Classroom Management
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"Ms. Waite pushed me harder as a student to not give up and to complete work when it is given. I love the way she has work set up now."
- Precious a former student |
I invest in my students and their lives; I do this through conversations, my involvement in outside activities, and being a part of their community. I cater my lessons to their needs and work on differentiating my instruction accordingly. By building relationships with students, parents, and other teachers, I initiate my classroom management plan.
You can see the ways I build community in my classroom below. Parent/Guardian Relationships
Building relationships with parents and guardians (for good and bad accounts) is important so they feel comfortable working with me to best meet their child’s needs.
A parent's response to my communication with him through Remind 101. An e-mail from a student after she had been sent the day's instruction that I taped and e-mailed out because of missed school days. An email with a parent on a student's progress. Classroom Arrangement
My classroom has procedures to help manage instructional time - students pick up papers, students know where to place exit slips, get their absent work, etc. My class is also a comfortable environment - it is decorated with our classroom work so that students feel ownership of their learning space.
General classroom arrangement:
For the walls:
Extra Enrichment
My class supports the range that English class provides. I have a well-stocked library for my classroom (I have my own library in my house, and my classroom is no different). These books allow my students to be surrounded by the subject that they are in, and provide them an opportunity to do their own reading during designated silent reading time, or for after school.
I also like to include interactive bulletin boards that students can write on or rearrange. Class Expectations
At the beginning of the semester, I discuss class expectations and consequences with my students. We practice them until they become routine. It's important to me that they know not only what the expectations and consequences are but also why they are in place. Parents also receive a copy of the same expectations and consequences. I involve parents as much as possible in their child’s education. One way to do this is by making sure to keep them as informed as possible about what goes on in the classroom. Obviously each class is different, however, so depending on the class, I am flexible and rules may change. I also enforce all school-wide rules. Consequences
Whenever possible, I try to view behavior as an opportunity and handle it individually, however, if a student continues to be disruptive and prevents me from teaching, I connect the student with another resource that can better help him/her. When I suspect a student is about to break one of the rules, I try to prevent this by using eye contact, moving closer to the student, or mentioning the student’s name. When a student chooses to break one of the rules, I use the following consequences:
**I also use restorative justice practices Good Behavior
I believe in using positive reinforcement to motivate students and encourage productive behavior. I especially like to use the five “love languages” to reward students (after an initial love language quiz at the start of the year). It builds great relationships as well. Physical Touch: A high five or a hand shake works well! Gift Giving: Small treats like candy or stickers. Words of Affirmation: A simple compliment means a lot to some students. Quality Time: Having personal conversations before class starts encourage this. Acts of Service: Individually helping a student with something. Procedures
An organized routine helps students connect to the community and transition efficiently.
The following procedures help my class run smoothly:
I've also found participation number lines helpful ways to encourage students to maintain focus on an hour-long project being worked on. |