Statement of Purpose:

My classroom will be a safe and comfortable learning environment where

students will learn about American History from the Reconstruction era to the late
1980s. This era is crucial and insightful to present day current events and references. I
expect my students to cooperate with one another, respect each others opinions and
ideas, positively contribute to the class, and demonstrate appropriate behavior.

Classroom Arrangement:
a.

b.
In the front of my classroom, you can see there are blackboards and the door
entering the room. There are two windows to the right of the room as well. By the door
will be a small desk for the restroom sign out sheet and a restroom pass. I also have 12
students desks set up in pairs. I set the desks up in pairs because I feel that it is an
important instructional strategy to foster team work and cooperation between peers.
Upon test taking, I will simply ask the students to move their desk apart. The back left
corner has book cases that I could use for my and student use. The bookcase on the
far left of the room, facing my desk, will have my materials and storage. The other
bookcase will have previous worksheets and handouts from previous class periods that
students can take if they were absent. To the right of the bookcases are two bulletin
boards. One bulletin board will have a calendar for the month of what topic we are
focusing on in class, and will be filled out at the end of every day. Students can simply
check the bulletin board to see what they missed and get the materials from the
bookcase next to it. The other bulletin board will change per unit and will highlight key
facts, figures, and places that will be talked about in the unit.
The students desks are set up in pairs, as stated before. By creating a bond or
team between students, they can help each other with the various group work that I will
assign. The aisles are wide enough for students to get through, as well as myself, since
I plan to walk back and forth in front of the class, as well as up and down the aisles. I
placed my desk at the back of the classroom to monitor students while they are working
individually or taking a test. The front of the room in the doorway area is clear for ease
of access in and out of the room. The back part of the room is a resource for students

to check missed assignments and help themselves to any handouts or notes that they
missed.

Classroom Rules:
a.
First, I thought of various classroom rules that I had when I was in high school.
Being on time and prepared for class are two rules that repeated through my high
school years and in the different classes that I had. I too believe that timeliness and
preparedness are important factors for an efficiently run class. The next thing I thought
of was respect; respecting peers and properties in the classroom to be specific. It is
important to convey to the students that everyone and everything deserves respect, not
matter who they are or what it is.
b.
1. Arrive to class in a timely manner, and seated when the bell rings.
2. Start the bell ringer once you are seated.
4. Remember to bring all required materials and textbook to class daily.
3. Treat your peers with courtesy and respect.
5. Handle school property and each others property with respect.

c.
In the beginning of the school year, I will explain the 5 rules with the students and
post them in the classroom. When I explain the rules, I will iterate that the rules are in
place to make for a safe and comfortable learning environment for the students and
their peers. I will also model correct behavior and how to treat another peer in the
class, and give examples or correct and incorrect behavior.
d.
I will have multiple ways in which to contact parents. Since this is a technological
age, I can offer parents to contact me via e-mail or phone. On the first day of school I
will give the students a syllabus and my contact information (school e-mail and phone
extension) and ask them to share the information with their parents. I will also send
home a letter, addressed to the parents, with the same information in case the
student(s) did not relay the information. On both of the papers I will have the classroom
rules, procedures, expectations, and grading scale. I will reiterate these points and
include more information on open house night at the beginning of the year.

Classroom Procedures:
1. When the bell rings, the students will start their bell ringer at their seat, if not
already started.
This is a very important procedure to effectively maximize class instruction time.
Every minute is important to a teacher, so by having the students start the opening

activity as soon as they enter the classroom, it gives the teacher more time to teach the
content and start the class. I will discuss this procedure with the class at the beginning
of the academic year and remind them daily of it during the first two weeks of school. At
the beginning of every class, I will remind students who enter the room to take their seat
and to start the bell ringer, and I will remind them again once the bell rings. If I see a
student off task (not in their seat or working on the bell ringer at the bell) I will walk over
to them and ask them to get started on the bell ringer.
2. When arriving late to class, the student will come in quietly, take their
assigned seat, and get out any required materials. If the student has a hall
pass, the teacher will collect it at the end of the period.
Sometimes, students will be late to class, and to curb disruptive behavior, this
procedure is in place to make sure that class continues to run seamlessly and the
students remained focused on their task. It is important that the teacher collects the hall
pass at the end of the period, so that the student does not disturb the teacher if they are
teaching, and it will not interrupt the learning process of the other students. I will
discuss this procedure with the class at the beginning of the academic year and remind
them of the procedure when necessary; if a student walks into the class late and tries to
hand me their hall pass, I will simply ask them to hold on to it and say that I will get it at
the end of class. At the end of class, I will take the hall pass and once again remind the
student of the procedure in case there is a future occurrence. I will do this every time
the student attempts to hand me the hall pass. If a student comes into class and is a
disruption to their peers, I will simply ask the student to quietly take their seat and get
out the materials necessary at that time. At the end of class, I will talk to the student

and remind them how to appropriately enter the classroom if they are arriving late.
Every time this happens, I will continue to tell the student to take their seat and talk with
them after class; however, if the student repeatedly and maliciously disrupts class and
comes in late, I will notify them that disciplinary action will take place.

