Classroom Management and Student Guidance Plan

Rachel Feldmeyer
EDT 474 Section B
November 24, 2014
Intended Grade Levels: Kingergarten-3rd

Rachel Feldmeyer
EDT 474 B
November 2014
CMSGP
SECTION ONE: EXPLANATION OF CORE BELIEFS
a. What assumptions do you make about the inherent nature of children [e.g., at birth, is
every child inherently good-or are some children born evil-or is every child neutral
in this regard?is every child born with a disobedient will that must be broken
I choose to believe that all children are born inherently good. While every person is born with
a unique set of characteristics and tendencies, I dont think that any person is born completely
evil. I think that people are shaped by their experiences, environment, and relationships, and
from these things they become who they are, evil or good.
b. To what extent can children learn self-control [physical, emotional, intellectual, and
behavioral]? What actions by significant adults [especially parents/guardians and PK-6
teachers] promote a childs development of all domains of self-control?
Children learn self-control over time. Some adults are still developing and working with the
concept of self-control. Parents and teachers are the main source of knowledge as children are
learning self-control. Babies are born with no self-control at all, but as the child grows, parents
are responsible for teaching them how to control themselves. This is done in a variety of ways,
sometimes unnoticed as even being teaching. Parents teach children self-control every day by
listening to childrens problems, discussing why a child can or cant do something, or asking
them why they think something they did is a problem. Allowing the children to be a part of their
own self-control awareness and development is important. Teachers can also help students learn
these skills through talking about different scenarios or reading different books in which
decisions about self-control are made. Through all these mini lessons, children gradually learn
what it means to have self-control.
c. What meaning do you ascribe to learning? How do children learn? Based on your
current understanding, explain your definition of learning and then explain the basic
processes by which a child learns any particular knowledge or skill.
Learning is the process of making sense of the world as a person gains more knowledge through
instruction, study, and experience. Every child is different, and therefore there is no one way that
all children learn. Learning happens all the time, and there is a variety of different ways that
people can learn whether it is through listening, having a hands-on experience, seeing something
new, or any other way you might interact with new information. Different students learn better
in different ways, and therefore using a variety of methods and experiences for children to learn
is very important.
d. What can/should a K-3 teacher do to promote healthy psychosocial development?

A teacher can promote healthy psychosocial development by creating a welcoming, safe

classroom environment. A classroom should be the one place that a child can always count on to
be safe, happy, and feel valued. Children should know that their teacher cares about them and
their education. This can be shown in multiple different ways, including showing a strong effort
to communicate and have relationships with the students parents, talking to students about how
they feel and how they are doing both inside and outside of school, asking students about
themselves, and much more. There should be a very positive and trusting relationship between
teachers and their students in order for students to develop properly.
e. What can/should a K-3 teacher do to promote healthy intellectual growth and
development?
In order to promote intellectual growth, a teacher should take time, and seriously consider their
students when planning lessons. In order to do this, a teacher must really know their students
well. It is important that teachers take into consideration a students ability level, and the way in
which they learn the best. Within a classroom there are children with a wide array of abilities
and preferred ways of learning. Therefore, it is important that a teacher takes the time to create
lessons in which all of these students needs are met, so that they can develop intellectually.
State standards require all students to learn the same things, however the degree to which you
teach these things, the pace, and the entry point or way in which you teach them should vary
depending on the students being taught.
f. In what ways might the relationship between a teacher and a student affect a childs
learning and development
The relationship between a teacher and a student deeply effects a childs learning development.
When a student understands that their teacher cares about them, and respects them, a student is
more motivated to learn. They are ready to listen to what the teacher has to say, and do what the
teacher asks of them, because they trust the teacher, and respect him or her as much as the
teacher respects them. When a teacher is detached from their students, and doesnt put forth an
effort to create and maintain a positive relationship with them, students might not feel as strong
of a need to do what their teacher asks of them. By learning more about their students, teachers
also have the opportunity to create their instruction around their students interests and needs,
making learning more connective, meaningful, and efficient.
g. In what ways might the teacher's relationship with parents/guardians affect a childs
learning and development
The parent- teacher relationship is a very important relationship. When parents and teachers
have a good relationship, they can work together to make sure that the student is learning to their
fullest potential. When teachers communicate with parents about their childs learning, the
parents better understand school and their child, and can help their child with certain things
outside of school. Teachers can also learn a lot about a student from their parents. Parents
usually know their own child best, and see their child from a different perspective that can help

