Philosophy

of Classroom
Management
April 16, 2014

Mary Cefaratti

Classroom Management
Style and Philosophy
Whats Inside!
2

Establishing relationships
with my students and peers.

Working with Parents

Rules

Procedures and their

importance

Enhancing students
motivation

Classroom layout

In order for my classroom to be as efficient as

possible, I will have a classroom that is very structured. I
will be in control of the room as well as involved with the
students. By being in control of my classroom, I will hold
high expectations for my students by making sure that they
know what is and is not acceptable in my classroom. By
taking the time at the beginning of the year to lay out the
rules and procedures, I will expect my students to follow
them throughout the whole year.
I also think that the relationships between teachers
and students are very important when it comes to my
classroom. I can the best teacher when I know how my
students learn best and what does and does not help them
succeed. Again, by taking the time at the beginning of the
year, I will learn the information that will allow me to be
the best teacher for my students.
Finally, I will expect my students to be respectful and
cooperative as it may take a few trials before things become
just right in my classroom. I believe that in order to earn
the respect and cooperation of my students, I also need to
respect them.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

[Issue] :: [Date]

I see the ideas of Fred Jones come into play in my

philosophy because like Jones, I find that time in the
classroom is very important and it should not ever be
wasted.1 I have also noticed that Fred Jones and I both
believe that the students play a large role when it comes to
instruction. Students should not just be present in the
classroom, but they should take responsibility for their class
work as well their actions inside the classroom. Finally, the
students should be engaged and interacting during the
lesson.
With the expectations mentioned above, I hope that
my classroom will ultimately be a fun, engaging and wellorganized place where the students will have the
opportunity to be the best they can be and succeed in their
education.

Classroom
Management
Style and
Philosophy

Establishing Relationships with my Students and Peers

When it comes to establishing
relationships with my students, I will take
the time at the beginning of the year to get to
know my students and their learning styles
so that I am able to understand how my
students learn, work and operate the best
inside and outside of my classroom. I believe
that by taking the time at the beginning of
the year to get to know my students, I will be
able to build great relationships as well as a
sense of community with them throughout
the year. I am a firm believer in the golden
rule treating others the way you would like
to be treated. By establishing this rule in my
classroom, not only will it cause me to be the
best person I can be in front of my students,
but also it will teach them the correct ways to
treat the other students around them. Next,
I believe that when establishing relationships
with my students, communication is key! By
communicating with my students, I am
showing them that I am taking an interest in
their needs or concerns as well as taking an
interest in addition to being available to them
when needed.2 Not only is communication a
key part of establishing good relationships,
but so is creating a positive and engaging
learning experience. I believe that when
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students are enjoying the environment that

they are in, they are more likely to excel in
the classroom. I was recently in an 8th
biology classroom and when I was teaching,
I made sure the classroom environment was
engaging as well as fun for the students. I
also feel that by believing in my students
and taking pride in their learning
experience, they are able to establish a
sense of belonging and comfort inside my
classroom. Finally, I think that the
students should be the center of learning.3
When the students are the center of
learning and engaged in learning, I feel
that they are more likely to succeed.
Building relationships with peers can
be hard in a school setting. I believe that
the best way to do this is to respect them. I
find that if you respect their ideas and the
shared workspace in the building, they will
most likely respect you and your space in
return. By building relationships with my
peers, I am hoping to learn how to
appreciate their knowledge and input. By
appreciating my peers, I hope to receive
appreciation from them in return.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

Working with
Parents
I have discovered some of the best
ways to effectively involve parents in their
childs
learning
as
well
as
the
classroom. First, I have found that by
connecting with parents and establishing
expectations for them at the beginning of
the year will help me feel comfortable
interacting with them. I have also found
that when parents are more involved with
what is going on inside their childs
classroom, the student is more likely to be
organized and engaged in learning. In the
Fall of 2013, I was placed in the third grade
classroom in Holland, Michigan where the
parents were very involved in the
classroom. The parents were donating books
to the classroom and coming in to help the
students with projects during the middle of
the day. Finally, I asked my cooperating
teacher, how she has such great parent
involvement in her classroom? She simply
answered by saying, I took an interest in
them and their child, so they took an
interest in me and my classroom. Before
this placement, I had never realized that by
reaching out to the parents of students, the
parents would reach out to me. This same
placement has also taught me that a weekly
newsletter is something that parents often
look forward to. A newsletter ultimately
may be a pain to create, but I have learned
that it is much appreciated by the parents
of students in all grade levels.4 I plan to
take the time to create relationships with
the parents of my students, so that they are
well informed of what is going on inside my
classroom.

