Management Plan

By: Ally Shinar

Part 1: Classroom Organization

A.)PHYSICAL I created a classroom for first grade students. The room is a rectangular shape with the door entrance being on the upper left hand corner. When students walk into the room, on their right hand side there are lockers for them to hang up their coats or put away their boots in. I have five rectangle tables in my classroom, with four students sitting at each table. I have the chairs positioned so that the students eyes are always facing forward where the lessons will take place. I have students sitting four to a table because much of the time we will be doing group work in our classroom, along with this I think it is important for students to socialize and become comfortable with their peers around them. Each table has a different colored set of chairs. I did this because it will easily allow me to break students off into groups. For example I could say to the class that the purple and blue table and two from the orange table will be a team for a game, while the green and yellow table and two from the orange table will be the opposing team. In the front of the classroom is a whiteboard, maps and calender with students birthdays and upcoming events hanging on the wall. Next to the calender is a clock for students to see in order to develop time management skills and further their ability in telling time. There also is a classroom organizer at the front of the class where students are to turn in their assignments and projects. Right next to the classroom organizer, are cubbies for each student to put their art supplies, such as markers, pens, pencils, along with any homework they are currently working on or things that need to be taken home to their parents. In the upper right hand corner of the room is the computer station, where students can partake in online activities or play academic games when they are given free time. In the back left hand corner, I have created a reading area with two large couches, a chair and a large circular rug for kids to lay or sit on while reading. There are also two bookshelves full of books for students to read. This space is used during free time, class presentations such as

show and tell," and story time! To the right of the reading area, against the wall is storage for classroom supplies, including art supplies, first aid, recess items, and any other odd and ends that I may need to store as a teacher. In the back right hand corner is my desk. I placed it in the back of the room because this way I will be able to observe everything that is going on in my classroom. It also gives me my own personal space away from everything which will allow me to get work done. On my desk, I will have my own personal computer. Next to my desk is a file cabinet with records for each of my students. This will allow me to easily keep track of all of my students progress being made throughout the year. Also, I have placed the intercom and phone next to my desk for easy access. On the right hand wall somewhat next to my desk, there are two large windows that can be opened for ventilation. I have hung two bulletin boards in my room for visual appeal. Sometimes the bulletin boards correspond to a certain theme that we have going on in our classroom. Lastly, I have two circular tables with six chairs each. These tables are my learning centers. I will switch up the subject and theme for my learning centers. Whatever the theme/subject is at the time, I will have supplies/manipulative/ activities for students to do that pertain to the particular theme/subject the table is representing.

B.)OPERATIONAL Teacher Record Keeping Procedures: In my desk, I will have a file cabinet. This file cabinet will contain an individual file for each of the students in my class. Each students file will include previous records of this childs behavior, special needs, or any time of disciplinary action that may need to take place. I will continue to make observations and document them into this file for future teachers to reference off of. As for my lesson plans, they will be organized into a large binder. They will be organized by subject and the order in which I want to do them. I will keep all of my old lesson plans for possible use in the future. I will grade students manually and electronically. In a grade book, I will keep track of students behavior/participation/progress/attendance. I want to have a hard copy of my grades and evaluations of the students in case files were lost on the computer. To keep track of assignments and tests, I will have a binder organized by each subject where I will place all of my students work in the specified section it belongs in. The way in which I organize students into groups will also be listed in this book to remind me of how to break up my students into groups when the time comes.

New Students in your Room I want to make my new students feel very comfortable and welcomed in my classroom. Prior to the new student coming to class, I will notify my class about the new student. I will let them know this new student will be nervous just like they were on their first day at school and they should try their best to make the new student feel at home. Before my new student comes to class, I would try to contact the parents either my letter, email or in person. I would ask them if there are special accommodations their child may need or anything important I should know to

make their child feel comfortable in my classroom. When the new students first day comes around, I will pair the new student with a buddy for that day and the rest of the week. This buddy will make sure to help the new student with class procedures and most importantly make sure the student feels welcome. I will talk with the buddy about their responsibility before the new student arrives. I feel this is a great way to help the new student make new friends and adapt to the management of my classroom quickly and effectively.

