Mrs. Serr's Classroom Management
Background on My Teaching Philosophy:
In our classroom, we follow the CHAMPS philosophy, from Safe and Civil Schools, for classroom management, which involves both proactive and reactive discipline. We work proactively at the beginning of the year, to establish classroom rules that all students agree and will allow for a safe and respectful learning environment. The rules that we establish in the beginning of the year work well because of the focus on creating responsible citizens and a strong sense of community in our classroom. Overall, we will use the James Sales Guidelines for Success in order to create a positive learning atmosphere where all students can be exceptional. Those Guidelines for Success are: Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible.
School-wide Goals:
In order for students to successfully transition from learning in our classroom to other areas of the school, several school-wide policies have been put in place. Students will practice routines for using restrooms, eating lunch, walking in the hallways, and playing outside in a safe way. These expectations include:
· Students will play safely in all games and on all playground equipment.
· All students will be able to enjoy lunch in a calm and respectful atmosphere and leave the classroom/lunchroom cleaner than they found it.
· The restrooms at James Sales Elementary will be clean and safe.
· The halls will be a safe and quiet environment where people interact with courtesy and respect.
Routines for Our Classroom:
When students enter the classroom in the morning, they will put their things away and come to the carpet. There will be some type of problem solving activity (for example a puzzle) for students to work on as a team while I take attendance. Every morning, students begin their day with a meeting time. Learning objectives for the day are covered during morning meeting, as well as greetings, sharing time, and activities that allow classmates to build bonds that will strengthen our community. Students will also read aloud our morning message and go over the schedule for the day at our morning meeting. Having a posted daily schedule allows students to feel confident in their daily routine and in turn decreases anxiety.
At the end of each day, students will have an opportunity to share what they have learned. This feedback will be collected and reported to parents in our weekly newsletter. After packing all of our things to go home for the day, students will be escorted to their buses. Students who are walking home or being picked up by a parent will report to the gymnasium.
Transitions and Attention:
In order to move safely around our classroom, it will be important for students to quickly stop what they are doing and listen for directions when transitioning from one activity to another. I use several cues in the classroom to quickly gain student attention, including: a repetitive hand clap, an “eyes on me” chant, and a freeze game where students freeze for instructions and melt when returning to movement. All of these attention-getters will be practiced as a class in the first few weeks of school.
One other signal students will learn in our classroom that you can also practice at home is the sign language signal for restroom. This allows students to quietly show me a sign that does not overtly disrupt the learning of others when they need to use the restroom.
Classroom Rules/Expectations:
Student input is very important in establishing our classroom rules, and we revisit these rules throughout the school year. By allowing students to participate in creating our classroom expectations, students take ownership in their behavior. Many of the rules that student’s establish, fall into one of the five expectations that I have set for classroom management. These five guiding principles are as follows:
1. Always do your best work.
2. Follow directions immediately.
3. Keep hands and feet to yourself.
4. Be a good listener.
5. Use a quiet voice in the classroom and hallways.
Consequence Strategies:
Once our rules have been established, I follow “3 R’s," which are:
Reinforcement – Reinforcement is used to provide positive feedback and recognize students’ efforts.
Reminding – Reminding is used when students are beginning to get off task and need a gentle reminder of our classroom expectations.
Redirecting – Redirecting is used when a child needs to be stopped from continuing their current behavior and pointed in the right direction, as to follow classroom rules and ensure a safe learning environment for all students.
I expect students to follow rules that are set for them and to act in an appropriate and respectful way in the classroom. When students do not follow set rules, I will allow students an opportunity to solve the problem on their own and think of solutions that can change their current behavior. When necessary, I will step in and assist the student in making the correct choice to adapt their behavior and maximize learning time.
If the above guidelines are not followed, the following consequences will take place:
1. First time: Verbal reminder/warning.
2. Second time: The child loses the privilege of using the materials or participating in the class activity until he/she can demonstrate appropriate behavior.
3. Third time: The child is given the opportunity to regain self-control in a safe environment away from the group in the take-a-break chair. Students may choose to go to the take-a-break chair if they are becoming frustrated or the teacher may request a student go to the take-a-break chair if they are interfering with the learning of other students. The student may choose to rejoin the group when they feel they can follow the classroom rules. If a student continues to cause a disruption in the class, the teacher may ask the student to take-a-break in a buddy classroom across the hall. The student will be allowed to rejoin the class after a period of 10-15 minutes.
4. Fourth time: If a student still has trouble following classroom expectations, they will be escorted to the Solutions Room to reflect on their behavior. Once a student has regained composure and decided on a positive plan of action for the rest of their day, the student will rejoin the class. If a student visits the Solution Room, a call home will be made to parents at the end of the day to discuss the student’s behavior.
5. Fifth time: If the child returns to class and continues to disrupt the learning environment, the student will be sent to the office to meet with the Principal and an Incident Form will be filed.
***If necessary, teachers, parents and child will set up an individual discipline plan to address any challenges your child is dealing with in the classroom.
Rewards for Positive Behavior:
Each day is a new beginning. When children are caught being good, there will be various individual and group rewards. In our classroom, we talk about filling someone’s bucket. We pretend that every person has a bucket inside of them that gets filled when we are kind and treat each other with respect. When students follow classroom rules, it fills my bucket as the teacher. Examples of individual and group rewards for filling someone’s bucket and following classroom rules are as follows:
Individual Rewards
· Verbal praise. The student will also receive a “happy note” that goes home to parents so they can celebrate in their child’s accomplishment.
· Sticker rewards will be given to the child.
· Pioneer tickets for weekly prize drawings.
· Child may choose a special activity or game during a designated center time.
Group Rewards
· A group game outside.
· A special treat during snack time.
· Free choice time (computers, puzzles, games, etc.) during designated center time.