Issue [#] :: [Date]

I wish for my
students to have a
good time in my
classroom but in order for that to occur, I
will need to set some rules in my classroom
in order to keep it structured. I believe
that by establishing a set of rules in my
classroom, my classroom will work like a
well-oiled machine an students will stay on
task and know exactly what they need to
be doing at all times during the day. I will
establish rules for example: Respect
others, Come to class prepared, and Follow
Directions to name a few. On day one of
school, I will make it a priority to sit down
with my students and come up with some
important rules that they feel should be
implemented within the classroom. I will
then post these rules in a spot in the
classroom where everyone will be
reminded of them so they will always
understand what I expect from them on a
daily basis. I will then continue to remind
my students of these rules over the course
of the next few weeks eventually expecting
them to remember them without me
needing to tell them. Finally, I will make
sure that the set of classroom rules are
easy to remember and read. This may
consist of combining some rules together to
make one all-inclusive rule that the
students can easily remember. In Harbor
Lights Middle School as well as all West
Ottawa
schools,
they
have
three
cumulative rules to implement in their
classrooms; Be Responsible, Be Respectful
and Put Forth Quality Effort. I hope to
have these similar rules in my classroom.

RULES

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

PROCEDURES
Procedures on the other hand may take a
little more time to go over with my
students. On the first day of school, I will
prioritize the procedures that are most
important and need to be covered right
away. This may include procedures such
as; what to do during an emergency, how
to start off the day each morning or even
the daily schedule. This way, I can start
my students off right when they walk in
the next day to class. In a video that I
watched in my Behavior Management
class about the first day of school, I
learned that procedures can take up to 20
days before the students learn them and
make them a part of their everyday
routine. I believe that procedures are
very important to a smooth functioning
classroom because in the long run, it
keeps the classroom well organized and
structured, keeps the students focused
and on task as well as cuts down on time
wasted during the school day.5

The Importance of
Rules and Procedures
Keeps Students accountable and on
task

Keeps students safe

Wastes less classroom instruction
time

Gives the students a sense of routine

They help when there is a substitute
teacher in the room

[Issue] :: [Date]

Enhancing Students
Motivation
I have found that it is sometimes very hard
to keep students motivated to learn
throughout the day, week or even school
year. I have noticed this sufficiently in my
8th Biology placement during the spring of
2014. As the year began to come to a close, I
found that it was harder for my students to
stay on track during class as well as
motivated to learn the material that was
being presented in class. When I went to my
mentor teacher to ask him how he seemed to
beat the school blues he gave me some
very helpful advice that I found to agree
with. My placement teacher mentioned that
you will find certain points during the year
where student will have a hard time staying
motivated, but during these times, the best
thing to do it to step back and make sure
that you are motivated for your class. He
shared that by providing frequent positive
feedback to the students, they seem to feel
like they must be doing something right and
continue to work towards more positive
feedback. He also shared with me that he
seems to notice that by changing the seats of
the students, they can become more engaged
and motivated during class. These two
ideas helped me think that in my classroom,
I will enhance the motivation of my students
by making sure that I am always providing
my students with opportunities for success
as well as a positive, engaging and
encouraging atmosphere for my students. I
will complete this by making sure that I am
also motivated to teach the material and
make my classroom the perfect mix of fun
and educational.6

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

Issue [#] :: [Date]