Keeping the Classroom Clean As the role model in the classroom, I will always have my desk clean and clutter free to set a good example for my students. I will voice to my students the importance of keeping the classroom clean and organized. Helping my students stay organized will help them to turn in their assignments on time and to locate materials they may need. Every week I will make students clean out their desk. This will allow students to organize everything in their desk and throw out things they no longer need. At the end of every other month, we will have a cleaning party. This will entail cleaning of the desks and the rest of the room. This will hopefully connect cleaning with a positive experience. I will bring a treat or some fun music to listen to while students are cleaning. There will be disinfectant spray and hand sanitizer throughout the room to help stop the spread of germs. Jobs will be given to students each week for them to do at the end of each day. These jobs will include: Floor sweeper, whiteboard eraser, chair stacker, and desk wiper. I will make sure to have multiple trash cans for waste and I will reward students for keeping their desks cleans or helping other students pick up their mess. Recycling will take in my classroom along with mandatory hand washing or hand sanitizer use before snack or lunch and after restroom use.

Displaying Student Work Student work will displayed in and out of my classroom at all times. I want my students to take pride in the work they have created and I want others to recognize and see their peers achievements and works of art. I will place student work in areas where it is not distracting to the students. I will have one wall in my classroom that will be designated for students work. This way, students will be able to easily locate where there work is and it will be in area that is visible for everyone to see. I will also hang up work outside of the classroom so other students in the school can see what our class is up to and be able to appreciate the work our class is doing! Every one of my students work will be displayed at some point to make sure each of my students are able to feel proud of what they have done. I will continue to update the students work on the wall each month! The first week of school, the designated wall will have the theme of Get to know me! I will take a picture of each of my students and hang it on the wall. I will have students write things about them that they want the class to know such as how many brothers or sister they have, if they have any pets or what their favorite subject may be. I will help students write these and after they are completed I will hang them on the wall underneath their picture. After all the biographies are up, I will have students read what they have wrote to the class! I think this is a great way for students to introduce themselves and get to know other students. By creating this wall, I will have hopefully formed a sense of community within my classroom.

Part II: Disciplinary Policies and Professional Ethics

Classroom Rules/Expectations On the first day of class, my students and I will collaborate our thoughts on what we believe our classroom rules and expectations should be. As a class, we will create rules and expectations that we will follow throughout the year. I want the students to have a say in the rules and expectations, rather than having me come up with everything. I believe in student/teacher collaboration, because I feel like it gives the students an opportunity to take ownership of what goes on in the classroom. With ownership in place, the students will be more apt to abide by the rules they have created and strive to achieve the expectations they have put into place for themselves. After discussing as a class what is important to be included in our rules and expectations, I will create a large poster for the rules and expectations, so that students can be reminded each day of what they are. I will help filter students ideas but in the end I will have the ultimate say in the final rules and expectations we come up with. During the first month of school, we will review the rule/expectations on a daily basis to stress there importance in our classroom. After a month or so has gone by, I will begin to assess the knowledge of the rules/expectations in my classroom to make sure students remember they are held accountable for them.

Consequences for Breaking Rules After establishing and fully understanding the classroom rules, I will inform the consequences if a rule is broken. I will create a card system for my class. Each student will receive a bag that will be attached to their desk. In each bad, they will be one blue card, three yellow cards, and one red card. The first time a student breaks a rule they will be asked to give me their blue card which

represents a warning. The second time they misbehave they have to give me one of their yellow cards symbolizing 5 minutes lost of recess time. The third time they misbehave and break a rule, they must give me their second yellow card resulting in 10 minutes lost of recess time. The fourth time a student misbehaves, they will have to give me their final yellow card, which mean absolutely no recess time. The fifth time they misbehave they will be asked to give me their red card. The red card represents a call home to the parents of that particular child or a visit to the office. In any instance though, a student is able to earn any of their cards back for changing their attitude and behavior around for the better. The bag full of cards goes with the students everywhere, including hallways and other teachers classrooms. Each bag is small enough to fit in a students pocket, so it will not be disruptive in any way. I want to teach my students that our classroom rules apply at all times. Each time a student misbehaves, I will calmly ask the student to stop what they are doing and reinforce the rule they are breaking and what I expect from them. I will never shout or scream at a student because I do not find this to be effective technique. I want my students to feel comfortable in my class, not threaten. Along with this, I will never punish my students in a way that is seen as publicly humiliating.