3. After discussions, group and pair activities, the teacher will raise her hand to
signal that its time to be quiet. Upon seeing the teachers hand up, the
students will raise theirs too until everyone is focused on the teacher.
Getting students attention after discussion or group work can be hard. During
this transition from a student-centered class to teacher-centered class, students can
misbehave, continue conversation, or ignore the teacher. By having the students
participate in the hand raise, it will catch other students attention and is more likely that
they will refocus on the teacher. By engaging all of the students, they will catch on and
feel more and more comfortable participating in the hand raise. I will discuss this
procedure with the class at the beginning of the academic year and remind them every
time I put my hand up for the first two weeks of school. Upon raising my hand, I will
mention to the closest students around me to do the same, and it will encourage other
students to participate as well. If students start to forget at any point in the year, I will
again mention it to the students around me and then it will catch on. If there is a group
of students who continue talking, or do not participate, I will get closer to them, address
them, and ask them to participate as well. In the future, I would position myself closer to
them to make sure that they are one of the first few students to see my hand go up.

4. If a student has to use the restroom, they will do so by quietly signing out at
the table located by the door, take the pass, go to the restroom, and upon
coming back to the room, they will sign back in and quietly take their seat.
Of course students will have to use the restroom, and possibly multiple students
in one class period. To avoid unnecessary classroom distractions, I will permit the
students to quietly excuse themselves, sign out, sign back in, and take their seat. I feel
that in high school it is important to treat your students as young adults, and not
elementary school children. Thus, I feel that the students are competent enough to
quietly and respectfully to use the restroom and come back to their seat without
disruption. I will discuss this procedure with the class at the beginning of the academic
year and remind them every time a student raises their hand the first two weeks of
school. If a student raises their hand, to use the restroom, after the first two weeks of
school, and I call on them, I will remind them that they do not have to ask me, but to
simply sign out and take the pass. If a student is disruptive while going or returning to
the restroom, I will ask them politely to act respectful to their peers and their learning
environment, and to exit the room or take their seat quietly. Upon continued
misbehavior and disruption of class from a student when going to the restroom, I will
talk to them after class about their actions and warn them of possible consequences. If
the student continues their inappropriate actions, I will revoke their restroom privileges
during my class period for an extended time.

Reinforcement and Consequences:

a.
I will use multiple types of positive consequences to reinforce desired behavior
exhibited from the students. I will use social and activity reinforcers, which are natural
reinforcers, rather than tangible ones. Some examples of the types of reinforcers I
would use are: praise, letting the student choose their partner for an activity, having a
student tutor others, or letting them explore a topic of interest. All of the reinforcers that
I listed are feasible since they do not cost anything, and does not require much effort or
planning. If the student does something good and I want to encourage the behavior, it
is simple to praise them for their answer or action.
If I would use artificial reinforcement in my classroom, I would give a student a
certificate or school supplies, such as pens or pencils. If a student works hard, goes
above and beyond what was expected of them, or achieves a high score on an
assessment, I will only then use artificial reinforcement. Only when the student has
demonstrated these characteristics, they will be rewarded. It is not as feasible as the
natural reinforcements, since I would have to make a certificate and print it out, and buy
the necessary school supplies. Though they are not arduous task to do, it does make
them less feasible to natural reinforcers.
b.
When a student exhibits inappropriate behavior or violates a rule, I would like to
discourage that behavior by using negative consequences. Some examples of negative
consequences I will use, and in order, are: reminding the student of a classroom rule,

talking to them after class about their behavior, revoking privileges to pick a partner,
lunch detention, contacting the parent(s), and then sending the student to the office for
disciplinary action. These steps are feasible since they do not require extensive
planning or purchasing of anything. The more times a student demonstrates
inappropriate behavior or breaks a rule, they will continue up the scale in consequences
until they are eventually sent to the office for further disciplinary action. I will apply the
consequences consistently, make direct eye contact, and be firm with the student. If a
student shows extremely disruptive behavior to the class environment, I will skip the
lower consequences, and seek the one that most fits the inappropriate behavior.

Crisis Plan:
1. Ask for help from the nurse/aide/another staff member/adult and have them call
911, describing what has happened, how many people were involved, and
2.
3.
4.
5.

address of the school and location within the school.

Notify the schools main office.
Clear the classroom of other students.
Assess the student, looking for medical bracelets or ID tags.
Start CPR, if needed, by a trained adult.
After the crisis, I will stay to talk to first responders and write down everything

that happened so that it is documented. It is important to file an incident report right

after the incident so that no information is lost or forgotten, and also that the parents
and medical professionals know the best plan of treatment for the student. I will then
debrief necessary school staff and decide if we need to implement a critical stress

debriefing program. Lastly, there will be a conduct post incident critique so that
corrective action(s) will be taken.