary in dealing with disruptive

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behaviors. Your reactions should vary depending on the situation and appropriateness of each
reaction. I think there is a lot of good to having multiple tricks in your classroom management
tool box, and I look to the book Love and Logic to give me many of these tricks on how to deal
with disruptive behavior in the classroom. The interventions mentioned in the book include
the evil eye, moving in on the student, proximity, eye contact and the no headshake, talking
about the disruptive behavior later, one liners, changing location, asking the student a
question, I messages, providing choices, removing student to timeout, evaluating time out,
use of building administrator, giving an appointment, creating a behavior management plan,
informational letters, and systematic suspension (Fay, 1995). I would rather use progressively
more serious interventions in response to each time that a learner is disruptive. I feel that
having a rule such as three strikes, youre out, and now you get a consequence, just makes
for a lot of attention to the disruptive behavior, and it also forces you to stop teaching. A lot of
classroom management can be done without missing a beat. If I can deal with a situation
without stopping teaching, I am going to do that, and a set number of warnings followed by a
set consequence seems counterintuitive to this ideal.
Disruptive behaviors often take place in groups. If there is a problem in a group (arguing
loudly, bullying, etc,) we will sit down as a group to work out these problems, explain why the
behavior was not acceptable, and most importantly, try to reconcile the situation so that it does
not happen again. In a classroom like ours, where community is valued, unity is valued as well,
and arguing or being disrespectful of one another needs to be nipped in the bud from the very
beginning. If students continue having a problem that they just cannot seem to work out, I will
be forced to separate them until they are able to work things out.

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I do plan on keeping in contact with parents and guardians regarding behavioral

problems of their learner in class when the behavior becomes a regular occurrence in class.
Parents should always be informed of how their students are doing in school. Keeping parents
informed means you also update them on how their learner is doing with regards to following
rules, policies, and helping to contribute to the classroom community. I would want to know if
my student was causing behavior problems, and many other parents feel the same. If there is a
continued behavioral issue in the class, I will always be sure to calmly relay the situation to
parents and ask for their perspective or help. This gesture is not used to accuse parents, but
rather to inform them and ask for help if they are willing in being part of the solution towards
better behavior in the classroom. Oftentimes, parents will not be on board with certain
interventions or may not care that their child is acting disrespectfully to the learning of others
in their classroom, and if so, that is fine, but at least I attempted to keep the parents involved in
the school life of their child.
Another reason why I think it is important to maintain strong communication with
parents is that it can give the teacher great perspective into the root problem of the disruptive
behavior of the student. Often times, things that are going on in the home spill over into the
classroom and the teacher would just think the student is acting up when really they are
responding to something traumatizing that is happening in the students life outside of school
(Lecture, Perhamus.) Sometimes this pertinent information is only available to the teacher if
she contacts the learners parents or guardians.

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I only plan on contacting the administrator in situations that are serious or that I feel I
cannot or should not have to deal with by myself. This is a serious consequence, and it should
be treated as such. I have seen teachers who see a kid do ONE thing wrong, and they bark out
You march yourself right down to the office. Even if there is a backstory to that students
behavior, that punishment was way too serious for the crime and an obvious over reaction to
minor misbehavior, which should be avoided as these cause power struggles (Allday, 2011).I
will not be that teacher.
Students have the right to:

State their opinions in a respectful way.

Question the teacher.

Be heard.

Be respected by teachers and peers.

Assist in coming up with classroom rules at the beginning of the year which will be
followed for the remainder of the year.

Ask hard questions.

Every student has the right to feel safe in the classroom.

Know what the expectations are for student work.

Students have the right to equality in education, in which each student is provided
access to the same opportunities to learn.

The teacher has the right to:

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Change classroom plans as she sees fit to accommodate for learning or deal with a
sensitive issue.

Enforce previously established rules in the class (which take the form of a social
contract.)

Receive respect from students.

Take action when students violate the rights of others.

The idea that students have certain inalienable rights comes from the teaching theory called
judicious discipline. In this classroom management philosophy it is the teachers responsibility
to protect the rights of the student. The main idea with this system is that students cannot
understand democracy or being a good citizen in the real world if they have not have
experience with being a good citizen in other situations. The classroom is seen as preparation
for active participation in the broader Democratic society (Hardin, 233). I do not think that all
parts of judicious discipline are realistic or necessarily helpful, but I do appreciate that this
system acknowledges that the teacher owes something to students, and that we should be
concerned about preparing our students to be the kind of people who can handle the
responsibilities of living in a democratic society.
I have chosen not to have a prepackaged plan for dealing with disruptive behavior because I
do not think that any such plan can truly do every situation justice. Classroom management is
incredibly perceptive and complex. It is important to acknowledge that each disruptive
behavior happens with different learners in different contexts, and to not try and act like every
situation is the same. It is more important to have a lot of tools at your disposal when dealing

