Running head: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN

Classroom Management Plan

Elizabeth Llanas
Dr. Lauren Snead
Mondays 5:30-8:30 PM

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One of my biggest concerns about teaching is learning how to manage my class in an
efficient and simple manner. In a perfect world, my classroom would have enough room, my
students will be respectful to me and one another, and there will be no behavior problems.
However, what fun would it be if I have robots as my students? As I have come to learn, not
every school will be open to the ideas I propose or even come to understand the beliefs I hold
dear to myself. Despite these obstacles, among several others, it is important for me to develop a
management plan that benefits my students and that helps them learn in a safe, effective, fun, and
caring environment. The plan that I developed reflects the knowledge that I have gained so far
and how I plan to apply it in an early childhood classroom from grades pre-k through possibly
second. With this in mind, my plan must incorporate several strategies that will help my students
learn all the content areas I will be teaching as a generalist educator. My classroom management
plan is influenced by several theorists that will help me manage students behaviors, implement
classroom rules, keep students safe, and help my students learn to the best of their abilities in an
environment we can both enjoy and want to be in.
Teaching Philosophy
I personally believe all children deserve the right to a proper and free education. This
type of education should be one free of prejudice, one where children feel safe, a place they can
enjoy, and one where they can truly learn from. Although not all districts or campuses do not
incorporate these, I strongly believe each individual educator can do so in their own classrooms.
Therefore, my teaching philosophy for classroom management is one that promotes selfdiscipline, mutual respect,and cooperation. One of the theorist that has influenced my teaching
philosophy is Thomas Gordon (2013) who believes it is an educators responsibility to teach
students self-discipline and to help them develop problem solving qualities (Manning & Bucher,

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p.55). I am a strong believer in teaching rather than implementing discipline and that is why I
feel it is very appropriate to use his model of discipline as self-control. I intend to use Imessages when communicating with my students and when addressing their misbehaviors.
Rather than having to yell or threaten my students into behaving, I want them to understand the
importance of paying attention and why they should have self-discipline. Since I want to teach
students from Kindergarten to second grade, I also want to establish what Gordon (2013) refers
to as problem ownership (Manning & Bucher, p.55). By establishing and promoting this idea into
my students at such a young age, I believe it will help them to take responsibility for their actions
and to help them understand that there are both positive and negative consequences to their
actions. In accordance to Gordons (2013) belief, I also want to establish an alternative route to
punishment by again, encouraging self-discipline (Manning & Bucher, p.57). In order to
accomplish this, it is vital for me to model this type of behavior from the very beginning and to
continue modeling self-discipline throughout the school year. With this in mind, I recognize there
is great importance in establishing this idea since the first day of the school year.
First Days of School
The first day of school is quite possibly the scariest and most nerve-wrecking day for
both the students and myself. I feel that this day is one that could either break or make the rest
of my day. Since I am planning on teaching younger ones, it is vital for me to recognize that
these are infact still children who may be going to school for the very first time or who have
never really spent time away from their guardians. Thus, I need to establish a safe and fun
environment while at the same time let the students know I am the adult and I am ultimately the
one individual who has control. Of course I do not want to come up as an authoritarian figure,
but rather a democratic one as Linda Albert (2013) mentions (Manning & Bucher, p.149). In

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order to do this, I plan to get to know my students by first welcoming them with open arms into
my classroom and perhaps let them take a sit wherever they feel comfortable. In doing this, I am
giving them first choice for where to sit and it also allows them to know other children. The first
day is also important because it may very well be the very first day I meet the students parents
or guardians. I will definitely make sure to welcome the parents/guardians as well and introduce
myself. From observing my nephews first day of first grade, I remember parents, including my
sister, taking pictures with her child and staying with my nephew for a little but until the teacher
said it was time for us to leave. During my first day of school, I expect parents will want to do
the same and I will gladly allow them. I also believe that this helps my children and parents to
realize that I truly care about them and that it is important for them to make memories just as we
will be making memories in the classroom. Once salutations and introductions have ended, I will
then implement first day activities and tell my students about what we will be doing in school
that year.
To apply first day activities, I think it would be very wise to acknowledge the class as a
whole by gathering them on the carpet and in a circle. I will lead the beginning activity by
introducing myself and telling my students a little bit about myself. The next step would be to
play a simple name game that will help us learn each others names and get to know one another
a little bit more. This little ice breaker is both fun and effective as it allows open communication
and cooperation with one another. After this, I also plan to establish a social contract or Bill of
Rights which in turn, promotes student ownership, self-discipline, and a democracy. This
contract is one that will let my students know what I expect from them and what they should
expect from me. We will create this as a class and once we have created the contract, I will ask

