Taylor Manrique

Portfolio B
Classroom Management
March 7, 2019
Hello Parents!
My name is Ms. Manrique and I have the pleasure of being your student’s teacher this year. I am so
excited to get this year started, but before we do, I wanted to give you all a little insight into who I am! I
have wanted to be an educator of young minds for as long as I can remember. That passion has sparked from my
involvement with youth sports and teaching young athletes new skills. In my free time, I partake in volunteer
coaching of basketball and soccer. I also enjoy hiking around Washington and exploring nature with my closest
friends and family. My love and passion for my family, friends, and animals has shaped me into the compassionate
and caring educator that I am today.
This year we are soaring to new heights!
With the school year just around the corner, I want to share my plans, goals, and expectations for this
year with you all. This year, we are going to look at our room as an adventure! I want your students to
understand that they are on an adventure through learning, and that any and all mistakes that they make are
just a part of that adventure. I plan to make this room a place where your student takes risks, explores new
ways of learning, make mistakes, and collaborate with others. Our goal for this year is not to just improve
ourselves as learners, but to improve ourselves as mistake-makers. Once students understand that mistakes are
just a part of learning, then they will be able to become more opened-minded learners. The students of this room
will be expected to be kind to one another, honest with one another, give compliments, laugh, make mistakes,
share dreams, be peaceful, work hard, and be a part of our family.
Parents are learners too!
Since no one knows your child better than you do, we want you to be just as much a part of this
classroom as your child is. In our room, we have an open-door policy, meaning that you are welcome to walk in at
any time. We also encourage our parents to come on in as volunteers to help us with our learning endeavors. As
a part of this involvement process, I will ask that you act as the teacher at home, assisting your student in
taking their classroom learning home with them. To accommodate to the needs of all families, I have created a
few different resources that will allow you to assist your student in their at-home learning. For those who
prefer online resources, I have designed our classroom via the app ClassDojo. On this app you will find our
weekly overview, which include all the lessons and activities we will be doing throughout the week. You will also
find lesson resources that I use in the classroom, so that you may use them at home with your student. You may
also find your student’s attendance, grades, and progress reports via the app. The app contains all you need to
know about your students learning in the classroom. For those that prefer paper records, I will provide your
student with a weekly folder portfolio. This portfolio will contain our weekly overview, completed work, school
announcements, homework, and a weekly “How are we doing?” report that will touch on any concerns and/or
positives about your student’s behavior for that week. Once you have confirmed your student’s work and
progress for the week, I will have included a signature log in which I ask that you sign at the end of each
week. Below I have attached what these forms will look like. If any questions or concerns arise, please feel
free to contact me at any time via phone call or email.
Communication is key!
My goal for this year is to establish a strong sense of communication with you all! This way, we can
make sure that we are establishing the best plan that we can to help your student improve their learning. By
having a strong relationship with the parents of my students, we will be able to be strong models for how we
want students to communicate as adults. Weekly communication will allow us to collaboratively manage the
instructional goals in which we are trying to accomplish in this class. Singing off on student’s weekly folders
through the folder portfolio or through ClassDojo, will allow us to manage how your student is progressing. If
need be, I have found it to be helpful to have phone conferences or monthly face-to-face conferences with
parents. This way, we can keep that communication strong when it comes to your student’s learning or behavior.
Below I have listed my phone number and email!
Thank you so much for bringing this wonderful being into the world and to my classroom! I cannot wait
to get the chance to get to know you and your child better! Let’s make this a great year! I cannot wait to
meet all of you!
Sincerely,

Taylor Manrique
Taylor.manrique@wsu.edu
509-594-5540
Communication Skills:
When it comes to communication with parents, I feel as though each one of the

communication approaches hold a specific and effective value. However, when it comes to the

fact that I will be a new teacher and that I am an empathetic and sympathetic communicator, I

feel as though the communication approach that would be most useful for me is “empathetic

responding”, followed by “problem solving”. Empathetic responding allows me as the educator

to first find the root of the problem, because more times than not behavioral or learning issues

starts at home. I feel it is highly important to first understand what it is that a family is going

through or has endured, that way I prevent myself from jumping to conclusions and making

assumptions. Working through issues in this way could allow for more personal and satisfactory

communication amongst parents and educators. When following this communication approach

with problem solving, it allows for the parents and educator to find a solution in which can help

the student get through the problem. The parents know the student better than anyone, so they

can give insight into what positive behaviors and learning environments look like at home, and

as the educator, I can provide insight into what strategies work within the classroom. Putting our

heads together and collaborating in this way will allow us to come up with a plan of action when

it comes to the issues we are finding. These are approaches in which I feel I am most

comfortable utilizing with parents and their students. However, with “constructive

assertiveness”, I feel as though I still have a lot of developing to do, especially since I am one to

become too passionate and assertive with my words, and I do not want that to come off the

wrong way or prevent the problem from being solved. In order to develop this approach into

something that I can utilize within my classroom, I feel as though I will need years of experience

under my belt, that way I cam pull from strategies that work and strategies that do not work with

using this approach.