the teacher. When parents and teachers have this positive relationship, it allows children to feel
more confident and comfortable with their teachers and school.
SECTION TWO: STATEMENT OF CORE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
a. Based on the knowledge and skills you have learned thus far in your academic
career and life experience, what can you identify as your Top Ten Beliefs and/or
Strategies About Student Guidance? First, succinctly state the belief or strategy in
your own words; second, identify the source [at least five of your Ten Beliefs and/or
Strategies must come from the Guidance of Young Children textbookfor each of
these, include the page number]; third, briefly explain your reason for choosing
each Belief or Strategy; and fourth, briefly describe how you could use this
Belief/Strategy in your own classroom.
1. Make sure students understand that I care about them and their success. It is important
that I am not only responsive to student needs and wants, but it is also important that
students can sense a certain degree of warmth within my classroom. I want students to
feel comfortable and happy when they are in my classroom. If students feel confortable
and valued within my classroom, they will have a greater sense of self-worth and a
greater desire and ability to learn. In my classroom, I will show my students that I care
about them by genuinely listening and responding to student stories and concerns,
consoling them when something goes wrong, and praising or celebrating with them when
something goes right. (GYC, 5)
2. Set clear limits. It is very important that students are completely aware of the limits or
expectations of the classroom so that they can implement them on a day-to-day basis. It
is important that these limits are not only stated, but also clearly written in a prominent
place in the classroom to remind students on a daily basis what is expected of them. It
might be a good idea to form a list of these limits as a class at the beginning of the year,
so that students feel like they had a part in creating them, and so that they fully
understand what they are, and the reasoning behind the limits. (GYC, 119)
3. Actively listen to childrens problems and concerns. This is a very important strategy,
because it allows students to feel like their ideas or concerns are being completely heard
and not just brushed aside. Students should feel like the teacher understands where they
are coming from, and why something is important to them. When a student comes me, I
will make sure to stop and completely listen to the students feelings, asking questions and
clarifying the concern, before I go on to suggest a solution to the problem (GYC, 135)
4. Connect student learning to their lives, making what they learn meaningful to them. By
connecting learning to the students lives and interests, students are more likely to be
excited to learn and are also more likely to retain the information. In order to make the
content relevant to my students, I will need to know the students on a personal level.
This relationship will not only help in creating meaningful learning, but will also show
students that I care about them and their learning.
5. Provide a safe environment for students. A classroom is a place where students should
always feel safe not only in the physical sense, but also in the mental sense. It is
important that students feel comfortable in school and know that when they are in the
classroom they are away from harm. Students should also feel safe enough in the

