The Plan

Clear Vision and High Expectations

Classroom rules and expectations will be made very clear by having them posted in my
classroom. **See classroom diagram. I am also planning on including students in the process of
making the rules so that they are not only clear, but relevant and accepted by the students. I will
include one sort of pledge or purpose on respect that reads as follows: That everyone who
steps into the classroom does so with the willingness to listen to all ideas presented. That each
student is entitled to his or her own personal beliefs, ideals, and interpretations. That all
criticism be constructive. That any and all discrepancies or conflict be handled in a mature
fashion. That each student is allowed equal time to present ideas without interruption. That each
student is treated with kindness and respect at all times.
Clear Procedures
Classroom procedures will be made very clear by having them posted in my classroom. **See
classroom diagram. By consistently maintaining the same opening and closing activities in the
classroom, students will get into a routine and know exactly what they are supposed to do during
my class. I will do an opening activity such as a journal or a daily language review and a closing
activity of reviewing the information covered during that day.
Relationships and Support
I want to build strong relationships between my students and their parents. These relationships
will build support among my class and help to create a community which will make a more
comfortable learning environment. **See letter to parents.
Engaging Instruction
The instruction I provide to my students will hopefully be beneficial and engaging. I will work to
incorporate all different types of learning styles and intelligences. One of the key components of
my instruction will be to implement cooperative learning so that I can encourage positive
interdependence, individual accountability, equal participation, and simultaneous interaction
among my students. The set-up of my room will also make sure that my students are engaged
during instruction. **See classroom diagram
Interventions and Re-directions
My biggest fear about classroom management is interventions and re-directions. However, I
think that my balance between an authoritarian attitude and a laid back attitude will be a great
way to keep my students on task. As far as re-directions are concerned, I am planning on using
proximity control as a main tool in managing my classroom. I will do my very best to never call
out a student in the middle of class nor will I rant at my students. I will absolutely never tell a
class that they will just read for the rest of class or refuse to teach because a class is being unruly
or ornery. It is my responsibility as a professional educator to figure out a way to manage a
classroom and the students within it, no matter how the students are acting. As far as
interventions are concerned, I will follow whatever structure my school district has in place. I

also plan on utilizing the experience of my mentor teacher, especially during my first few years
of teaching. I will make sure to keep open lines of communication between students, parents, and
administration in terms of what interventions are being implemented and what the desired results
are. **See dealing with difficult parents.
Dealing with Difficult Parents
I will strive to give all students in my classroom equal instruction and to help them reach
their potential. I understand that I may not always be successful in achieving those goals with all
students and that parents, especially if their child is struggling in my classroom, will not
necessarily see how much effort I put into attaining the goals. I want to encourage open
communication between myself, my students, and the parents of my students. That is, I want all
people affected by my classroom to feel that they can come talk to me, call me, or e-mail me
about things they see happening in my classroom, both positive and negative. That is not to say
that a parent can influence or change the way my classroom is run or demand a higher grade for
their student. The parent letter that I will send home at the beginning of each school year will
makes sure parents know that I want their voices to be heard, but that the classroom and all
decisions made regarding that classroom, are ultimately my responsibility.
First and foremost, I will keep detailed logs of all parent interaction. I will save electronic
and hard copies to make sure that I have proper documentation of all communication with
parents. In most cases, these logs will be excessive and never need to be referenced. However,
especially in the case of an irate parent, I would like to have all communication clearly laid out
in case additional parties become involved with the conflict. Telephone logs will be a little bit
harder to keep, especially since you cannot record the entirety of the conversation. I would like
to follow up all telephone conversations with parents with an e-mail detailing what we talked
about on the phone and any plans we will be implementing in regards to their child. I will ask the
parent to respond to the e-mail confirming what was covered and adding any additional
information. This will ensure that if any problem continues to be present, we will have solid
documentation of what did not work to fix it and will be able to improve upon any previous
plans.
Secondly, and this almost goes without saying, I will never respond to any parent
communication when I am upset. Nothing good not for the student or myself will come from
that. I will try to see parents reaching out to me, even if they are mad, as a good sign; they are
passionate about their child(ren) and their success. I am a tool in that success and we will be able
to unite our passion for student success eventually.
If I receive a phone call or e-mail from a very upset parent, I will handle it as
professionally as possible. An e-mail would obviously be easier, since it would give me time to
respond thoroughly and invite the parent to call me or meet with me to discuss the issue further.
It will also give the parent time to cool off between sending the e-mail and receiving my
response. They will hopefully be able to see that the students version of the story is just one
version and be able to better rationalize the situation with all points of view presented. As far as
a phone call is concerned, I would try to just listen to the parent and understand why they were