Classroom or School Rule Infractions If a student in my classroom disobeys a rule that was established by the school or another teacher, I will first address the misbehavior by myself if seen appropriate. I feel accountable for the actions of my students and therefor want to handle it on my own before I get others involved. If the behavior is something that I cannot handle on my own, I will certainly discuss with another colleague or the principal about what should be done. The rule that is broken, may be something that the principal or another colleague may want to address due to them creating the rule that was broken. If this is the case, I will gladly let them take control of the situation and will be open to answer questions they might have on how to discipline the particular child at fault. I want my colleagues and principal to know that I am willing to work with them in any type of situation. By saying this, I will always try to communicate in a way that is most appropriate between my colleagues and principal. I will never hide a problem that is going on and will always come forth if I need help with child that is misbehaving. Along with this I will teach my students to be respectful of the school rules and other teachers rules, so we dont run into any sticky situations. I want other teachers to know that I respect the standards they hold their students so in return they will respect my standards as well.

Student Disrespect for I or Others I will not tolerate students acting disrespectful towards myself and other teachers. If a student is to talk in a disrespectful voice/tone towards a teacher or use inappropriate language, they will be taken down to the principals office and their parents may receive a phone call determined by the severity of the behavior done by the child. Along with this, I will hold a meeting with the student during recess to discuss the inappropriateness of their behavior and why it was seen as disrespectful. Respect is an extremely important concept I want my students to grasp at a high level of understanding. I dont only want to punish a child for misbehaving, but I

also want them to understand the importance of being respectful for themselves so others will be respectful in return.

Student Conflict on the Playground I will pick a designated playground conflict manager for our classs recess time. The playground conflict manager will have a badge to wear to let everyone know that they are their to help mediate conflict. Everyone in my classroom will know how to take on the role of being the playground conflict manager that day. The main responsibilities of the conflict manager are be there when conflict arrises and assist in helping the conflict be resolved. Our classroom playground conflict rules are as follows: Dont interrupt, no naming calling or put downs, tell the truth, work to solve the problem, and NO physical fighting. When a conflict arrises, the playground conflict managers job is to have each person involved in the conflict explain what happened and how they feel. After each person involved has stated their story and feelings, the conflict manager asks for solutions. After a solution has been decided on, the playground conflict manager is to congratulate everyone for coming to an agreement! To help students grasp the idea of what all the playground conflict manager is supposed to do, I will have students act out and simulate situations that are likely to evolve at recess and how they should be dealt with. Lastly, I will encourage my students to become their own mediator in everyday life.

Student Inattentiveness or lack of motivation Differentiation is extremely important in the process of keeping all of my students motivated and interested. Being able to teach to the needs of all my students will not only better help them understand the content we are covering in class but it will also make their goals they have set for themselves to be seen as more tangible tasks. For this reason students will hopefully be more apt to succeeding in the class to eventually obtain their goals. To keep students on task, they will each be given a book that contains a blank checklist for each day. Before the day begins, I will list the tasks that each student must get done in their checklist book. Throughout the day students are to put a check mark next to the tasks they have completed. I find this method to be beneficial for teaching students organizational skills along with keeping them on task. Along with the checklist books, I will meet with each one of my students to discuss goals that should be working towards for each week or month. A reward will be given if a goal has been achieved. I will focus my attention on what motivates each of my students and incorporate techniques that have proven to be successful in motivating students into my teachings more often. I will also have my room set up in a way that makes my students feel comfortable. A seating arrangement will be set in place in order to avoid inattention or disruptions on any sort. Lastly, I will most importantly help build my students self-confidence so they can eventually self-motivate themselves!