classroom to talk to the teacher or in front of the class about their feelings, concerns, or
just life in general. This sense of safety is important because it allows students to focus
solely on their work and education, and also allows students to feel comfortable enough
to express themselves in a safe environment, which they might not have anywhere else.
(GYC, 206)
6. Give meaningful feedback to children. It is important that I make an effort to give
students constructive feedback on both their behavior and their work. Simply giving
students empty praise or simple criticism without a solution is ineffective. When students
provide a behavior or work, good or bad, they need constructive criticism that will help
them to change their actions, or meaningful praise that conveys to them exactly what they
did right. I think it will be important for me to do this in my classroom often, and I will
try to give frequent, meaningful feedback to students so that they know exactly what they
are doing well and exactly what they need to work on or improve. (GYC, 329)
7. Students should be active participants in solving their own problems, and should
eventually learn how to do so on their own. Conflict is an inevitable part of life. It is
important that the teacher supports students in recognizing and managing their own
conflict. There are conflicts every day within a classroom and as the teacher I will not
jump to right away solve these problems, but rather teach children skills that help them
solve their conflicts or problems through modeling and support (GYC, 137)
8. Teach students strategies for managing their own emotions. Everyone is faced with a
flood of different emotions every day. It is important that students are not only aware of
these different emotions, but that they also learn how to deal with them on a daily basis.
When confronted with different situations, I will make sure to explain to students, in a
kind manner, how we might deal with the situation, and how to control the particular
emotion that we are dealing with. (GYC, 207)
9. Model the behaviors you wish for your students to demonstrate. Most of the behaviors
that young children learn are learned simply by watching what other people do, and
modeling the same behavior, good or bad. That is why it is so important that teachers not
only put the rules for the classroom in place, but also make sure that they also follow the
rules and correct behaviors so that students act in the same way. In my classroom, this
would involve treating the students, faculty, and parents with respect, and showing
responsible, thoughtful behavior every day. (GYC, 49)
10. Give children choices when possible. This is an important aspect of the classroom,
considering decision-making is such an important part of life. Students should be
developing these decision-making skills every day. Giving children simple opportunities
to make small decisions like where to sit, and discussing the decision process will help
them make bigger decisions later on in life. (GYC, 121).
b. What role/s do you expect to play in the lives of your students?
The roles that I expect to play in the lives of my students include instructor,
advocate, and confidant. Obviously, first and foremost I am their instructor. I
want students to learn from me and discover that education and school can be fun.
I also want to be their biggest advocate. I want all of my students to know that I
support them and want them to succeed in all that they do. I will be their biggest
cheerleader whether it is in academics or something else. Finally, I want to be

their greatest confidant. I want students to feel comfortable in my classroom, and

confident that they can come to me for anything, school related or not.
c. What legacy do you hope to leave imprinted in your students minds, hearts, and
souls?
I remember each of my different elementary teachers for different reasons, good
or bad. When my students look back at their year in my classroom I want them to
smile. I want them to remember their year in my class as a year where they felt
comfortable, respected, valued, and cared for. I want them to walk away not only
with a deeper understanding of content, but also a deeper understanding of
themselves as people. I want them to remember my classroom as an inclusive,
loving community learners where they genuinely loved to be.
d. What needs of your own do you anticipate getting met by your work as a classroom
teacher?
The thought of actually having my own classroom is very scary, and I know that it
will pose many challenges. However, I know that I will also get a lot out of the
experience. I truly do love working with children, and have already experienced
the overwhelming satisfaction and joy of helping a student finally understand
something. Seeing that light bulb go off in a childs head is an amazing
experience. While the path to get there might not always be an easy one, I really
think that it will be a rewarding one.
SECTION THREE: PROCEDURES AND ROUTINES
a. When the school bell signals the students to enter the building, where will you be
and what will you be doing for the first 3 minutes of the school day?
As the students are entering my classroom, I will be standing at the door greeting each
student with a smile. I will instruct them to come into the classroom, follow morning
procedures, greet their friends, and begin on their morning exercises. I believe that these
first three minutes of the day are very important and set the tone for the rest of the day.
This beginning of the day procedure plays a large role in teacher-student relationship
building.
b. How will you manage students lunch tickets and/or money?
As students enter the classroom, they will be required to move a popsicle stick with their
name on it to either the pack or specific buy jar. There will be several different jars
labeled with the various lunch choices for students to put their popsicle sticks in. I will
then count the sticks in each jar, and follow whatever the recording procedures are for my
school. This will be an established part of the morning routine.

c. How will attendance be taken?

