Classroom Management__________________

I firmly believe that classroom management starts at home. Each student comes to school with a certain type of behavioral expectation from home. I stress to each student that I expect them to behave in a respectable manner, and if that expectation is not met then there will be calls home. I try to limit the amount of negative interactions, but when necessary I am more than capable of placing those calls. In the past I have practiced various forms of institutional classroom management. One practice I found particularly effective was the Responsible Thinking Process, or RTP. RTP consist of a series of questions a student must answer when their behavior is not to the level expected. After a preliminary round of questions, a student is required to leave and write a behavior plan if they are asked the questions a second time. This practice shifts the responsibility from the teacher to the student in terms of identifying issues and corrections. It is possible to be behaviorally sound, and yet educationally wary. To ensure that students are focused and considerate in class I like to be clear as to my educational expectations. For me this means allowing parents an insight into the content of our classroom. To promote conversation at home I contribute to school wide literature sent home (such as newsletters), send e-mail prompts to parents informing them of upcoming assessment dates, and maintain a comprehensive website. The website works in two fashions: as a resource of class notes for the sick, absent, or students with required accommodations, and so that parents can keep up with the classwork. Parents often have remarked in the past that the site is educational for them, and allows them to independently quiz their own students and strike up conversation at home. Ultimately I like to place the responsibility of management on the students themselves. I do this by creating a helpful and positive environment. In my classroom, all students have the right to learn. When one student interrupts this process, their peers provide the cues for correcting their behavior.