upset. I would make sure to let them state where they are coming from as long as they feel
necessary, as long as the conversation is productive and ultimately moving towards finding a
solution. After letting them talk, I would then explain to them what I think they are upset about
before presenting an explanation of the situation. Finally, I would talk to them about how we
could fix the problem together. I would let them know that I would be following up with an email and that they could feel free to call me again or set up a meeting if they felt like that would
benefit the situation.
Before a meeting with a parent, I would like to have any necessary materials with me. If
the parent is coming in because of a students grade, I would like to have my grades and the
students homework or lack thereof with me to give the parent a clear understanding of the
situation. If the student was in trouble for bad behavior in class, I would like to have several
situations in mind and any documentation of write ups or whatever system I was using to track
student misbehavior. I would also want to have documentation of steps being taken to remedy
the students behavior and what has worked and what hasnt. After a meeting with a parent, I
would like to follow up with an e-mail in the same way that I would after a phone conversation
to ensure understanding and clarity on all parts.
In order to establish the open communication I hope to have between myself and the
parents of my students, I will also be reaching out to contact them if I see a potential or current
problem with their child. I will never solely present the problem to the parent. I would start out
by mentioning what great things their child brings to my classroom before mentioning any
concerns and then solicit their help in developing ways to eliminate the problem. This way
parents will feel involved and needed without having to feel defensive about their child(ren)s
behavior.
I understand that some parents will not be involved in their child(ren)s academic life. I
will do my best to include them as much as possible, but when I realize that my efforts are in
vain I will begin sending the concerns to the counselors office or other administrators. In
addition to being able to help me create interventions and improvement plans, these people will
also have more skills and experience in dealing with difficult parents and may have different
ideas on how to encourage their involvement in their child(ren)s life.
I want parents to like me as their child(ren)s teacher the same way that I want my
students to like having me as a teacher. However, more than their approval, I want their respect. I
will handle all parent interactions as a professional in order to earn that respect from them. I want
parents to know that I dedicated 4 years of studying and am currently working full-time because
of how important I think it is for children, their child specifically, to receive a quality education.
My beginning of the year contact with parents and continued documented communication in
addition to providing their children with relevant content both in class and through homework
should aid in avoiding any issues with parent interactions throughout my career.
The following is an example of the letter I plan to send to parents at the beginning of each school
year:
Dear Parent(s),

I am so excited to have your student in my 7th grade English classroom! In order to ensure that
your student learns as much as possible and enjoys his or her time in my classroom, I would like
to lay out the rules and expectations of my classroom. In order to make sure that these
expectations and rules are clear, I would like to share my classroom procedure with you in
addition to your child.
Each class period will begin with bell work, which will consist of short journal entries or daily
language reviews. Students are to begin working on bell work as soon as they get to the
classroom and will only have a short time period to complete it. Each class period will end with
students going over (either individually in writing, with a pair or group, or in a class discussion)
what they learned during the class period and what they think will be important to remember.
All of my expectations revolve around respect. Students should respect each other by working
quietly on individual projects and encouraging each other during group projects. Students should
respect me by coming to class prepared, both with necessary materials and with completed
homework or reading. Students should respect themselves by working diligently and consistently
during the entirety of each class in order to get the maximum benefit from my course.
Students will complete a variety of assignments and exams throughout the year. The majority of
this work will be completed in class and will be done individually. There will, however, be some
group projects. In group projects, students will be graded based off the quality of their portion of
the work. A small portion of their grade will be determined by their group members which will
reflect their degree of participation and cooperation among the group. A small portion of the
overall project will be based on the actual group work which will reflect their degree of
participation, cooperation and productivity among the group.
Most of the materials students will need for my class will be provided, but students may need to
be prepared to use both school and public library resources if their work is not completed during
class time and for some reading materials. Occasionally it may be necessary for students to
provide their own materials for a project.
During the first week of classes, my students and I will work together on what we feel are
justifiable consequences for breaking class rules or disrupting class. Establishing consequences
in this manner will help my students be aware of any consequences they may face for bad
behavior and will help keep consequences consistent among students. A list of these disruptions
and their consequences will be sent out once they have been determined.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have in regards to
these expectations or with general inquiries.
Thank you for your time and willingness to help make this the best school year possible for your
7th grader!
Sincerely,
Alexandria Mott