Attendance will be taken by surveying which of the popsicle sticks that students are
required to move for lunch have not been moved from the main jar. This is a quick and
easy way to see which students are absent, without disrupting the flow of the morning
routine. I will then allow the star student of the week to deliver the attendance to the
office and return promptly to the classroom.
d. How will morning announcements be made?
After students have worked on their morning work, I will call for a morning meeting.
During the morning meeting we will go over all the announcements for the day, including
things such as special events, a change in the schedule, upcoming deadlines for projects,
after-school activities, fundraisers, etc. I will then continue on to review the students
morning work with them, and start the day.
e. How will you collect students homework?
Every student will have a take-home folder of his or her own. Inside the take-home
folder there will be two pockets labeled keep at home and homework. As part of the
daily routine, students will bring their homework to my desk where there will be a turn-in
tray labeled homework. Students will place their homework in the turn-in box and I
will later record the students who completed the homework on time by checking off their
name on a checklist of the whole class.
f. How will students line up at the door to leave the classroom for another part of the
building (music, lunch, etc.)?
Students will be required to line up in a straight line, inside of the classroom before we
walk to another area of the school. I will dismiss students based on how ready they look.
The students who are quietly and respectfully sitting at their desks, waiting to be
dismissed will get the privilege of getting in line first. The star student of the week will
be the leader of the line so that there is no fighting over who gets to lead the class.
g. How will you manage use of the rest rooms by students throughout the day?
Students will have several opportunities throughout the day for class restroom breaks.
However, if a student needs to go the restroom while we are doing an activity, they
should simply write their name on the board, and take either the boys or the girls
bathroom pass from the board. This way I am constantly aware of which students are
gone at all times. No more than two students will be allowed to go to the restroom at
once.
h. How will you manage student use of the hallway drinking fountain?

Students can ask to get a drink of water in the same way that they can ask to go to the
restroom. Students should write their name on the board and take the drinking fountain
pass. There will only be one drinking fountain pass.
i. How will you manage student use of the classroom sink [lets assume there is one]?
Students should use the sink only when directed to do so for classroom purposes, or if
they ask for permission under special circumstances. Students will be encouraged to use
the sinks in the bathroom for personal needs throughout the day. When students are using
the sink, there should be no more than one student at the sink at a time.
j. How will you manage student use of the pencil sharpener?
There will be a set of sharpened pencils on every students table, so sharpening pencils
should not be a frequent problem. If a student cannot find a sharpened pencil within the
set and does need to sharpen a pencil, they will be allowed to sharpen their pencil without
asking for permission. Students will have the option of using a manual or an electric
pencil sharpener.
k. How will you organize and direct student use of common classroom supplies (paper,
books, etc.)?
All classroom supplies will be placed on an open-access table. Students are welcome to
any of the materials at the table at any time and can use the resources without asking.
There will also be a set of basic school supplies that students use frequently in a caddy in
the middle of each table. Students are also welcome to these supplies at any time during
the day. Students are expected to respect the supplies, and neatly put it back when they
are finished using it.
l. How will you organize and manage student Classroom Helpers--what classroom
jobs will there be? What procedure will you use to assign Classroom Helpers?
There will be a star student each week, and many of the classroom jobs will be given to
this student. This student will have the privilege of running the attendance, leading the
line, and leading the pledge of allegiance. There will be a few other classroom jobs that
will rotate from week to week. Each table will have a paper collector, which will rotate
each week. There will also be paper passers assigned each week to return graded papers
on Fridays. Every student is responsible for his or her own area, and is expected to
volunteer when help is needed in undefined areas.
m. How will you collect daily assignments from students?
There will be a two tiered turn in tray on my desk labeled box a and box b . Upon
completion of an assignment, the students will be asked to either place their work in box
a, or box b on my desk and then move on to their next task.