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the students to sign it in order to legally bind it. To demonstrate the seriousness of this
contract, I find it appropriate to sign it as well and then hang it somewhere visible and accessible.
Figure 1- Google Drawings

During these first couple of days I will establish personal and classroom goals. My
personal goals will include learning students names, familiarize myself with course materials,
collect student personal data, inform the students of classroom rules, and reinforce these
throughout the beginning weeks of school. I will most likely have to practice walking in line
with my students, teaching them when and how to raise their hands, where to turn in their work,
where they can find materials, and informing them what they are to do when they are done. Such
instruction will be given throughout the week and I will review these routines with them daily
until they learn to individually perform these tasks. As for my students goals, I would like for

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them to learn our class rules, learn their classmates names, where they will seat once I have
assigned them their seats, allows them to cooperate with creating rules and procedures, and learn
to apply these rules and learn to follow them. Since I will be implementing these routines as a
first time teacher, I know my ideas may not go as planned therefore, I must learn to be flexible
with student needs and not stress myself out too much. Part of what will help me to create a
productive social contract and to effectively implement routines would be to create an efficient
and cooperative classroom environment.
Creating an Effective Classroom Environment
In order to implement class procedures and policies, students must be able to work in
classroom that makes them feel safe and allows them to learn without unnecessary distractions.
The environment that I want to create incorporates what I value and what the children value such
as their interests for class decorations and accessible learning tools. This environment also needs
to be spacious for the children to move around in and to meet their special needs should they
have any. I want my students to be able to freely move and not be crowded, but I also want them
to be safe and have a sense of home in the classroom. To give effective instruction I also must
consider how I will seat my students, where I will place workstations/centers, where they are to
turn in assignments, and where they can find materials. The blueprint I have provided is a
general plan I have created which allows me to imagine what my actual classroom will look like.
However, I am open to the idea that it can change depending on my actual classroom and the
resources that are given to me by the school.

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Figure 2- Google Drawings

Classroom Policies
The policies I will have in my classroom will be determined during the first couple of
days, or even weeks, of school. I will have personal and group rights written in the Bill of
Rights and if I need to modify them, I will do so. Depending on what does work and what does
not, I will utilize these strategies to develop and revise classroom policies. The policies I will
include address misbehavior, they will describe consequences, and will state basic rules. The
layout will be simple and again, it will be created by both my students and I. The main difference
between the social contract and the classroom policies is that the contract describes student and
teacher rights as well as responsibilities, while the policies will be classroom rules such as
raising your hand or turning in your work in the tray. Since these policies will be developed
during the first days of school, I want parents, administrators, and students to be able to access

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them whenever they want. I will accomplish this by having an online weekly newsletter. This
newsletter will be updated weekly according to what is happening in school that week and what
we are learning in class. In doing so, I feel that I will be able to create a line of communication
and interaction with parents while at the same time inform them of our class expectations and
projects.
Figure 3: Smore

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Classroom Procedures and Routines
The classroom policies will also include class procedures or routines that the children
will do at the beginning of class and at the end. Before class starts, I would ask my students to
come in class quietly, put their backpacks away, turn in their homework, find their seats, and
begin their daily warm-up. This warm-up will likely vary depending on what I will be teaching
that day or what I want them to practice doing. At the end of class, I will want them to relax and
to feel at ease which is why I may use this time to gather the students in the carpet and ask them
to reflect on what they did that day and what they did and did not like. On other days, I may also
read them a book or do some physical activities to help the children release any stress they could
have or give them exit tickets to see what they have learned. Since I want to implement a trusting
and cooperative plan, it is vital for me to take personal interest in each of the students lives by
asking them how they are doing when they come in and acknowledging the stories they have
shared with me. This belief goes hand in hand with Ginotts (2013) congruent communication
model to help me express acceptance and acknowledge what students hold dear to their hearts
(Manning & Bucher, p.62). In order to have simple and smooth transitions, I will likely use
attention grabbers where I would say Hocus Pocus! and my students will respond Everybody
focus! (Clausen, 2012). To control volume or disruptions, I find that ringing a bell or musical
instrument is a great way to alert my students to lower their voices or that they are getting a bit
out of control. These attention grabbers and strategies to monitor volume will be practiced and
implemented the first days of school as part of our class rules and procedures. During this time I
also plan to hire students for specific class jobs such as attendance manager, material
distributors, line leaders, class monitor, and many more. This will further encourage: student

