Abstract
My Personal Classroom Management Plan contains courses of action that reflect the insights formed from the previous readings and discussions I have encountered. This paper includes the steps that Charles (2005) recommends to teachers who would like to create a personal system of discipline. Hence, this paper contains my plans on a) how I will conduct myself in school; b) what my specific goals and aspirations are for my students; c) what conditions my classroom would have; d) how I ensure appropriate behavior in the classroom; e) what I will do should misbehavior surface in the class; and f) how I will let my planned discipline system work in the classroom. This management plan works with the assumption of having a participatory discipline system as an effective foundational theory.
My Personal Classroom Management Plan
The mark of a good teacher lies in how effective s/he is in managing the class for there lays the crucial foundation for learning, which is the very purpose of coming together as a class. Having gone through a series of readings and reflections on classroom engagement and management principles and strategies, I have come up with my personal plan as a teacher which I believe must work in an actual classroom setting.
This essay contains a description of each step I have done towards a personal approach to a system of classroom management and discipline. The succeeding sections correspond to the five steps which Charles (2005) recommends.
Confident Stance: A Mix of Professionalism and Ease
The first step to finalizing a personal plan is to specify how a teacher must present and conduct himself at school. The first impression that a teacher makes to the students, usually on the first day of school, truly has an impact on the relationship to be established and sustained year-round.
Thus, my personal plan dictates that I carry a confident stance, one that exudes both professionalism and a friendly tone. I believe that knowing my profession well and having a strong passion for it would make me be mindful of the ethical and legal implications. Teaching is not just a job I get into as a source of living. Rather, teaching is a serious responsibility I want to get into because of the number of young lives I encounter and help, even if it means one day at a time. Having a genuine love for the teaching profession would necessarily manifest an ethical behaviour, one that is fully aware of the sensitivity and dynamism of the nature of the clients.
How I carry myself as a teacher is very important in sending a clear message to the students of seriousness in our business of learning in the classroom. The challenge is to balance the professional aura with warmth where young students can feel comfortable and welcome.
Good Behaviour with Maximum Learning in Mind
As a teacher, I would like my classroom to be a real haven for learning, where students come and find joy and fulfilment in learning. For this to be achieved, my first goal for my class is to have a collective positive attitude because any positive vibrancy is contagious and will have a ripple effect. All members of the class have to feel that they belong to the group because that would compel each of them to behave in a considerate manner, knowing that their behaviour affects the others either positively or negatively.
I also want the members of my class to take the initiative when it comes to class activities, management of the class behaviour, and even for the general improvement of the class environment. I believe that this empowering move would make the students really active in their learning. The process would make them grow in accountability and responsibility. This attitude of responsibility is one of my greatest aspirations for my students because it is the key to their future success throughout their school life and through their professional adult careers as well.
As a teacher, I believe that helping students grow in having their own self-direction is even more crucial than “transferring” to them the subject content that I know. Teaching is not solely about sharing information. It is about forming students and transforming them into independent lifelong learners.
A Bright and Cheerful Classroom: The Sure Ambience for Learning
Another part of my classroom management plan is the type of classroom that I would like to build for my class and that I would like them to build with me. A classroom that is bright and cheerful is one that will surely promote learning among the members of the class. I believe that a room that is bright is characterized not only by the physical light that beams into the room. Rather, more important than the physical light, brightness comes into the class when the members are free from ill and negative feelings between and among themselves. A healthy and respectful relationship between the teacher and students and among the students is what essentially characterizes a bright classroom. Cheerfulness will then subsequently follow.
Open communication among the members of the class must be highly encouraged, with trust as its strong foundation. Respecting the dignity of every person in the class, sensitivity for the help that others need, and involvement of each one in the affairs of the class are on the top of my list as indicators of a classroom that has the environment for learning.
Share the Spotlight: Work with Students Towards a Better Managed Class
My studies on this matter have led me to confirm that being a teacher should not be a one-man show. Part of my management plan is to make my students my colleagues, my co-managers. Each member of the class must feel the responsibility that they are part owners of the entity and that the success of it lies in their hands as well.
When someone in class is in need, each one must have the initiative to at least think of what he can personally contribute. I believe that this move of the teacher would compel students to behave positively, show more interest in learning from each other, and participate more actively in class activities. I, as the teacher, am responsible for keeping the energy of the students in a high level – a healthy level that induces learning – so that they can sustain the sense of collaboration and spirit of cooperation throughout the year of being together.
Part of my plan as the main manager of the class is to make sure that each one is doing well. Showing personal attention to each one is important and I must make sure that it is given them. As in any organization, the boss’s personal touch always matters. Much more in my classroom, my personal knowledge and personal connection with my students matters a lot in their growth, in helping them act responsibly, and in promoting good discipline.
Let’s Stop and Talk Awhile
Part of being an effective teacher is to foresee the humps and bumps along the way. Should any misbehaviour creep in, I would have to stop and give it attention. Stopping here does not necessarily literally disrupting the class lesson every time misbehaviour is manifested. It depends on the gravity of the behaviour and this is where a wise teacher’s discretion must come in. One thing is for sure that I will do; and that is, to not let it pass unnoticed, regardless of the source of misbehaviour. I believe that fair treatment and consistency in implementing rules and policies is a key to a successful leadership.
Fairness involves treating each one with due justice. When one errs, I must take time to talk to the person concerned and find out the root of the problem. Modelling and teaching students how to resolve conflicts through a win-win situation is part of my task in reaching my goal of instilling the sense of responsibility in each one.
It is also very important in this part of my plan that I remind myself to hold my personal bearing and maintain the professional stance with which I began. It is in this classroom situation that students must see the seriousness of our business in promoting the positive atmosphere for the sake of learning.
Agree and Pledge Your Commitment
It is also clearly stated in my management plan that on the first day of classes, I communicate the conditions, rules and policies to the students so they understand all of it well. Part of communication is letting them participate in creating the rules, by amending those which they think must be amended. My task here requires the great skill of a facilitator in such a way that the students do not completely take over but rather, they feel the responsibility for creating their class. Participatory and democratic discipline strategies are effective only when the right skills are employed. I plan to take time to call in this class assembly where each member of the class contributes his ideas on our rewards and punishment system, and we will cap it with a signing of one’s pledge of agreement and commitment to our pursuit for learning.
This pledge-making in my plan is something that must be done in an enjoyable manner yet it must depict the seriousness of the matter. I believe that only when the students truly feel that they own the rules and the policies will they voluntarily cooperate. Good communication is the hinge to any successful endeavour. Doing so will also build the trust among the members of the class, and trust is an essential component in a relationship that is healthy and helpful.
Conclusion
Teaching is challenging but challenges may successfully be overcome when thoughtful planning is done ahead. My personal classroom management plan mirrors the reflections I have done and the desire I have to make teaching work, to make learning happen, and to let transformation of lives thrive in my classrooms.
Charles, C.M. (2005). Building classroom discipline (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2007). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas.
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Nielsen, D.M. (2006). Teaching young children: A guide to planning your curriculum, teaching
through learning centers, and just about everything else (2nd ed.). CA: Corwin Press.
