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Alexandria Green
Instructor: Cathey Kazanjy
EDUC 540-01

Managerial Strategies

Schoolwide Program

1. Pledge of Allegiance/Morning Announcements

At 8AM, selected students recite the Pledge of Allegiance over the public announcement
system. Students, teachers, and family members alike stand and recite in their respective
classrooms. Afterward, an administrator announces important details regarding events at the
school, academic progress, and so forth.

2. School Entrances
The side gate next, adjacent to the cafeteria, is open for arrival and dismissal. All
students, teachers, and family members filter through a single gate. The front gate, connected to
the school office, is open during the school day. This avoids unnecessary foot traffic through the
office.

3. Playgrounds
Kindergarteners have their own playground, separated by a fence. The kindergarten
classrooms were once directly connected. Because of expansion, these classrooms are no longer
enclosed. The other playground, including blacktop and grassy areas, is open to grade one
through five.

4. Snacks
Snacks are provided under the free and reduced lunch program. Student helpers pick up
the given snack from cafeteria mid-morning. Most often, it consists of a healthy snack--bananas,
apples, etc.

5. Misconduct
The principal is available to deal with student misconduct. The front office is most often
filled with students waiting for “the meeting.”

6. Reading Program
In the lower grades, families are welcomed into the classroom to read with their students.
This occurs in the first fifteen minutes of the school day. In the upper grades, students read
independently for twenty-five minutes. Students are encouraged to take the Accelerated Reading
(AR) quiz associated with the given book. Classes are rewarded for incurring the most AR
points.
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Classroom Program

1. Star Chart
With many teachers having authority in the classroom, Mrs. Kazanjy and Mrs. Ozeran
decided on one consistent managerial strategy. Based on principles of behavioralism, the students
are rewarded for working nicely, being well-behaved, following directions, sharing, etc. The
children’s names are written on cards with their photograph at the front of the room. If the
teacher notices any of the above behaviors, she draws a star next to his/her name. At the end of
the day, students with five stars dig into the surprise bag and choose one item as a reward.

2. Transition - Counting forward, backward

When Mrs. Kazanjy wants to give forewarning before students need to stop what they are
doing, she counts forwards or backwards. This transition strategy reinforces the mathematics
content that students have been working on. Students direct their attention toward her at the end
of the sequence. Most often, students join in counting forwards (backwards proves to be more of
a challenge).

3. Transition - Dismiss students by....

To avoid chaos, Mrs. Kazanjy dismisses students by the first letter sound of their name,
what they are wearing, letter of their last name, etc. This strategy reinforces content while also
keeping the foot traffic (and collision, for that matter) to a minimum.

4. Solve Your Problems

This component of classroom management capitalizes upon children’s desire for
autonomy. They are provided with the know-how to solve their everyday problems (i.e., a broken
pencil). They are privy to the location of the materials. They are provided techniques to resolve
petty disputes amongst themselves. It is the teacher’s job to remind students of their ability to get
a new pencil when theirs is broken and to come up with a system of trading when one toy is
shared between two. Rather than handing them the materials, they are given the responsibility of
retrieving them.

5. Praise the good, Ignore the bad

The teacher praises the good by naming the student and specific behavior he/she is
displaying while ignoring the small misbehaviors of others. This strategy capitalizes upon
children’s desire to please adults. Children crave attention and will “magically” change their
behavior to match the flagged course of action.

6. “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”
This quip reminds students that they cannot always get what they want. Mrs. Kazanjy
uses it when a student wants that color, that seat, etc.
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7. Family Reading → Instructional Time

To let students/families know that it is time to transition out of family reading time, Mrs.
Kazanjy turns the lights on and off. Without saying a word, the family members know to make
their exit. She is careful not to rush them out, a quality of which I have experienced in too many
experiences.

8. Coloring Bins
When crayons are needed for a given activity, student helpers pull out the crayon buckets,
separate them into smaller bins, and scatter them around the tables. This strategy builds upon a
child’s autonomy, putting them in charge of their materials (not to mention minimizing
unnecessary teacher work).

9. Writing Journals
Writing journals are given to students AFTER they have completed the lesson
introduction, received directions, and gotten additional materials. This may seem simple, but it
avoids a lot of unnecessary fidgeting.

10. Instructional Time: Independent Time

After about an hour of work, students are provided independent time in which they color,
do puzzles, etc. They are given freedom to converse informally. This strategy encourages the use
of conversational language and allows students the much-needed “brain break.”