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with disruptive behavior than it is to have a hard and fast plan that may not be appropriate in
any given situation.
Having the God-like power to just implement punishments in response to what the teacher
perceives as disruptive implies that the teacher has the final say on what constitutes being
wrong. This also violates the theory of culturally responsive teaching. Culturally responsive
educators recognize that each student comes to school with a backstory, a culture, and a
context. In the various cultures that my students come from, it is possible that behaviors that I
perceive as disruptive are totally normal from that students context. It is important to not
just assume a student is being bad (Bondy, 2007).
An alternative to having God-like authority over what constitutes disruptive behavior is by
having an open conversation with the student about how the behavior they are exhibiting is
disruptive to the learning of others or not appropriate within the school context. Authentic
conversations can be much more effective than traditionally disciplinarian reactions. In fact
students relationships with teachers also surfaced as one of the most salient features of the
educational experience (Pomeroy, 1999). Opening up that door for communication just might
be the most important classroom management tool that a teacher can have. Sharing narratives
together is a powerful experience that gives you a window into the life of students. Lived
experiences can be translated into rich narrative stories . . . At the core of the narrative is the
lived experience, and these experiences can be meaningful to teachers and students and for
researchers (Milner, 2008). If you have developed a healthy, positive relationship between
yourself and students, having a real conversation about the problem behavior should be

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natural, and will probably be more effective than sending the student into the hallway. Never
underestimate the power of a simple, honest conversation when dealing with disruptive
behavior.
Building Community
Community means that a group of people feel a sense of belonging to a group, and each
part of the group desires to contribute to that community, be it physically, emotionally, or
intellectually. I want my own classroom to be a small community or students whose objective is
to seek learning together. But how do you develop community in a classroom? In an article by
Bondy, she mentions one classroom that has apparently mastered community building. In this
teachers classroom the educator develops a respectful, caring, personal relationship with
each student. In addition, the teacher built a caring learning community where connections
with and among students created a safe place to learn and an emotional climate where
students could take risks, laugh, and trust one another and the teacher (Bondy, 2007). This is
the kind of caring environment that I want to foster in my own classroom because it is good for
learners and creates a sense of genuine community.
In order to feel a sense of community, all community members must accept that they
are part of the community. You cannot feel part of something if you are marginalized or
separated through any kind of discrimination. Students may be excluded from feeling part of
the group for differences in gender, race, sexual orientation, personality, body size/ shape, and
any other difference. Marginalization can take place through bullying, social exclusion, and
cyberbullying to name a few (Mares, 2012). If a teacher is serious about building a community-

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classroom, she cannot let exclusions such as those mentioned above get in the way of her
students feeling safe, included, and part of the community. Classroom rules and policies must
reflect a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any kind of oppression in order to maintain the
unity and the positive environment of the classroom, which are essential to building a strong
classroom community (Allen, 2010.)
Obviously, communities are made up of people, but a group of individuals sitting in the
same room is not a community. In our classroom, there should not be community members
who step into the class and have had their responsibilities fulfilled. I want community
PARTICIPANTS in our classes; individuals who come in ready to learn, ready to share, and ready
to contribute something . . . anything. Being contributors to the classroom community reaps
many benefits for both the teacher and students: One of the many suggestions was that pupils
be more involved in decision making, participating with respect to behavior standards. The
teacher in the study found that pupil involvement was key to co-operation, while young people
said that being involved increased their motivation and made them feel part of school
(Pomeroy, 1999). Each student has the responsibility to bring energy, ideas, emotion, opinions,
homework, perspective, background knowledge, in short, contributions to the class.
If we are really going to have unity in our classroom, we are going to need a way to
communicate outside of class as well. Previously I mentioned that I plan on using a wiki page to
communicate deadlines and school related information to students. This wikipage will be where
the majority of classroom communication outside of class will take place. Student will be able
to get ahold of each other by using their school email accounts. Of course, not all students will

