EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: I believe that learning occurs in an environment that demonstrates disciplined questioning, in turn, developing and integrating

knowledge and skills. The best learning occurs in an environment that provides opportunities for active learning, resources and displays responsibility and initiative. Learning is achieved through a combination and alignment of curriculum, experiences, knowledge, and assessment. Students should learn civic and personal responsibilities, along with global and cultural awareness and understanding. They should also be aware of the numerous ways to communicate ideas and feelings effectively. Through this, they will demonstrate critical thinking and reasoning, problem solving and creative thinking. As an educator, it is my job to incorporate a variety of philosophies into my teaching. Through that, the students will develop new understanding and skills. They will be more open to learning and change. This will overall help them become responsible adults, able to use critical reasoning, creative thinking and problem solving skills. I feel that my classroom layout will reflect my educational philosophy, teaching/personality style and support student communication. My educational philosophy is represented in my classroom by preparing them for the real world. I want them to be a team player, but also working independently. My classroom will allow me to facilitate the students learning process and support student communication. The desks are arranged in groups or clusters promoting group work. This makes it easier for the students to talk with each other and help with peer teaching. Through regular communication with the students and their parents, they will always know what is going on in the classroom. They will always be given up to date information and know that their progress is valued by me. Through continual communication with the students and parents, we will be able to work together to ensure the students success.

CLASSROOM POLICIES: Student Discipline Policy: As a teacher, I do not want to have any authority battles, so I will try to minimize any student discipline. If my nonverbal gestures do not work, they will be given two verbal warnings. If the two additional warnings do not work, their parents will be contacted. After the parents are contacted, the next step will be to contact the office. Some behaviors that will have zero tolerance are bullying, threats and harassment to students and teachers, and drug or alcohol use. These behaviors will result in an immediate office referral and a phone call home. Student Communication Policy: Student will be given my email address and planning period. My door is always open to my students. Anti-Discrimination Policy: Everyone will be treated equal! With the exception to IEPs, special conditions and arrangements made with administration and parents. Academic Honesty Policy:

Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any cheating and/or plagiarism will result in a zero, in that assignment or test. However, I will promote academic integrity from day one. Tardiness Policy: Students that are late to class must present a note from a teacher or administrative staff. If they do not have one, they will be asked to get one from the office. Late Work Policy: Students will be allowed to turn in late work, up until the unit test. I feel that the students have the right to learn the material and get credit for the work done. Some students use late work as an excuse not to do it. If they know that it will be accepted up until the test, they may be more opt to complete it by the due date. Extra Credit Policy: Extra credit will be made available to students on a weekly basis. I do not want to discriminate against any of my students, no matter their grade. If a student has an A in the class but wants an A+, they are more than welcome to do all the extra credit they want. Absentee Work Policy: Students will be given two days, after their return from being ill. If they will be gone and are aware of their absence before, they will be given the work. It is then expected to be completed by their return. Food and Drink Policy: Gum and water are allowed, however food is not permitted. Leaving your seat: Students are able to sharpen their pencils, get a Kleenex and throw things away; however they need to do these tasks quickly and quietly. Bathroom Policy: Students will be given five hall passes per semester. After asking for permission, they are able to use the restroom, go to their locker or visit another teacher. They will just have to turn in a hall pass. Once they have used all their hall passes, they will not be able to leave the classroom, so they will have to use their passes wisely! This policy will not apply to any students with a medical condition or if it is stated in their IEP, so get up and walk around. Classroom Expectations: Respect the teacher, other students and yourself. Keep your hands, feet and all objects to yourself. Come to class on time, prepared and ready to participate. Stay on task and give everything your all.

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES:

When students come into the classroom, they will always see the class itinerary on the white board. This way, the students will know what the teachers expectations are, throughout the class. I will also use differentiated instruction from period to period and day to day. This will keep the students engaged and actively learning. Students are expected to raise their hand, in class, unless we are having a group discussion or debate. If we are having a discussion they will be expected to uphold the classroom expectations. If we are in the middle of a lesson, the students are to raise their hand. Raising your hand shows that you respect the person speaking. It also says I care about what you are saying. I will have a double back up activity or plan; for any time that I may end my lesson before class ends. The only way I wont teach up until the bell rings, is if we end the activity and only have a few minutes left in class. I dont want to start something that they wont retain. When that happens, they can talk to their friends, listen to their IPod, get on the internet, or finish homework from another class. This can happen, only if they are upholding the classroom expectations. If the class doesnt abide by the classroom expectations they I will assign homework and that is what they will be expected to work on. As we transition from lessons to activities, students may get distracted. If I am ready to start but the class isnt, I will simply turn the lights off until the class is silent and all eyes are on me. That way I know that they are ready to learn. If there are specific students causing the disturbance, I will take note of that and address them individually, as the class ends or the students break into groups. I want to provide the students with a comfortable, safe environment that they feel they can be themselves. I will not be treated like their mother, but I want them to know that the classroom is a safe and consistent place. With that, I feel that disrespect is the least tolerated. This would include talking while I am teaching or another student is talking. Students are not allowed to just leave the classroom or their seats, unless we are in small groups or independently learning. As a teacher, I want to have the students so engaged in the lesson that there are no disruptions. If there are disruptions I will reroute and get them involved. I plan on keeping thorough notes on students behaviors, formative assessments and grades. This will provide me with specific details and observations, when I meet with other teachers and the students parents or guardians. Along with my observations, I will also provide feedback for my students. This will be demanding but the payoff is worth it. Kids want feedback, they want to know where they did well and where they need improvement. When the students get their work back, with my feedback, they will be able to use that to correct any questions that were wrong. Not only do the students benefit from my feedback, but those assignments and class work are great formative assessments. Formative assessments will be performed much more frequency; however my unit tests and Iowa Assessments will provide me with additional understanding of the information being presented. With the internet being accessible as it is many schools have begun to use online programs for their school, whether that is MyCyberSchool, Moodle, PowerSchool or Infinite Campus. With these programs, students can submit homework; find additional resources, view pod casts, and that quizzes and tests. The tests and quizzes are automatically graded and inputted into the grade book. The homework grades get submitted once I grade them online. This makes the turnover on homework and tests rather quickly. Once homework is returned the students will have an opportunity to correct their answers for credit. I want the students to learn the information. If they have to keep correcting their mistakes, they may slow down while working on their assignments, to avoid the relooks. The students and their parents will have a username and password so they can look at their grades. That way, they can view their grades and contact me with any questions or concerns. Any homework