Tardiness

School attendance is valued and viewed as being extremely important in my classroom. If a student arrives tardy to class, I will confront that particular student to figure out the cause of the tardiness. I will stress the importance of being to class on time due to all the information we cover at the beginning of class. If a student has a total of five tardies in my class, I will notify the parents to discuss with them the cause of the tardiness and any help that they may need to get their child to school on time. I want parents to know that each minute spent in class is a grave importance and their child will only gain from being to class on time. Disrupting or Offending Another Student During Class To keep bullying under control in my classroom, I will stress the importance of being and acting like a community when we are in class. I want students to grasp the understanding of treating others equally and with respect. To help remind students of this, I will have a poster in my classroom stating, Treat others how you would like to be treated. This would just be a friendly reminder of how students should be behaving towards others in their class. When a student is disrupted or offended, I will take action by intervening to prevent the problem from getting worse. I will address the issue calmly and enforce the rules we have laid done with a problem like this were to arise. In my classroom the rules are as follows: 1. Student in the wrong must apologize for their hurtful actions. 2. Student in the wrong must fully understand why what they did was wrong. 3. If unacceptable behavior persists, I will notify principal and/or counselor to help me better address the issue. 4. If student is still not cooperating, the parents of that student will be notified and asked to help intervene to correct the problem at hand.

Students Not Getting Work Done For students to recognize the importance of getting their work turned in on time, I will have a stoplight system for them to follow. On the wall, there will be a large stoplight. Each students name will be placed next to the green light of the stoplight at the beginning of the year. The first time a student fails to turn in an assignment, nothing occurs, but I explain to the student the importance of turning their assignments in on time. The second time a student fails to turn in their assignment, their name will be dropped down next to the yellow light on the stoplight. A warning will be given to them to stress that they need to get their work in on time. They are allowed one more slip up in the yellow light section, but the fourth assignment turned in late will result in their name being brought down to the red light on the stoplight. If their name is brought down to the red light, a slip will be given to them to bring home to their parents to sign. I am hoping this will encourage the parent to take action in helping their child get work done on time as well as motivate the student to work on this issue. The problem persists after notifying their parents, I will set up meeting with the particular student having trouble turning assignments in on time. Through this meeting, I will hopefully discover ways in which to improve this childs habits. As a teacher, I find that it is my job to be an open communicator with my students, so that I can aid to their every need and help them to be the best they can be! If students begin to turn assignments in on time, their name moves up the stop light! Students who remain on green the entire year will receive a reward at the end of the year for their great achievement!

Cheating I will address the issue of cheating at the beginning of the year to stress that I do not tolerate it in my classroom. I want students to feel ownership of their work for this to happen I want them to be able to complete work on their own and not through others! If I see that a student is cheating, I will pull them aside and explain to the student why cheating is wrong. I want them to understand that cheating will only harm them because they will not be learning anything if they always steal others answers or work. If the student continues to cheat, I will contact the parents to explain the issue at hand. By contacting the parents, I hope that they are able to better address the issue. If the student still continues to cheat after I have contacted their parents, I will involve others such as the principal to see how the problem should be dealt with.

When Parents/Guardians get Involved I will do my best to mediate problems in my classroom on my own, but if I am unable to solve a particular issue, I will contact the parents. In order for me to contact parents, a problem must be consistently occurring in class. After I have contacted parents explaining the issue, I will do my best to work with them on devising a plan on how to handle the situation. I will not involve the principal unless a problem persists after I have worked on with the parents of the child or if fighting, continual swearing, demeaning language towards others, or property damage were to occur.

My Behavior as a School Professional My teacher professionalism will include competence, quality performance and conduct. The characteristic of competence is fundamental in the educational world. In order to be competent, I will have myself very-well prepared for each day of school. Along with this, I will have a strong knowledge of what I will be teaching and have a defined pedagogy as well. To become fully competent, I must be able to perform in an effective way. I will give quality performance by being an active teacher rather than a passive teacher. I also will be reliable and dedicated to my students success. The final characteristic of my teacher professionalism, conduct, is equally as significant as the first two characteristics. Conduct is a representation of how well one carries his or herself along with ones ability to initiate and maintain quality communication. I will dress professionally and appropriately each day. I will communicate positively and effectively with my colleagues and students in order to encourage positive communication among my students and to give and receive respect from my colleagues.