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ownership, class collaboration, and responsibility while at the same time allow me to focus on
other things such as addressing misbehavior.
Addressing Misbehavior
Canter and Canter (2013) have constructed an assertive style of teaching for managing
misbehavior, one that I intend to implement (Manning & Bucher, p. 68). As an assertive teacher,
it is my responsibility to inform my expectations and classroom rules to students, parents, and
administrators. This is vital as this can help me determine how and when I will manage a student
who is misbehaving and the reason for the specific consequence. Being that I want to teach
younger children, using a conduct or behavior chart is not only reasonable, but also very
common. However, I also believe in Curwin and Mendlers (2013) belief of disciplining with
dignity. I believe that using behavior charts unnecessarily and publicly embarrass, disrespect
students, and can emotionally damage their self-esteem (Manning & Bucher, p.158). One idea I
found to be helpful is to have a personal clipboard with each students name on a laminated piece
of paper and to make notes throughout the day concerning their behavior. As for the child, I think
that maybe using individual behavior charts can be more effective and can more respectfully help
the student monitor his or her own progress. I like these methods because they are private and
help me to remember what student did what and how I can address it.
Concerning what behaviors I will ignore and address, these will depend on the severity of
the behaviors. For example, if a child is talking too much or too loud, I will just ask them to
please lower their voices. If I am giving whole group instruction, I may choose to ignore side
conversations or games until I am doing teaching, but if this continues, I believe in personally
talking to the student or students. I will likely be walking around the room during instruction and
in doing so, I can also lightly tap a student who is being disruptive as a way of signaling them to

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stop what they are doing. In a more intense case like someone is fighting or throwing things, I
will immediately address this behavior for the safety of the students. To do this, I will use Imessages and perhaps even conflict resolution. I will also remind the student of our classroom
procedures and the consequences for breaking the rules. These consequences I choose to
implement are influenced by Curwin and Mendler in that they turn a bad situation into something
positive. For example, rather than putting a child in time out for hitting a student, I will ask the
student to apologize and do something nice for the student he or she hurt before the end of the
day. The type of consequences I decide to apply also follow Canter and Canters (2013)
discipline hierarchy in outlining the number of violations repeated and matching them to an
appropriate consequence (Manning & Bucher, p. 71). Depending on the degree of the
misbehavior like a student threatening another students safety, this is when I will contact
parents. Of course I would also contact parents when I feel it is appropriate to inform them how
well their child is doing in school and what a great job they are doing. This I believe will help
build parent-teacher trust and will let parents know that I truly care for their child and their wellbeing.
Motivating Students
Contacting parents is a great way to motivate all students and to encourage them to do
better or to keep up the great work. This is very motivating for students because it help increase
their self-esteems and it lets them know that their parents really do care about how they are doing
in school when parents share the good news with their children. Although not all parents will be
as involved as I would like for them to be, I will do my best to get in contact with them and
encourage them to become involved in their childs school life. Another great motivational tip I
am excited to use is to read books out loud to my students. The content of the book may vary

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depending on the audience I am targeting. Book topics could be about not giving up, how to use
personal talents, the importance of friendship, or the value of school. Due to the multiple
personalities I will have in my classroom, I will also try to connect with my students in a more
interpersonal level by talking about my own personal experiences and struggles as well as how I
overcame or am currently overcoming them. I will also try to have guest speakers once in a while
to further motivate my students to want to learn and what to be in school. One particular person I
cannot wait to invite to my classroom is my older brother who wants to be a veterinarian; I could
use him as an example of someone who may want to pursue this career in the future or who likes
to play with doctor stuff, but is afraid to do so. From personal experience, I know this works
very well as I see it with my 16 year old brother when he talks about following our footsteps and
in my seven year old nephew when he says he wants to be animal doctor. For my visual
learners, I also believe they would benefit from viewing motivational videos or movies that they
can relate to and would enjoy watching. The final encouraging strategy I will use for all my
students is to simply talk to them one on one; figure out what they are thinking and how they are
feeling. Though this may sound clich, I believe it demonstrates deep respect for my students and
once again, lets them know that I truly care for them and want them to be happy.
I expect my plan to change as I continue to grow in knowledge and gain further
experience. In the meantime, it is one that truly reflects what I value as an individual and as an
early childhood educator. My ultimate goal for my classroom management plan is to manage
students behaviors in a respectful and efficient manner, effectively implement classroom
procedures, and help my students learn in a safe and enjoyable environment.

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References
Clausen, T. (2012, February 28). Pinterest. Retrieved from Dragonflies in first:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/75224256247345075/
Manning, M. L., & Bucher, K. T. (2013). Classroom Management: Models, Applications,
And Cases (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
Figure 1https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/110wpG6RuMYh83g_Ao42F1aAXbhOLM2Pl7klelDh8Luo
/edit?usp=sharing
Figure 2- https://drive.google.com/open?
id=1IjtuIqQBp35SKD3Nu2uEUT82s8SBbEcrx_AMLTbI09s
Figure 3- https://www.smore.com/v0a7n