and class noted will be attached to the website. There will also be a calendar of previous classes and upcoming lessons. Not only will it be online, but it will also be displayed on a bulletin board. The board will show that months assignments, the notes from the classes, any upcoming tests or projects. Next to the assignment bulletin board, the students will find shelves. The shelves will be labeled for each period. On the bulletin board, the students will be able to see the late work, extra credit and tardiness policies.

CLASSROOM LAYOUT: (Please see attached image) My classroom will be decorated in motivational/inspirational quotes and posters. I will also have antibullying posters and information. I want my room to have a safe, comfortable feeling to it. Through this feeling, my students will want to be in my classroom. In my classroom, my desk will be placed by the door. This way, I feel I have more control of who is coming in and going out. If there is an emergency and the door needs to be blocked, I have a better chance of getting to the door faster, if I am at my desk. The students desks will be changed quarterly, if not more frequently. Also, depending on the activity, desks may be arranged for the highest effectiveness. The students will have a Student Corner where they will find all assignments, graded homework and the place to turn in all late or extra credit work. This will provide the students with a one stop shop for every days lesson. I will have a calendar on a bulletin board with folders labeled as Late Work, Extra Credit, and Daily Assignments. They will be filled every day for the students that need a refresher on the previous days assignment or lesson plan. They will also be able to turn in all homework, assignments, quizzes or tests. The tiered shelf will be labeled for every period and you simply turn in your work for that class. I do not want students to think that they are favorites and other students are not. Basically, prevent any unneeded competition or felt favoritism. I will have a library in my classroom. I want the students to have a wide array of books that the school library may not have. I will also be including National Geographic books and other big picture books. This will be nice for the students that dont necessarily like to read fiction and nonfiction books. It may also inspire them to work for a specific area of interest. For the most part, the desks will be in groups or clusters, to promote group learning. I will also provide secluded desks for independent learning. They will be group together but have partitions creating an independent work area. The students will also be able to access the internet. Not all students will be able to use the computers at the same time; however I would like to have three or four computers. My classroom will also have an additional table in the corner, allowing me to pull small amounts of students over and work with them separately.

COMMUNICATION POLICIES: Communication is key in my classroom. As long as I know what is going on, then things will go smoothly. I want my students and their parents to feel that they can contact me at any time, about anything. I want them to feel welcomed and valued.

I would love all the parents to be involved in their childs life. I will provide the opportunity for the parents to contact me, monthly, by sending home a newsletter with the students and via email. This will include them in our monthly lessons and plans. It will also give them additional information about me and the school district. In addition to the monthly newsletter I will personally call them or email them with any updates on their child. I would like the contacts to be more positive than negative and I will not allow the first contact to be a negative one. I am open to home visits, especially if they do not have the means or resources to make it in to or contact the school. However, if I do conduct home visits, I will not be doing them alone. I feel that it protects me personally but also professionally. At the beginning of every school year, schools have Back to School Night. At this time, I will introduce myself to the parents. We will go over the lessons for the semester or year. I will inform them of all major assignments or projects and when our tests are scheduled. I will also present and hand out our Classroom Handbook. The classroom handbook will outline all classroom policies and procedures, along with classroom expectations. The week before Back to School Night or Parent-Teacher Conferences I will email them an outline of our time together. This will allow us to start with any questions, verse going over everything and then asking questions. I know the time we have together is limited so I want to utilize it. During ParentTeacher Conferences students are welcomed to attend, as well. That way I can get their feedback on the activities and tests. I will also be prepared, with specific ideas for any overly involved and under involved parents. I may not know whose parents are or are not involved at the beginning of the year, however it will be pretty clear by conferences. There, I will simply say, have you ever thought about ______________ or considered doing ___________. The blanks could either be limiting the number of times they check their students grades for every day to once a week. Inform them that not all teachers are up to date on grades and that may reflect in a low grade. Or suggest to them to ask their child about their school day, asking about what they did in every class. I can also email or call the parents weekly, informing them of their childs success. As stated before, parents will be contacted (after three warnings- a nonverbal gesture and two verbal warnings) if their child is disruptive or disobeys the classroom expectations. If the student continues to be disruptive the administration will be contacted. If there are any questions or concerns in regards to a student, my door is always open. I welcome any visitors, whether that is another teacher, a parent, the Principal or the Superintendent. I also feel that collaborating with other teachers, about students, is necessary. During this time, pervious teachers can enlighten current teachers on what specific students strengths and weaknesses are. This will help the current teacher relate to their students. Teachers working together will also provide the students with a wide variety of engaging activities and assignments.