Class Rules & Discipline

Classroom Management Plan

I. Rules

Ideally I would like to make a list of classroom rules with my class as a collective effort. I want my students to be as much a part of their discipline as they are for their success. There are rules and procedures that we have to make to keep everyone on target and doing their best, and if things get out of hand I truly believe that they are choosing to not do their best and I want to make that clear to them. These are “our” classroom rules that we all came up with together, myself as the teacher and “you all” the students. We all agree that we need these rules so that we can maintain a positive community of learning in the classroom. Rules are really just ways to keep a class in order; they aren’t set out as way to punish students for not doing what they’re told. I believe that rules are there to guide students… here’s what’s expected and I can either choose to follow them or I can choose to make a poor decision and do whatever I please. Students are ultimately responsible for their actions in learning. Marvin Marshall’s beliefs on responsibility in classroom are similar to my own in this respect. Sure there are a few exceptions that will come up in the classroom with students that are going to need modifications and accommodations based on their personal needs but in general rules are pretty finite and easily written. I would have 5 classroom rules in my classroom. For the sake of listing a generic set here are the 5 I would aim for my class to choose.

1)    Respect Yourself and Others at all times

2)  Raise your hand if you want to talk

3)  Listen while others are speaking

4)  Follow Directions

5)  Always Smile and be Kind to others

Number one would have the students actively demonstrate self control and respect which are important character building traits that we want to instill in our children. Number two and three also demonstrates self control, waiting your turn and showing your other peers and adults respect while they are speaking. Number four is a common sense rule; make sure you read directions carefully and follow them. Do what you are told. Lastly I always like to include, smiling, because when you smile you feel good and when you feel good you are hopefully wanting to share that with the people around you by showing them the kindness and respect that they deserve.

II. Daily Protocols & Procedures

Procedures are important daily tasks set out to make the day run as smooth and clutter free as possible. Each classroom is responsible for designing their procedures and protocols to make their day run safe and stress-free. I would have 6 main procedures that I would familiarize my students with, as well as my interns or assistants.

o   Morning Procedure

o   Hall Procedure s(Lunch/ Recess/ Encore )

o   Line up Procedure

o   Bathroom Procedure

o   Centers Procedure/Independent work Procedure

o   Dismissal Procedure

The first procedure is the Morning procedure this procedure ensures a smooth transition from the busses or carpool lanes to the classroom. Students are to come to the classroom by walking down the halls, not running, and taking off their jackets and book bags and getting organized in their cubbies. Students are to get their snack, their homework folder and their books ready to distribute to their appropriate bins that are labeled. They are to put their snacks inside their desk for later. Students are allowed to sharpen pencils now… this is the only time of day they are to use the pencil sharpeners without permission. They are also expected to use the restroom if needed before class starts. Morning work is on the board and their paper is on their desk ready for them. The next procedures are Hallway Procedures in which students are supposed to behave a certain way while outside the classroom. The students are regularly out of the classroom for lunch, recess and their encore classes (music, P.E, art and sometimes media) they are to line up quietly by table… the teacher will announce what order and they are to keep their hands at their side and keep their shirts tucked in as they walk down the hall. Students are not to talk in the hallway and are always to stay behind the person in front of them and keep in order. If the students are going to lunch the line leader of the day will go get the hand sanitizer and pass it out. That’s a special procedure that happens daily but the responsibility gets shifted from day to day. The hallway procedure goes along with the Line-Up Procedure. The students again are expected to line up quietly by table… the teacher will announce what order and they are to keep their hands at their side. The next procedure is the Bathroom Procedure that keeps every child accountable for their own personal use of this time. Students are allowed to use the bathroom  when they first arrive in the morning before morning work is checked and anytime they want during centers. They also get a chance to use the bathroom after lunch and right when they get back from specials. In the afternoon students are allowed to use the bathroom before or after their math lesson, but definitely not during… unless it is an absolute emergency… which it shouldn’t because of all the time they had to use the bathroom throughout the day. There should be no emergencies; there are plenty of opportunities to take care of business. The next procedure is during Independent work / Centers. Students are allowed to use the bathroom during this time of the day as they need and are expected to use inside voices and stay at their center until they are called back to the mat. Students are to report back to the mats if they finish a center early. Here they are to read books until they are assigned to a new center. Students are never to leave the room or change centers without permission. Last but not least procedure is the Dismissal Procedure. Students are to wait for instructions before they begin this procedure but when told they are to go back to their seats and color in their behavior in their homework journal, and then they are to get their book in a bag out and their homework folder. Students are to wait until they are called to get their book bags and pack up. When students are finished packing they are to quietly remain in their seats until they are told where to go next. All of these procedures are practiced day after day to ensure that all students become familiar and aware of what is expected of them and what to do at all times. Procedures help the day run by efficiently and in a timely manner