n. As you bring the school day to a close: what will the students are expected to do-and what will you be doing--during the last 3 minutes of the school day?
At the end of each school day students will be required to pack up their belongings, and
tidy the area around them. The students will then come to the carpet for a final class
meeting. During the class meeting, students will have the opportunity to raise their hand
and share something about their day. This could be a success, something funny,
something that challenged them, or something that they loved about the day. At this time
I will make any last minute announcements that I have, and instruct the students to form a
line at the door for dismissal.
SECTION FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION OF STUDENT GUIDANCE PRACTICES
a. Classroom rules/expectations: By whom--and how--will these be determined? Once
determined, how will you communicate these rules/expectations to students and
parents/guardians?
At the beginning of the year the whole class will sit down together and discuss the
rules that we want for our classroom. This way, students have ownership in the
rules of the classroom and begin to build a community of collaborative learners.
After we have discussed the rules that we want in our classroom, the students will
sign the rules, agreeing that they promise to follow the agreed upon rules. The
rules will be posted in the classroom for all the students to read and reference.
For items be below, think about an example of the kind of student behavior described
and then state your example [e.g., During math instruction Becky sat quietly in her seat,
staring out the window for about 5 minutes].
Next, briefly explain how you would respond to this particular behavior exhibited by a
student in your classroom [e.g., If Becky continued to stare out the window for a few minutes
or longer, I would walk over and stand next to her desk while I continued my instruction].
b. Level I: Some student behaviors may be off-task but not disruptive to your
instruction or other students learning [e.g., sleeping in class; staring out the
window, etc.]. How will you deal with this type of student behaviors?
Example: During math class Andrew is staring off into space and is unproductive, not working
on his assigned work. In order to get him back on task, I would start to circulate around the
room to answer questions and stand by his desk. If my presence alone does not make him start to
work, I might re-state what he is supposed to be doing, in order to make sure he understands
what he should be working on.
c. Level II: Some student behaviors will be off-task and mildly disruptive to your
teaching and/or other students learning [e.g., two students chatting during
instruction; two students passing notes back and forth, etc.]. How will you deal with
this type of student behaviors?

Example: During a read aloud, Tommy and Jake are talking to each other, disrupting other
students focus on the story. In order to address the situation I would politely ask Tommy to
please come sit at the front of the carpet by me so that the two students are separated and can no
longer chat during the story.
d. Level III: Some student behaviors will be off-task and seriously disruptive to your
teaching and every other students learning [e.g., a student throws a soggy paper
towel at you and it splatters against the chalkboard; a student says loudly, Youre
not my mother and I dont have to do what you say! etc.]. How will you deal with
this type of student behaviors?
Example: After asking John to get back on task and complete his work he yells, I dont want to,
it is too hard, and throws his pencil across the room. I would immediately remove John from
the classroom and walk into the hallway with him. I would give him a few minuets to cool off,
and then ask him why he did what he did. After listening to him, I would say that I understand
his frustration, but I would explain that we are at school to learn and it is okay if he doesnt know
everything, because that is what we are here for and everyone has trouble with different things in
school. I would then explain that even though we might get frustrated, we all have to respect
each other and cant do things like throw pencils or yell, because we will disrupt the class and
might even hurt someone. I would then console him, explaining that if he ever is confused with
a problem he should simply raise his had and ask for my help, because that is what I am there
for, to help him learn, and I want him to be successful.
e. Level IV: Some student [or others] behaviors will pose an immediate, serious
threat to the physical safety of you and/or other students [e.g., a stranger bolts into
your classroom holding a pistol and threatens to blow you all away; a student
grabs a pair of scissors and holds to point at the throat of another student, etc.].
How will you deal with this type of student or intruder behaviors?
Example: During the school day, an intruder enters the school with a gun. I would immediately
jump into action, implementing the schools action plan that the students were taught from the
beginning of the year. Many of these action plans differ in instructions, but I would make sure to
keep myself calm and reassure the students, trying to keep them calm and quiet. If the intruder
were to enter my classroom, I would place anything possible between the students and the
intruder, including myself if necessary.