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have constant access to computers or the internet. For this reason, students will also have my
phone number as a last resort way of communicating with me outside of class. If there is a big
event or something exciting happening inside of class, I will also give physical handout
communicating the event or happening. These handouts can also be given to parents or
caregivers of students to keep them apprised of what is happening in their learners class. The
following is an example of a Welcome to Our Class! email sent to parents:
Welcome to English 9A!
Hello parents and students! Welcome to English 9A. My name is Ms. Yonkers, and I am
so excited to embark on another semester of learning with you. The purpose of this letter is too
welcome you and your child to our classroom as well as inform you about what we will be doing
over the course of the semester. I also want to point out the classroom policies. Before going
into resources and classroom policies, I invite you to learn a little more about me by visiting my
professional website at yonkersa.weebly.com. If you have any questions about me, always feel
free to ask.
I am so looking forward to spending the next few months with your learner and helping
him/her do her very best in the class. As far as rules are concerned, we have collaborated as a
class to come up with our own rules in the form of a social contract. We talked as about what
rules that would encourage learning and community building, and these are going to be our
class rules for the remainder of the term. The rules we came up with are as follows. (These
rules will be different, depending on the class.)
1.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN, 26

2.
3.
Over the course of the semester we will be reading several works of literature including
Romeo and Juliet, The House on Mango Street, as well as To Kill a Mocking Bird. These
are longer, more difficult pieces than what your student may be accustomed to reading, and it
may be hard for the student to keep up with homework if they are not used to doing work
outside of class. To help students keep up with work as well as keep you as the parent
informed, I have made a wiki page to keep you as the parent updated on what exactly is
assigned for homework each night so that you can be sure your student is accomplishing what
needs to be done. If you ever have any questions about homework, go to the wiki. Our class
wiki can be accessed at yonkersa@pbworks.com. Another tool available to you and your
learner is infinite campus, a live grade book that allows you to see how your student is doing in
the class. You can see individual grades, overall percentages, and if your student has any
missing assignments or absences from school. This amazing tool can be accessed at
infinitecampus.com.
Conclusion:
Finally, if you have any questions over the course of the semester you can always feel
free to email me at yonkersa@mail.gvsu.edu or call at 269-948-3781. I look forward to hearing
from you and working together to help your student learn to the best of his/her ability. Have a
wonderful day!

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN, 27

So, in conclusion, at the center of my classroom management plan is the underlying

belief that first and foremost, students are human beings, and must be treated accordingly with
respect and dignity. Ultimately the goal of classroom management is not just getting students
to numbly comply, but rather to get the learners thinking and progressing as people. Most
classroom management issues can be avoided by good planning and engaging teaching. It is
hard for me to even call this a classroom management plan because I do not have a hard and
fast plan of action for all situations because I think that classroom management is incredibly
complex, and that there is no band aid solution that is appropriate for every situation. Instead I
believe it is important to be aware of all your options for classroom management; to have a full
tool box, if you will, for leading the classroom.
The way that teachers manage their classroom environments directly affects the kind of
atmosphere you get within that classroom. I want my classroom to be a community center,
where learners come in ready to participate and contribute. I encourage this setting in my plan
by having the students work mostly in groups, keeping a zero tolerance policy with regards to
marginalization of students, and promoting strong teacher-student and student-student
relationships based on face to face communication. A safe environment in which the students
can feel safe and supportive is an absolute must.
With these things in mind, I feel ready and competent to tackle my next classroom, this
time with a full tool box of strategies for classroom management.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN, 28

References
Allday, A. (2011). Responsive management: Practical strategies for avoiding overreaction to
minor misbehavior. Intervention in School and Clinic, 46(5), 292-298.
Allen, K. (2010). Classroom management, bullying, and teacher practices. The Professional
Educator. 34(1), Spring, n.p.
Bondy, E. et al. (2007). Creating environments of success and resilience: Culturally responsive
classroom management and more. Urban Education. 42(4), July, 326-348.
Fay, J., & Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with love & logic: taking control of the classroom. Golden,
CO: Love and Logic Press.
(Hardin, C. J. (2012). Effective classroom management: Models and strategies for todays
classroom. Boston, MA: Pearson.)
Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline: from compliance to community. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD.
Mares, N.V., and Petermann, F. (2012). Cyberbullying: an increasing challenge for
schools. School Psychology International. 33(5), 467-476.
Milner, R. (2008). Disrupting deficit notions of difference: Counter-narratives of teachers and
community in urban education. Teaching and Teacher Education. 24(6), 1573-1598.
Perhamus, L. (Director) (2014, March 11). . Organizing and Managing Classroom Environments.
Lecture conducted from Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids.

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Pomeroy, E. (1999). The teacher-student relationship in secondary school: Insights from

excluded students. British Journal of Sociology of Education. 20(4), 465-482.
Weinstein, C., et al. (2003). Culturally responsive classroom management: Awareness into
action. Theory into Practice. 42(4), Autumn, 269-276.
Yonkers, K, (2013). Classroom Tour and Explanation: Barry County Christian School. Hastings,
MI.