III. Levels of Consequences

Consequences are the results from the choices that students make during the day. If they choose not to follow one or more of the classroom rules that they helped create they are choosing to take another route… and that route has a consequence or a less desirable outcome. I would use a stop light in my classroom to develop my management plan and it would have the basic Green light, Yellow light and Red light but it would also have a Black light that would come after the Red light as an extreme and this would be the most severe consequence.

o   Green Light

o   Yellow Light

o   Red Light

o   Black Light

Everyone starts on Green each day and is moved according to their behavior choices. After they have been moved to a different light they cannot go back. I want them to be sure to know that they made this decision and will have to stay with that for the whole day and start new tomorrow. A Green Light signifies that you had a great day and did what was expected of you. Most desirable outcome. A Yellow Light indicates that

you have been warned once and still not listened so you are now in a time-out or pulled aside and out of an activity. Ok outcome. Not the best. A Red Light indicates that you not only had a warning and were pulled out of a desirable activity but you are now going to have a call home to your parents and miss out on a fun activity or walk the fence instead of playing during recess. This is not a good day. Definitely not a desirable outcome. Finally a Black Light indicates that you’ve used up all your chances and that your lights are all out. This would result in being sent to the Principals office or being given ISS for a day or more depending on the severity. This is the worst possible outcome and a conference may need to take place to improve this child’s behavior.

IV. Intervention Strategies

Intervention Strategies are long term approach techniques designed for a child that is continually opposing you in the classroom. A child that keeps acting out and it almost becomes a strictly attention seeking child. I would try a series of 3 Intervention Strategies to see if any work for the child before referring them for special help or an alternative schooling program.

1)   Seating Change

2)  Extra Attention

3)  Special tasks/missions

I would start by changing the child’s seat, because maybe he /she is near someone or something that is keeping him/her from doing their best in the classroom and it would be in their best interest to be removed from the situation instead of continually reprimanded for same behavior. If the seating arrangement still does not curb the poor behavior I would try to give the child some extra TLC by keeping a close eye on them and continually engaging them in classroom instruction and discussions. I would do my best to catch them doing good throughout the day as opposed to bad. If this still does not curb or deter the undesired behavior at all I would give the child some extra tasks around the classroom. I would send them on errands or ask them to refill sharpened pencils or paper for me to make them feel a part of the class and like a helper. Sometimes children simply need to feel needed, just like adults. If all of these techniques still didn’t control the behavior I would have to talk with the schools counselor and seek some other professional help for the child. Not all problems can be solved just from the teacher’s efforts, a lot of times home life can have a lot to do with why a child is acting out. We don’t always know what our children are going through and what their lives are like when they go home each night and sometimes patience is the best thing we can exercise in the classroom.

V. Preventive Behavior Management and Motivation Techniques

According to Rosemary and Harry Wong “Discipline problems largely disappear when students are carefully taught to follow procedures for all classroom activities.” I could not agree more with that statement. I believe if clear expectations are set and procedures are successfully taught, then the margin for distractions and hiccups during the day will be significantly reduced. If teachers introduce procedures and protocols from day one, and go through it day after day like the Wong’s then there should be a momentous change in the number of problems in the classroom. Children respond to routine and schedules and as much as they protest this at times, they like it. Yes, children like routine… they enjoy knowing what’s coming next and what you as the teacher expect from them. In my experience I’ve found that special needs children greatly benefit from a structured routine; they don’t like surprises and neither do the rest of your children. When students know what’s expected of them and they see that you follow your own procedures they will respect the system and in exchange respect you. However, if you as the teacher fail to implement these procedures, routines and the consequences that follow, your students will walk all over you and the classroom of stress free learning will demolish. “The more capable the teacher, the more successful the student”. If the teacher works hard in the beginning and does their best to create a cohesive learning environment with clear rules and expectations then running the classroom will be the least of their worries. Having students follow procedures would be a whole class practice that you could implement to reduce classroom behavior problems. Another classroom technique the teacher could try would be demonstrating and implementing your Roles and Responsibilities plan. The teacher should explain to his/her students what their roles are in the classroom and in return should tell the students what he/she expects from them in the classroom. Some examples of Harry and Rosemary Wong’s Roles and Responsibilities for teachers and students include:

MY Responsibilities as YOUR Teacher

o   To treat you with respect and care as an individual

o   To provide you an orderly classroom environment

o   To provide the necessary discipline

o   To provide the appropriate motivation

o   To teach you the required content

YOUR Responsibilities as MY Students

o   To treat me with respect and care as an individual

o   To attend classes regularly

o   To be cooperative and not disruptive

o   To study and do your work well

o   To learn and master the required content

These are all roles and responsibilities that the teacher can go over with his/her students. Lastly you could implement the Discipline plan to the whole class. The discipline plan should be something clear and concise and to the point. You want to make sure that your students understand what message you as the teacher are trying to get across to them. What’s acceptable and what is not. “Classroom rules indicate the behavior you expect from students.” Two techniques you could use on individual students to get them on the right track with their behavior could be a contract with the student, have them take an active role in their behavior and learning. Another idea would be setting up classroom meetings like Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott suggested. You could use this for the whole class as well but you could have this particular child be put in charge of making the classroom discussions box and arranging that so they could feel like they were really being heard in the classroom. There are endless possibilities to take in order to prevent bad or undesirable behavior, you as the teacher, need to explore and know your kids and try things that you think will work; there is no exact art… each group of students each year are different and need different things from you, you have to be open and willing to go the journey with them. Teaching is a lot of work and preparation but if you take the right steps in the beginning you lose a lot of the headaches in the long run. As far as motivation goes I am a firm believer in Discipline Through Shaping Desired Behavior by B.F Skinner, and while I do not agree that extrinsic rewards are the way to go I do believe that sending positive remarks to children and giving a pat on the back or a stamp on their hard work is a very positive way of motivating children. There’s nothing better than hearing “your” teacher praise “you” for something that you’ve done in front of all your peers. All of my examples include intrinsic motivators but I do believe that handing out stickers or occasional classroom parties for good behavior which would definitely be an extrinsic motivator would also be a positive reinforce of desirable behavior.
VI. Implementation Plan

My Implementation Plan begins by addressing the rules that I will be holding my students accountable for. These rules are all attainable and easy to follow. The students will have helped me to create them so there should be no confusion about how and why we have them in our classroom. Next I address my protocols and procedures in the classroom. I talk about Morning Procedures, Hall Procedure s (Lunch/ Recess/ Encore), Line up Procedures, Bathroom Procedures, Centers Procedures and Dismissal Procedures and their importance in the classroom. Procedures are key to the success of behavior and management plans in the classroom for many reasons. Procedures are daily routines that get the children accustomed to taking care of themselves and learning self respect and responsibilities from a young age… no task is too difficult or outlandish, they are all easy to achieve and satisfying for a child when completed. I also talk about the consequences for students actions and how they are responsible for their behavior and learning and that I do not punish students I hold them accountable for their actions/choices in the classroom. Through my intervention strategies I truly feel like I addressed the multiple needs of my future very unique children. No two children learn the exact same and I hope to have reached them through my intervention plans. I am here to help and mold young children’s lives in a positive way and I hope I am able to successfully shape them for the future. I trust that my preventative behavior management techniques will delineate major problems or issues in the classroom. I plan on following my Management Plan to the best of my ability because I know that if I don’t implement my own plan and take it seriously my students won’t either. If the teacher isn’t passionate about teaching the students will therefore not be passionate about learning. I believe in modeling desired behavior, because children learn first by doing. I choose not to anticipate undesirable behavior because that puts me in a negative frame of mind and I believe children rise to the expectations we lay out for them.

     All in all we are here to work together to create the most learning conducive environment where we optimize instruction time and get the most out of each and every day! If you ever have any questions or concerns I maintain an open door policy to anyone who needs it.