Management Plan

Not a Typical Room

In my future classroom, it is important to me that routines and culture are established. My
classroom will be set up with bright colors and natural light (hopefully) to create a warm and
inviting place for my students to feel comfortable. I want my students to know that they can
come to me with any problems and that I'm not a scary, dark person who is out to get them or
who likes failing students. The desks in my room will be organized but in groups so that
students can (and are encouraged to) work together. There will be a place where students will
know to turn in their due assignments and projects and there will be a clipboard like thing on the
wall where "no-name" papers will be hung up for a week maximum for students to claim and
receive credit for without losing points. In addition to that, there will be an area for retest forms
so that whenever a student wants to retake a test or quiz, they will take a form and follow the
directions for the potential to get a higher grade and prove their knowledge to me. Lastly, I have
imagined having a wall dedicated to failures. I will hang up pictures of famous people with brief
stories of their failures in life to encourage growth mindset of my students. My students will be
able to hang up any of their work (in or out of my class) that they are willing to admit was a
failure so that they can look and learn from it.

Day to Day
I'm not sure what a typical day really looks like for a teacher or if one really even exists. Ideally,
I would spend the time before each class standing at the door and greeting all my students as they
come in and starting off the day on a good strong note. Depending on the allotted time, I may
take attendance in a way that asks a fun question for each person to share so that I can get to
know each of my students and so they can get to know me. In my class, I hope to do various
activities and games and explorations and projects that all inquire learning. So I can anticipate a
day to day routine to be: starting off class with a 10 to 15-minute-long homework questions and
review then leading into any direct instruction that needs to be covered for the lesson and then
finishing with any activity or individual work time and any closing remarks. I will try to make
myself accessible for students to come and see me for math help or personal problems during my
off time. On days that no students come to see me and I have no other obligations, I will use that
time to my advantage for planning/grading.

Behavior
Each teacher handles student behavior and privileges differently. In my class, students will have
the freedom to use the restroom, get a drink, call their mom, etc. without necessarily having to
ask me but I will require them to let me know they are leaving the room by doing something like
writing their name in the corner of the board. Negative behaviors such as messing around in
class will be handled differently. I'm a believer in redirection which is why I intend to use it as a
warning to refocus my students. After one redirect, if the behavior continues, I have no problem
asking them to take a lap around the hall if it is appropriate or asking them to see me after class.
Each student is different and therefore, the way I handle each student will vary.

Get it Done
I imagine that my students will turn in homework, in class assignments, tests, and quizzes, etc. to
a basket specific to the class period (very generic). In addition to the location of turning in
homework, I think that the homework routine will most likely be nightly because it is important
to constantly practice math skills. However, I won't require that the homework be completed by
the next class. Instead, I will go over any questions that my class has on the homework and
allow them to make any corrections that they need to in class as we go over it. Then, at the end
of every week, I will collect all of the homework as one weekly packet that will be graded for
completion and effort (not necessarily correctness). If I were to assign a project of some sort, I
would assign a clear due date by which their work needs to be submitted and I will most likely
not accept it late. Missed quizzes will not be able to be made up (because they are less important
assessments for a single person) but the score will be filled by the score of the unit test to follow.
A missed unit test should be made up within the week of return so that the rest of the class is not
withheld from going over the material.

What Are Grades?

Grading to me is something that seems horrible as of recent years but to me is just a necessity for
teaching. It will be a way for me to evaluate where each individual students' learning is as well
as where the class is as a whole and if I have left gaps in my teaching. However, I am a firm
believer that the teacher reserves the right to bump any student's grade up if they deem
appropriate. I understand that some students are just not math people and that is okay by all
means. But if they are really trying by coming in for help and requesting a retest and I can tell
that they are not doing poorly due to a lack of effort, then I will most likely pass that student
(within reason). If students put in little effort to succeed and do well in my class and at the end
of the semester/year they ask me for any extra credit opportunities or to round their grade up, I
will be unlikely to do so. Because of this logic, I would like to make tests worth about 15% and
homework and quizzes each work 10% with participation worth 5%. This is obviously flexible
because I don't know how many tests or what projects I will be doing in the future.

Miscellaneous
As technology gets more and more relevant in our world, it is becoming harder and harder to
fight students on. My expectations with electronics is that students are listening and paying
attention to me when I ask for their attention and when I am teaching because to me, that is
proper etiquette. However, when I let them have their work time, I won't mind if they get them
out as long as they are working also. Because it might be a losing battler, I'll also try to
incorporate the use of technology into the activities and lessons. If I end up deciding that these
rules really don’t work for me, I might enforce a policy where cell phones are taken for
attendance. Attendance is something else that I would put under the effort category. If students
continuously don't show up, their effort is definitely lacking and therefore, their grade may
reflect it. If the school doesn't have its own policy on how attendance will affect grades, I will
make my own consequence be that their grade will drop 1% every 3 unexcused absences or
tardies they have.

Overall, the management in my class will be designed to support students in their math learning
and to help them become better and more responsible people in general.
 Algebra I Ms. Grace
Nishida
Syllabus
gnishida@psdschools.org
Voicemail: 720-854-5025

Overview:
I'm very excited to get to know each and every one of you this year and I hope you're
looking forward to being here. This class will dive into the basics of algebra
consisting of how we use and manipulate variables as well as how we can apply these
skills to our everyday life.

Classroom Policies:

Homework — Homework will be assigned daily and collected at the end of each
week. It is expected that you will come to class everyday with the previous day's
homework complete and ready to be reviewed; however, there won't be any
consequence for unfinished homework until all the homework is collected. After the
week's homework has been collected, late homework will not be accepted!
Technology — In this class, it is important to focus on notes and activities in order
to ensure you obtain all information necessary. In light of this, I ask that you please
do not access your phones or computers in any way while I am teaching or during any
sort of assessment. There will be lots of time for individual work where I will allow
electronics as well as several activities where I will ask you to use your phone.
Anyone who can't abide by this request will have their technology confiscated.
Attendance — As always, it is expected that you come to class prepared and ready
to learn. Every 3 unexcused tardy or absence will result in a 1% deduction from your
grade.
Late Work — If you are absent the day of a quiz, that quiz may not be made up.
Instead, the quiz grade will be filled with the grade of the following unit test. If you
are absent the day of a test, the test must be made up within a week of your return
to avoid a permanent 0 in the gradebook. In addition, anyone who is not happy with
their grade on a test has the opportunity to take one retest for a higher grade. For all
projects I assign, I will not accept them past the due date.
Behavior — Overall, the expectation is that you are being respectful of me, your
classmates, and your surroundings. If anyone is not able to handle this, you will be
asked to leave class for some time or in serious cases, more severe consequences will
be faced.

Grading:
Homework 15% >89% A
Quizzes 15% >79% B
>69% C
>59% D
59% F
 Tests 40%
Projects 25%
Participation 5%

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I reserve the right to change anyone's grade to reflect the effort and knowledge that
they have demonstrated to me.