Motivation and Management Plan
My focus on motivation and management within the classroom is on proactive management, responsible students, and consistency as a teacher. I believe that classroom management should be more about preparation than reactions. As a teacher, I believe routines and rules should be established early so that students have clear expectations for the school year. Helping students understand what will and will not be tolerated means that students are less likely to misbehave due to misunderstandings or cultural differences. It also helps to start a self-monitoring classroom in which students encourage each other to excel and politely correct each other when they are not. This also means that I expect my students to politely resolve differences and apologize to each other when the need arises. This might be a high expectation for young students, but if it is implemented from the beginning then students learn the correct way to resolve differences and work together. Indeed, I think that clear high expectations are vital to beginning the year the right way. This also means demonstrating to students the difference between making good choices and bad choices so that choices and expectations are apparent from the very beginning.
This then sets the precedent that students are responsible for their choices from the very beginning. Establishing classroom management then becomes about choices and established guidelines instead of a system of punishments and rewards. Instead, rewards are more about supporting good behaviors when they are readily appearing in your classroom. It's amazing the things you don't have to address when you are readily praising good behavior within your classroom. Not only does this highlight misbehavior as misbehavior, but it also encourages students who are behaving and being responsible to continue behaving in the correct way by rewarding them with whatever the reward is. And sometimes this is as simple as positive attention. It's amazing to me that so many students simply want your attention.
Reaffirming positive behavior then demonstrates your regard for the student in a way that constantly correcting bad behavior does not. That does not mean bad behavior does not get addressed, but simply that it becomes about choices. Many times, I have given a student two choices, either of which I am alright with, while stating that they can choose either, but I am not alright with their current action. It then becomes the student's decision to remedy the situation by choosing one of the two options. While this won't automatically resolve every situation, many times it does serve to deescalate the situation enough that you can resolve it unemotionally with the student. This allows for a conversation to occur about why the student took a particular action, which then leads back to whether or not it was something that was acceptable or not. This reinforces my expectations that they will be responsible good students.
My expectations for my students include:
1. Respect for your classmates and your teacher.
2. 100% honesty - This means the whole truth, not a version you want to tell me.
3. Respect for our room - This is our space, treat it as such.
4. Zero tolerance for bullying - You will not threaten, intimidate, purposely scare, or act in a violent manner towards anyone in this school.
5. Do your best - We have to do things that we don't like, do your best even if you aren't enjoying something.
My expectations for myself as a teacher include:
1. I will know my students - This is more than names, I want to know students' families, their likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies.
2. I will communicate expectations and classroom happenings with parents - They are welcome to visit. These are their kids that they care deeply about.
3. I will be prepared to teach. - This means that I know what I'm teaching and how I'm teaching it. It also means that professional development and other training is important and vital to my growth as a teacher.
4. I will continually reinforce the inherent value in each of my students. - They are special and know it!
Lastly, I believe consistency is vital to upholding these expectations. Students consistently know that they will be treated fairly and that the expectation applies to everyone. I think consistency is also key to students testing you. Students will see how far you are willing to stretch. Setting those clear boundaries with expectations only helps if you consistently uphold them. Likewise, routines and expected behaviors need to be demonstrated early and then maintained. Consequences are consistent and do not change depending on the student. This reinforces the value of each student as I demonstrate regard for positive behaviors, and correct bad behaviors because I care about the student. Indeed, I need to consistently demonstrate that I care enough to correct issues before they become huge problems. In the long run, if I care enough then I will teach behaviors just like I teach Math or Reading. And it will make a difference within my classroom as students learn not only how to become better academically but also socially as I push them to reach their full potential not only as students but as citizens of our community and world.
This then sets the precedent that students are responsible for their choices from the very beginning. Establishing classroom management then becomes about choices and established guidelines instead of a system of punishments and rewards. Instead, rewards are more about supporting good behaviors when they are readily appearing in your classroom. It's amazing the things you don't have to address when you are readily praising good behavior within your classroom. Not only does this highlight misbehavior as misbehavior, but it also encourages students who are behaving and being responsible to continue behaving in the correct way by rewarding them with whatever the reward is. And sometimes this is as simple as positive attention. It's amazing to me that so many students simply want your attention.
Reaffirming positive behavior then demonstrates your regard for the student in a way that constantly correcting bad behavior does not. That does not mean bad behavior does not get addressed, but simply that it becomes about choices. Many times, I have given a student two choices, either of which I am alright with, while stating that they can choose either, but I am not alright with their current action. It then becomes the student's decision to remedy the situation by choosing one of the two options. While this won't automatically resolve every situation, many times it does serve to deescalate the situation enough that you can resolve it unemotionally with the student. This allows for a conversation to occur about why the student took a particular action, which then leads back to whether or not it was something that was acceptable or not. This reinforces my expectations that they will be responsible good students.
My expectations for my students include:
1. Respect for your classmates and your teacher.
2. 100% honesty - This means the whole truth, not a version you want to tell me.
3. Respect for our room - This is our space, treat it as such.
4. Zero tolerance for bullying - You will not threaten, intimidate, purposely scare, or act in a violent manner towards anyone in this school.
5. Do your best - We have to do things that we don't like, do your best even if you aren't enjoying something.
My expectations for myself as a teacher include:
1. I will know my students - This is more than names, I want to know students' families, their likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies.
2. I will communicate expectations and classroom happenings with parents - They are welcome to visit. These are their kids that they care deeply about.
3. I will be prepared to teach. - This means that I know what I'm teaching and how I'm teaching it. It also means that professional development and other training is important and vital to my growth as a teacher.
4. I will continually reinforce the inherent value in each of my students. - They are special and know it!
Lastly, I believe consistency is vital to upholding these expectations. Students consistently know that they will be treated fairly and that the expectation applies to everyone. I think consistency is also key to students testing you. Students will see how far you are willing to stretch. Setting those clear boundaries with expectations only helps if you consistently uphold them. Likewise, routines and expected behaviors need to be demonstrated early and then maintained. Consequences are consistent and do not change depending on the student. This reinforces the value of each student as I demonstrate regard for positive behaviors, and correct bad behaviors because I care about the student. Indeed, I need to consistently demonstrate that I care enough to correct issues before they become huge problems. In the long run, if I care enough then I will teach behaviors just like I teach Math or Reading. And it will make a difference within my classroom as students learn not only how to become better academically but also socially as I push them to reach their full potential not only as students but as citizens of our community and world.