Lounge Gossip To respect my colleagues and my students, I will keep my lounge gossip to a minimum. I know other teachers/faculty may participate in lounge gossip, but when this occurs, I will choose to keep quite and keep any thoughts I may have about the topic to myself. If I need help or advice with a student or problem in my classroom, I will make sure to be appropriate with how I ask for help.

Not Getting Along with a Colleague I will treat all my colleagues equally and fairly. I will show high respect to all in hopes off receiving respect back. I will never talk poorly about others and if I have a problem with someone, I will confront that person in a cordial manner. If others are talking poorly about me, I will try my best to ignore the comments being made. Yet, if they continue I will confront the colleague making rude comments about me on my own time. I would ask them if I am doing something wrong and tell them why I am upset with how they are talking about me. If the colleague continues to talk poorly about me even after I have confronted them, I will go to an administrator for advice.

Disagreeing with the Leadership Strategies or View of My Principles I give my utmost respect to the ideas and opinions of others. If the principal happens to disagreement with my leadership strategies or principles, I hope that we can communicate in a professional manner. After discussing whatever the issue may be, I hope we can come up with a solution that we both agree on and that respects both of our opinions. If an agreement is not obtained and bigger problems big to arise from the situation, I will then speak with the school board about possible solutions.

Part III: Classroom routines and Procedures

Student Sharing

Sharing is an important concept in my classroom. I will again stress how respect is essential to making things go more smoothly in our classroom. Sharing is a way in which we can be respectful. I will teach my students that it is important to share with others. I will let students know that if things are borrowed from another student, they must be returned to that student in the same condition. If something that was borrowed is ruined, the borrower will be responsible for replacing whatever they may have ruined. I want my students to know that sharing thoughts, ideas and emotions is also very important! Communication is a big part of learning. I want my students to be able to express themselves to others in the classroom.

Room Helpers I will have a job list posted next to the whiteboard where all my students can see it. Each students name will be written on a clothespin which will then be attached to a job. At the end of each week, the clothespins will be rotated down one spot. The jobs will include chair stacker, desk wiper, floor sweeper, white board eraser, paper distributor, messenger, etc. Each student will have a job they are responsible for doing.

Use of Free Time After students have completed an assignment to the best of their ability, they will be granted the opportunity to do an assortment of things. They will have the option of visiting any of the centers I have set up in the classroom such as the math or reading center. At these centers there will be multiple activities they can engage themselves in a quiet manner. For example, at the reading center, they can read a book silently to themselves or listen to a book on tape. I think it is important for students to still be actively involved even after they have completed their task. I do not want to simply give busy work to the student so I find the learning centers to be a great way for students to keep their minds turned on! Students will only be able to partake in the learning center activities if they are caught up on all their work and have completed the assignment given to them.

Field Trips Field trips are a great way to allow students to explore their curiosity and engage in a way that is stimulating and active. I will take into account several things when planning field trips. Before enabling my students to partake in a field trip, they must have a safety waiver and permission slip signed by their legal guardian. On the day of the field trip, I will have an attendance checklist. I will use this attendance checklist when students get on and off the bus and I will also check it periodically throughout the day to make sure no one gets lost. During the day of the field trip, each student will wear something on their uniform that indicates they are here with a group and a group leaders phone number will be listed to contact in case the student gets lost from the rest of the group. I will ask parents of students if they are interested in chaperoning

or any other administrators who are available to go. There should be at least one adult for every eight children on the field trip. Students must always have an adult with them if they want to use the restroom. This will possibly prevent them from running into strangers. Lastly, I create a buddy system for the students that are going on the field trip. Each student will have a buddy that they need to make sure is in the group at all times.

Doing Homework I do not want my students to be constantly filling out worksheets or doing busy work assignments. I want my students to benefit from the homework they are given. The purpose of the homework I give is to provide a link between home and school; reinforce skills in class and increase student achievement; and to encourage responsibility and develop study habits. The homework I provide my students with is to take them no more than 20 minutes. I feel like this an appropriate time for first grade to be working on homework. Each student will have an agenda planner where I will check to see if they have copied all the assignments that are listed on the assignment board in the front of the class. They also will each have a designated homework folder. I will advise students to place their homework assignment in this folder. Students will be expected to have their homework finished completed to the best of their ability on the specified due date. Along with homework, I will encourage students and parents to read with each other each night before bed.