Classroom Layout
Door

Desk Layout I placed the desks in a U shape because it will allow me to see all my
students at once as well as let me walk between the desks to help students individually.
This desk layout will also hopefully lead to good class discussions and students easily
interacting with others.
Computer I placed the computer where it is so that the students have easy access to
it and can use it without disrupting the rest of the class. I am also able to monitor what
the student is doing on the computer from any spot in the room.
Teachers Desk I placed my desk in an area of the room where I will be able to see
everyone as well as what they are doing. I also placed it in the front corner because it
will allow me to address the whole class if needed. The students can also easily get to
my desk when they are at their desks. The door in this classroom is at the top/front of
the room, so I am also able to see anyone who is coming into the classroom when I am at
my desk.
5

Lorem Ipsum Dolor

[Issue] :: [Date]

Kidney Table I placed the kidney table away from the desk arrangement, so that I
will be able to work with a small group of students without disrupting the rest of the
class. I placed it where it is against the wall, so that I am still able to see my students
and make sure they are staying on task.
Reading Corner I placed the reading corner in the back corner of the room so the
students can feel like they are reading in a spot that is different from where they do
their schoolwork. I believe that by having a designated area for reading, the students
can really get comfortable and enjoy their books. Finally, it will not distract the
students in their desks as much. I also provided shelves in the reading corner so that I
can use them to house my personal library and students can easily access the books
when they are in the reading corner.
Circle Rug I also placed the circle rug in the back of the classroom so it is away from
the desks. I plan to have morning meeting on this rug so I also placed an easel so that I
can write on it while we are all on the circle rug. I put a chair in the back by the circle
rug so that I can sit in it while we are meeting in the back of the room as a class. When
we are not on the circle rug as a class, but I have given the students time to read around
the room, I will allow the students to take turns sitting in the chair.
Back Shelves I have placed shelves in the back by the circle rug and I will split up
the shelves so that each student gets their own, for things such as a reading or writing
binder, or any textbook that they will need to keep track of. I think that this will keep
their desks more organized as well as allow them to keep track of bigger things that may
not fit in their desks.
Storage The storage that I have placed next to my desk with come in handy, because I
hope to start to build a collection of student examples that I can keep and use in my
classroom. I will also use the storage for things that I will need in order to make my
lessons important. I feel that by using props in my lesson, I will keep the students more
interested and engaged. Finally, I can use the storage for things such as; markers,
scissors, glue, tape, rulers, extra pencils, etc The students will not be allowed inside
these storage closets unless they get my permission.
Wall Space I will leave most of the walls empty at the beginning of the year so that as
the year I can begin to put up students works as well as some step-by-step instructions
for important concepts that we have learned throughout the year.

Closing Thoughts
I have learned so much about how I will run my
classroom and I hope that when I am a teacher
everything that I discussed will go smoothly. I
cannot wait to be placed in a classroom full time
where I can implement my ideas into my
classroom. As time goes on, I will continue to
shape my classroom management philosophy. I
think that by taking the time to think of my
philosophy of classroom management, it will be
very helpful to me in the future.

1. Charles, C. M., & Barr, K. B. (1989). Building classroom discipline (3rd

ed.). New York: Longman.
2. Rimm-Kaufman, S. (n.d.). Improving Students' Relationships with
Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning. American
Psychological Association. Retrieved April 4, 2014, from
https://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx

Sources

3. MILNER, R. (2011, January 1). Five Easy Ways to Connect with

Students. Harvard Education Publishing Group. Retrieved March 28,
2014, from http://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_1/helarticle/five-easy-waysto-connect-with-students_492#.U05qseZdV28
4. Working with Parents. (2011, January 1). Working with Parents.
Retrieved April 1, 2014, from
http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/working_with_parents.ht
m
5. Linsin, M. (2009, November 7). Why Routines Make Classroom
Management Easier; Plus One Great Idea. Smart Classroom Management
RSS. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from
http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2009/11/07/why-routinesmake-classroom-management-easier-plus-one-great-idea/
6. Staff. (2012, November 12). 21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student
Motivation -. 21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation. Retrieved
April 4, 2014, from http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/21-simple-ideasto-improve-student-motivatio/