REFLECTION PAPER ON PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND

VIRGINIA

Reflection Paper on Proactive Behavior Management and Standard 5.2

Tawanrut Cheevaphantusri
The University of Virginia

REFLECTION PAPER ON PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND

VIRGINIA

Abstract
This paper is a reflection paper on the Virginia Performance Standard 5.2 regarding proactive
behavior management. The paper explores how agreeing on a set of classroom expectations and
rules with the students early on in the school year can prevent the amount of misbehaviors in the
classroom as well as teach the students to be responsible and respectful individuals.
Keywords: Virginia Performance Standard 5.2, proactive, behavior management

REFLECTION PAPER ON PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND

VIRGINIA

Reflection Paper on Proactive Behavior Management and Virginia Performance Standard 5.2
The case on behavior management that was brought up in class has allowed me to
reflect on the importance of the Virginia Performance Standard 5.2 which evaluates a teacher
on how he or she establishes clear expectations, with student input, for classroom rules and
procedures early in the school year, and enforces them consistently and fairly (VPS 5.2). I
believe behavior management is one of the most difficult things to establish in a classroom,
especially in the absence of a good relationship between the teacher and the students as
portrayed in the case study. Thus, there is a need for a mutual agreement on a set of
expectations or rules in the classroom early on in the school year. Teachers should be able to
master standard 5.2 because doing so would provide a foundation in which a community of
trust and respect can be built upon.
I think an important part to standard 5.2 is the part, which states that class
expectations and rules should be established with student input. For by allowing students to
help decide on the proper behaviors and class etiquettes, teachers are also making the
students sign binding contracts to follow class rules and expectations. The students would
also remember the rules and expectations better because they helped come up with them.
Moreover, the act of allowing the students to have say in deciding on class expectations is
also an act of trust and respect from the teacher towards the students. The teacher
demonstrates that he or she trusts the students to help make the classroom a suitable learning
environment for everyone and their respect their judgments to what proper behavior in a
classroom should be. Furthermore, the process of establishing class expectations also matches
behavior indicator 3c of building a collaborative positive learning environment. For by

REFLECTION PAPER ON PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND

VIRGINIA
modeling the behaviors of trust and respect in coming up with class expectations with the
students, the teacher [will be able to collaborate] with learners and colleagues to develop
shared values and expectations for respectful interactions, rigorous academic discussions, and
individual and group responsibility for quality work (InTasc Learning Environment
standard). Thus, the trust and respect that will be built upon this foundation will ensure that
the classroom provides not only physical security but also a psychological security or the
feeling that this is a good, comfortable place to be (Designing the Physical Environment, p.
28). On the contrary, however, allowing student input in coming up with classroom rules and
expectations might require the teacher to use a lot of manipulation in order to keep the
students focused. For instance, in a classroom where there are troublesome students, they
might try to joke around and come up with rules such as the classroom should adopt a pet
or something very bizarre.
Standard 5.2 is also important to the school and society because it sets the students on
their paths to attain SEL competencies, which encompasses the three areas: emotional
processes, social or interpersonal skills, and cognitive regulation (Jones et. al, 2013, p. 6162), for a good set of class expectations would model good and respectful behavior that
students should also have outside the classroom. For instance, the discussion on what is
respect? or how to be respectful will most likely come up in generating classroom rules
would promote SEL competency skills. First of all students will realize that their actions
would affect others and develop both self-awareness and social awareness. In addition,
knowing how their actions affect others would also make them reflect on their personal,
moral, and ethical responsibilities, and acquire the skill of responsible decision making as
well as self-management. Eventually, all of these SEL competency skills will lead to the skill

REFLECTION PAPER ON PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND

VIRGINIA
of relationship management, which includes working cooperatively with the rest of the class
and building good relationships to minimize conflict in the classroom.
The principles that govern classroom rules are ones that students can bring with them
wherever they go. By understanding that their actions affect others, students will become
more considerate about what they do and become more responsible citizens and create a
positive climate for the classroom. In addition, by getting the students to follow classroom
rules and expectations that model good behavior, the students will get into the habit of
behaving responsibly and bring their good behavior out to the real world as well. I think that
a school should not only teach students academic content, but also teach them how to be good
and responsible people. In fact, I think that teaching the students good manners and respect is
even more important than academic content. However, too much importance has been given
to test scores and standardized tests that educators in the education field seem to have
forgotten that teaching our students good and appropriate behavior may even be more
important than learning academic content. I think that the Virginia Performance Standard 5.2
is a standard that should be used to remind teachers that teaching the students to be good
people is also an important part of our profession. However, I think that one part of the
standard should be modified. I do not quite understand what it means in the standard when it
says the rules and procedures should be enforced fairly. How can you enforce a rule fairly?
And what will be used to determine whether it is fair or not? I think that a better word for the
context would be reasonably or within reason. For example, if there is a rule for no
electronic devices in the room, the teacher may reasonably allow students to use their laptops
in class when working on a long term project that requires searching for information on the
internet.

REFLECTION PAPER ON PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND

VIRGINIA
In conclusion, I believe that the Virginia Standard Performance 5.2 is a standard that
is crucial to the productivity of a classroom. Behavior management strategies should be
proactive and not reactive. By agreeing to a set of rules and expectations with the students
early on, teachers will be able to minimize the amount of misbehavior in the classroom and
also build a safe and positive environment for the students to learn. The standard is also
important to the school culture and the society because students are most likely to make the
good behavior their habits and exhibit them outside of the classroom too.
References
Designing the Physical Environment. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from UVaCollab at the
University of Virginia
Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers.
www.doe.virginia.gov/
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards. www.ccsso.org/intasc
Jones, S., Bouffard, S., & Weissbourd, R. (2013, May 1). Educators' social and emotional
skills vital to learning. Educators' social and emotional skills vital to learning. Retrieved
July 27, 2014, from UVaCollab at the University of Virginia