· A class party.
In our classroom, we follow the CHAMPS philosophy, from Safe and Civil Schools, for classroom management, which involves both proactive and reactive discipline. We work proactively at the beginning of the year, to establish classroom rules that all students agree and will allow for a safe and respectful learning environment. The rules that we establish in the beginning of the year work well because of the focus on creating responsible citizens and a strong sense of community in our classroom. Overall, we will use the James Sales Guidelines for Success in order to create a positive learning atmosphere where all students can be exceptional. Those Guidelines for Success are: Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible.
School-wide Goals:
In order for students to successfully transition from learning in our classroom to other areas of the school, several school-wide policies have been put in place. Students will practice routines for using restrooms, eating lunch, walking in the hallways, and playing outside in a safe way. These expectations include:
· Students will play safely in all games and on all playground equipment.
· All students will be able to enjoy lunch in a calm and respectful atmosphere and leave the classroom/lunchroom cleaner than they found it.
· The restrooms at James Sales Elementary will be clean and safe.
· The halls will be a safe and quiet environment where people interact with courtesy and respect.
Routines for Our Classroom:
When students enter the classroom in the morning, they will put their things away and come to the carpet. There will be some type of problem solving activity (for example a puzzle) for students to work on as a team while I take attendance. Every morning, students begin their day with a meeting time. Learning objectives for the day are covered during morning meeting, as well as greetings, sharing time, and activities that allow classmates to build bonds that will strengthen our community. Students will also read aloud our morning message and go over the schedule for the day at our morning meeting. Having a posted daily schedule allows students to feel confident in their daily routine and in turn decreases anxiety.
At the end of each day, students will have an opportunity to share what they have learned. This feedback will be collected and reported to parents in our weekly newsletter. After packing all of our things to go home for the day, students will be escorted to their buses. Students who are walking home or being picked up by a parent will report to the gymnasium.
Transitions and Attention:
In order to move safely around our classroom, it will be important for students to quickly stop what they are doing and listen for directions when transitioning from one activity to another. I use several cues in the classroom to quickly gain student attention, including: a repetitive hand clap, an “eyes on me” chant, and a freeze game where students freeze for instructions and melt when returning to movement. All of these attention-getters will be practiced as a class in the first few weeks of school.
One other signal students will learn in our classroom that you can also practice at home is the sign language signal for restroom. This allows students to quietly show me a sign that does not overtly disrupt the learning of others when they need to use the restroom.
Classroom Rules/Expectations:
Student input is very important in establishing our classroom rules, and we revisit these rules throughout the school year. By allowing students to participate in creating our classroom expectations, students take ownership in their behavior. Many of the rules that student’s establish, fall into one of the five expectations that I have set for classroom management. These five guiding principles are as follows:
1. Always do your best work.
2. Follow directions immediately.
3. Keep hands and feet to yourself.
4. Be a good listener.
5. Use a quiet voice in the classroom and hallways.
Consequence Strategies:
Once our rules have been established, I follow “3 R’s," which are:
Reinforcement – Reinforcement is used to provide positive feedback and recognize students’ efforts.
Reminding – Reminding is used when students are beginning to get off task and need a gentle reminder of our classroom expectations.
Redirecting – Redirecting is used when a child needs to be stopped from continuing their current behavior and pointed in the right direction, as to follow classroom rules and ensure a safe learning environment for all students.
I expect students to follow rules that are set for them and to act in an appropriate and respectful way in the classroom. When students do not follow set rules, I will allow students an opportunity to solve the problem on their own and think of solutions that can change their current behavior. When necessary, I will step in and assist the student in making the correct choice to adapt their behavior and maximize learning time.
If the above guidelines are not followed, the following consequences will take place:
1. First time: Verbal reminder/warning.
2. Second time: The child loses the privilege of using the materials or participating in the class activity until he/she can demonstrate appropriate behavior.
3. Third time: The child is given the opportunity to regain self-control in a safe environment away from the group in the take-a-break chair. Students may choose to go to the take-a-break chair if they are becoming frustrated or the teacher may request a student go to the take-a-break chair if they are interfering with the learning of other students. The student may choose to rejoin the group when they feel they can follow the classroom rules. If a student continues to cause a disruption in the class, the teacher may ask the student to take-a-break in a buddy classroom across the hall. The student will be allowed to rejoin the class after a period of 10-15 minutes.
4. Fourth time: If a student still has trouble following classroom expectations, they will be escorted to the Solutions Room to reflect on their behavior. Once a student has regained composure and decided on a positive plan of action for the rest of their day, the student will rejoin the class. If a student visits the Solution Room, a call home will be made to parents at the end of the day to discuss the student’s behavior.
5. Fifth time: If the child returns to class and continues to disrupt the learning environment, the student will be sent to the office to meet with the Principal and an Incident Form will be filed.
***If necessary, teachers, parents and child will set up an individual discipline plan to address any challenges your child is dealing with in the classroom.
Rewards for Positive Behavior:
Each day is a new beginning. When children are caught being good, there will be various individual and group rewards. In our classroom, we talk about filling someone’s bucket. We pretend that every person has a bucket inside of them that gets filled when we are kind and treat each other with respect. When students follow classroom rules, it fills my bucket as the teacher. Examples of individual and group rewards for filling someone’s bucket and following classroom rules are as follows:
Individual Rewards
· Verbal praise. The student will also receive a “happy note” that goes home to parents so they can celebrate in their child’s accomplishment.
· Sticker rewards will be given to the child.
· Pioneer tickets for weekly prize drawings.
· Child may choose a special activity or game during a designated center time.
Group Rewards
· A group game outside.
· A special treat during snack time.
· Free choice time (computers, puzzles, games, etc.) during designated center time.
· A class party.