Handing in Papers I will have a set procedure for passing in papers that we will practice as a class several times during the first couple weeks of school. Because I have students sitting at tables, I will assign one person at each table as the paper collector. This person will collect each persons assignment at their table. The paper collector will make sure everyones name is on their paper and that they are all face up and not upside down. I will pass around a basket that will go from table to table in the same order each time students pass in papers. The paper collector will put their tables assignments in the basket and then bring the basket to the nest table. The paper collector at the table who is last in line for the basket, will place the basket on top of the file cabinet, next to my desk.

Activities for Students if Finished with Their Work As I mentioned earlier, students are to go to any of the learning centers set up in the room. Before they are able to do this, they must check their homework folder to make sure they are all caught up with their assignments. If they are all caught up, they then can partake in any of the learning centers. The library area set up in the room is qualified as one of the learning centers in the room. At the library area, students are allowed to read a book to themselves silently. Students will know that they are to be quiet when at the learning centers do they dont disrupt other classmates still working.

Passing out Papers and Announcements To make passing out papers run smoothly, I decided to have to baskets near the front of the classroom. One of these baskets will be labeled Assignments, while the other basket will be labeled Extra Class Work Papers. When I need to pass an assignment out, I will advise students by table to go up to the assignment basket and take one assignment sheet. By doing it this way, I lose the risk of handing out too many papers to students or not enough. If a student accidently grabs an extra paper, they are to place it in the basket Extra Class Work Papers. Also, if students find blank worksheets lying on the floor, they will know to also place it in the Extra Class Work Papers basket. Announcements will either be written on the board which students will need to copy into their planners or they will be place in a basket next to the Assignment basket for students to pick up. Before students go home, I will check to make sure that they have written the announcements in their planner or have placed announcements in their take home folder.

Dismissal for Recess, Lunch, Specials, and End of the Day My students will be taught at the beginning of the school year the proper behavior that must be exhibited before being dismissed. This proper behavior includes being quiet, keeping hands and feet to themselves, and sitting still in their chairs. I will dismiss students by table. The table that is the most quiet the quickest will be able to leave the room first. I will then continue to dismiss the rest of the tables accordingly. When walking my students to lunch or specials, I make sure my students are in single file line not being disruptive to others in the hall. They will know that the same rules apply in the hallway as they do in our classroom. If a particular student is misbehaving in the hallway, I will simply place myself directly by that student to enforce more positive behavior. In order to get control of students in class when it is time for dismissal, I will clap a beat and they are to repeat it back to me. I think this is an effective way of getting students attention.

Bathroom and Drink To keep bathroom and drink visits to a minimum, I will have designated times where everyone can go to the bathroom and get a drink. We will go as a class in the morning and then in the afternoon after lunch has occurred. If additional bathroom and drink visits must occur, then students are to take the bathroom or drink pass before they leave the room. I will not allow more than one person to leave the room at a time. This way, it will be easier for me to keep track of who has left the classroom.

Going to Specials When going to specials, students will be in a straight line. They will know to keep their hands and feet to themselves along with keeping their voices off while in the hallway. As the teacher, I will make sure students have whatever materials they will need for the special they are going to. I will discuss with the class before going to specials, that they need to be on their best

behavior and that just because they are in a new environment, does not mean they can break the rules. I will also advise them to follow the directions and rules of the teacher who is in charge of their special.

Differentiation Policy
*Assisting Students Who Dont Understand Directions/Tasks For each of my lesson plans, I will incorporate aids for students who may need more direction or help when completing a task. Along with this, I will be clear when giving directions and try to incorporate pictures and hand gestures that will better communicate to my students what I want them to do. I will ask students if they have questions about the directions I have given. Once students begin to work on what I have directed them to do, I will walk around the classroom to make sure everyone is beginning their work in the way I advised earlier. I will make sure students who typically struggle with directions and tasks are feeling comfortable with what they are supposed to do. Struggling students may be given extra materials or aids to complete the assignment. I refuse to make any of my students feel alienated and for this reason will not draw attention to the students who are receiving extra help in front of the rest of the class.

