Oliver-Barone 1 Personal Management and Discipline Philosophy As I reflect over the past few years as an aspiring teacher at New

Jersey City University, there are many learning strategies I am looking forward to put into use in my future classroom. From the latest experiences as a student teacher at Dickinson high school, to not so recent classes that I have taken a few years ago, there is something useful I will be able to apply as a teacher. I will take with me wonderful classroom management strategies I acquired from my cooperating teacher. I will use researched based methods to incorporate student diversity in my practices that I learned from an urban education class at the University. Lastly, I will of course be sure to include procedures learned from Mr. Wong guide to The First Days of School. The bottom line is that there is a lot I love about my content knowledge in mathematics, but I will never be able to translate that to my students if I am stressed out because of poor management skills. My cooperating teacher has a great classroom management and discipline system in place. As I have already told her, I will use most of her methods while teaching in my new classroom. I believe that when a good management plan is put to work correctly, students can focus in learning and teachers can concentrate in delivering the content at ease. My internship is showing me how establishing routines and procedures right from the very beginning of the school year, is very important for students to achieve academic success. Because doing so is my ultimate goal, it is vital I use the first few weeks of school wisely. Prior to starting school there are some things I will need to prepare. Even though students will help in decorating the classroom walls with their projects, vocabulary wall, and important formulas we will discover throughout the year, there are many other items I will need to work on by myself before that day comes. I will prepare sitting arrangements

Oliver-Barone 2 and I will organize the desks in a u shape around the classroom. I believe students can learn from one another as well as from the instructor. Having students sit in this specific arrangement will allow them to look at their classmates while they ask or answer questions. I will also have sitting assignments before the students enter the class the first day. As Mr. Wong explains in his book The First Days of School, and as I also confirmed with my cooperating teacher, assigning seats allows the teacher to monitor the students and the overall behavior of the class in general. When students choose their own desks, most likely the most disruptive ones will sit in the back. Also most students like to sit next to their friends, which causes them to have side conversations amongst themselves. Once this happens, it will lead to the disruption of the class. Assigning seats will also help me call students by their name right from the start, thus I will show them I care about them right from the beginning. Before The first day of school I will also make sure to post my classroom rules in a place where students can see them from the start and refer to later on if necessary. Once the first day of school comes, my goal is to: have the classroom ready as I already mentioned; be prepared with students roster and willing to start teaching them important rules and procedures; and have an assignment set for the students to start working right away. It is important that the first assignment (not only of the first day but of every day,) it is related to the subject area, but engaging and fun. My cooperating teacher has a do now assignment that she gives out religiously. Every day, as students enter the classroom they take a small piece of scrap paper from her desk and start working on the assignment she puts out on the board. The first three students to come up with the right answer get an extra point for the day. During this time, the teacher takes attendance and

Oliver-Barone 3 checks up on their homework. By the time she is done, students are on task and ready to face up to the rest of the period. Because it has proven to work so well, I will incorporate this strategy at the beginning of each day in my own classroom. I believe classroom rules must be discussed the first day of class. I have come up with 5 rules that are important for the students -and the teacher- to follow in order to be able to concentrate in learning math instead of spending time reprimanding the students that misbehave. Usually students are not aware that there are specific rules they must follow while they are in the classroom, and the reason being is that teachers do not spend time explaining what those rules are. Most of the time teachers assume students know what they are supposed to do and not to do. However, in order to hold them accountable for their actions, we must first explain to them what it is we want from them. To me it is important that students: Be respectful and polite to others Come to class prepared, with materials, and a positive attitude Listen quietly while others are speaking Do not use your cellular phone during class No personal grooming, eating, or drinking in class

I will have consequences in place when these rules are broken. Such rules include: giving them a discipline mark next to their name, have them speak with me at the end of the period, or speaking to a parent when nothing else has worked. However I expect that students will follow the rules after they are being made clear to them from the start. Procedures, on the other hand, I believe do no have to be taught all at once, but I will teach them as we go along. There will be no point on me teaching them the procedure on

Oliver-Barone 4 how to go abut homework after they had been absent, on the first day of class. I will probably teach them that procedure the first time someone comes back to class after being out. The first two weeks of school however we will probably cover most important procedures to be followed the entire year. The first week of school -starting on day 1- I will teach my students the following procedures: Procedure for the start of the period. Take scrap paper, work on the do now assignment and bring it to the teachers desk as soon as you are finished. Procedure when a student needs help. They will raise their hand and wait in silence until I come to them or until I address them. Procedure for getting the students undivided attention. I will raise my hand and show one finger at a time. When I am showing all 5 fingers I expect silence because I have something to say. I may also tap one desk a few times in case they are not able to see me. Procedure for turning in homework. The students will place their homework on my desk as they are getting scrap paper for the do now activity. I will not accept any homework after the bell rings at the beginning of the period. Procedure for dismissing the class at the end of the period. Even when the bell rings, students are to remain in their seats until I dismiss the class. Finally, I believe it is important to address the cultural differences we have in our classroom. Because we live in a heavily populated diverse area, as a new teacher I believe one of the most powerful tools we can bring into the classroom in order to be successful, is our ability to get the most out of all of our students regardless of where they come from.

Oliver-Barone 5 Identifying these differences helps us understand our students actions and reactions, thus giving us the necessary tools to manage the classroom well. I Dave Browns article Urban Teachers Use of Culturally Responsive Management Strategies it reads: Effective urban teaching involves implementing culturally responsive communication processes and instructional strategies, developing respectful student/teacher relationships, and recognizing, honoring, and responding to the many cultural and language differences that exist among students. Addressing differences could be done successfully as long as we learn from our students first what those differences are. In order to establish a classroom environment that is welcoming and productive with all students, it is essential to create a space in which everyone feels comfortable, and as part of the group as everyone else. Many techniques have been developed in order for teachers to create such environment, however none of it could be accomplished without learning about our students first. In my classroom I will gather information about my students from a game called you are the top card. I will ask each student to provide information on an index card, such as birthday, interests and hobbies, school and out of school activities, and any other type of information about themselves that they wish to share. Every day, I will pay special attention to the student in each class whose card was at the top of the deck. For example, I will greet him/her at the door, I will make small conversation regarding the comments they made in their index card, and perhaps I could get the student to help me teach the lesson. This strategy will help me develop a closer relationship with them, and by the end of the first month I will connect with my students in a way that will assist me in planning better lessons for them, as well as give me tips on how to manage their behavior.

Oliver-Barone 6 Regarding the discipline model charts we reviewed in class, as a new teacher I would bring into my classroom the interacting model of discipline. I believe students have the capacity to make right choices as long as we establish a safe environment for them. However, I understand that the teacher should serve as a guide. One of the critiques I have about my cooperating teacher is that she has too much control over her students decisions. I would like to work along side my students and create an atmosphere of cooperative discipline, in which my students will understand that there are logical consequences that follow every action (Discipline Model Charts). In conclusion, I will practice in my own classroom most of the strategies that have proven to be helpful for other teachers. I know that in order to be successful teachers we must be able to manage the students behavior. Being prepared and keeping up with the latest research in this area will be my number one tool as a future educator.