*Challenge for Gifted or High Ability Students For each of my lesson plans, I will also incorporate tasks for the higher ability students to challenge and push them to think at a higher level. I will not just simply assign busy work for them to do, rather I will make sure additional work or adjustments for these students is meaningful and challenges students in an effective way. Because these students tend to get assignments done quicker than others, I will have them develop their creativity by allowing them to explore a special area of interest related to a topic being studied. Lastly, I will, to the best of my ability, design assignments and projects given to gifted and higher ability students to go above and beyond what is being covered in the regular classroom. My goal is to facilitate these students rather than just giving them the information. I want to help them to discover it on their own!

Parents
*Regular Communication with Parents

Communication between the parents and teachers is a vital component in classroom management. There are multiple ways to communicate with parents, rather than relying solely on the parent-teacher conferences. Close communication between parents and teachers will help the student! As the teacher, I will take the responsibility to make myself available to parents who would like to meet and talk about any questions and concerns they may have. A couple weeks before school starts, I will send out a letter to each of my students families to welcome them and let them know how excited I am about teaching their children. I want parents to be aware of how their child is doing in my class. In order to do this, I will send home weekly reports of what the class is doing. Along with this, I will make notes to the parents about what there student is doing well and what they may need to work on. These weekly reports will be sent home in the students take home folders. Parents will be able call me or email me with any concerns they may have with the weekly report. Parents will be asked to sign the weekly report, so that I know they have seen it. I will encourage parents to get involved as much as they can! There kids will enjoy their involvement and it will give me a chance to establish a better relationship with them.

*Preparing for and Constructing Parent Conferences Before the first week of school, I will hold an open house for my future students and their parents to be able to meet with me and see our classroom for the year. At this open house, I hope to put my future students more at ease and excited about whats to come! As well as this, I plan to start establishing relationships with the parents of my students and stress the importance of conferences throughout the year. I will inform parents of the process of signing up for conferences and that I am flexible if a particular night does not work for them. On this night, I will give them a list of dates that we will be having conferences. If none of the dates work for them, I will ask them to contact me as soon as possible to set up another date that works for both of us. Two weeks before conferences are to occur, I will send home sign up sheets with each of my students. Parents will need to check off the night that they will be coming and three times at which would be convenient for them to meet at. I will then plan accordingly with the parents requests and will contact them with the time we are meeting at to make sure it still works for them. Along with this, I will encourage parents to bring any questions or concerns they may have with what I am doing in class. During the conference, I will greet the parents in a positive manner with a smile and handshake. I will be providing parents with specific academic information as well as specific examples of students work to showcase a positive or negative of that student. My goal is focus

more the positive things the student is doing rather than the negatives. If I were to bring up a negative point, I would sandwich it with two positive points to less emphasis on the negative comment. I want to make sure I am not the only one talking during the conference so I will often ask parents if they would like to add anything to a comment I have just said and if they have any feedback they would like to share. I will always look for common solutions between the parents and myself and will have a list of resources such as tutors, a homework help line, or websites that may be very beneficial for their children. At the end of the conference, I will summarize the major points and will clarify any action that will be taken. Most importantly, I will end on a positive note! After I have escorted the parents out, I will jot down a couple notes. I will store these notecards in a recipe box that will be helpful for me to look at, later. Between each conference, I will allow myself a little bit of time to gather my thoughts and regroup before my next meeting. This will help keep my anxiety and stress to a minimum. Lastly, I will be sure to follow up with phone calls, notes, messages, or letters to every parent, even those who did not attend.

Resources: Wong, Harry K. and Rosemary T. Wong. The First Days of School. Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications, 2004. 2-289 Practicum observations made at Jordan Creek Elementary, King Elementary (Melanie Dayton) and Greenwood Elementary (Jen Huegel) Websites of pictures used in paper: Picture 1: http://teachers.greenville.k12.sc.us/sites/dtinga/Pages/About%20Me.aspx Picture 2: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/29298 Picture 3: http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/back-to-school/ Picture 4: http://www.fotosearch.com/UNN694/u21896523/ Picture 5: http://www.kidzoasis.com/img/algebra-review-for-calculus.html

Picture 6: http://picsdigger.com/keyword/parent%20teacher%20conference/