Halle Connors

Classroom Management Plan

Spring 2016

Establish Concern and Rapport

My first step in classroom management is to establish concern and rapport. I want to let
my students know that I am invested in their achievement beyond the classroom. To this end, I
will learn my students names as quickly as I can, learn about their interests, and will attend
extracurricular activities that my students are involved in. These activities are not limited to
sporting events; rather, the activities also include drama events, scholarly events and recognition
ceremonies.
Clear procedures
In my classroom, I will clearly outline my classroom rules, policies, and expectations. We
will spend time the first day of class going over the rules and procedures. I will also have them
sign a behavior contract agreeing to follow the policies. This contract will also be sent home to
the parents to ensure they are part of the plan from the start.
Going over the policies with my students will show them that I have high expectations. It
will also allot time to any questions they may have about the rules or policies. In addition to
covering the rules, this will also be a time to discuss the consequences that are a natural part of
rule breaking.

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

Classroom Rules and Procedures

Overall general classroom rules
1. Safety First
a. This means to please refrain from any potentially harmful behavior including, but
not limited to: throwing, physical contact, and leaning back in your seats!
2. Show respect
a. This means to the teacher, to school property, to your peers, and to yourself.
3. Discuss!
a. Have an opinion and speak about it even if it is different than someone elses
opinion. As long as the discussion is respectful, differing opinions are welcome
and encouraged.
Discipline Hierarchy
1. Non-Interruptive measures
a. Proximity, Redirection, and/or Ignoring will be used first for nonviolent and
nonthreatening rule-breaking behavior.
2. Interruptive measures
a. Silence, Direct Questioning, and/or Direct Commenting will be used second for
nonviolent and nonthreatening rule-breaking behavior.
3. Detention
a. Assigning detention to be served either before or after school will be used third
for nonviolent and nonthreatening rule-breaking behavior.
4. Office Referral
a. Office referrals will be used as a last resort if none of the other discipline
measures are effective, if the behavior threatens the safety of the student or of the
other students in the classroom, and/or as guided by school policy.

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

Student Behavior Contract for Mrs. Connors Classroom

TO: PARENT/GUARDIAN AND STUDENT
[Name of student] will begin this contract on this date _____________ to help in assuring his/her success.

GOALS FOR STUDENT:

1. Show respect
b. This means to the teacher, to school property, to your peers, and to yourself.
2. Discuss!
c. Have an opinion and speak about it. Even if it is different than someone elses. As
long as the discussion is respectful, differing opinions are welcome.
3. Safety First
d. This means, please refrain from any potentially harmful behavior. No throwing,
No physical contact, No leaning back in your seats!
CONSEQUENCES IF GOALS ARE NOT MET:
1. Non-Verbal Warning
2. Verbal Warning
3. Ten to Thirty Minute Detention after School
4. Office Referral
Special Note: The consequences mentioned above are null and void if student commits an act that would require a suspension and/or
expulsion. This will be determined by school policy and the school administration.

By signing this contract all parties agree to the stipulations in the document and will following
accordingly.
______________________________
Student

______________________________
Parent(s)

______________________________
Teacher

______________________________
Principal

Relationships and support

When it comes to establishing a relationship with parents, I plan to do so early in the
year. I will accomplish this by sending several letters home with the students. The letters that I

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

will send home are a letter introducing myself, a letter introducing my classroom rules and
consequences, a classroom contract for the parents to sign, and a letter explaining the classroom
contract letter.
Sample Letters
Dear Parents and Guardians,
My name is Mrs. Halle Connors. I am student teaching in your childs English class this
semester. This past week was my first week teaching the class and it was an exciting time as I
had the opportunity to get to know your child. I am writing in order to introduce myself to you
and to let you know what lessons we will be covering in our next unit.
I am in the last semester of my senior year at Pittsburg State University. I have been working in
Neodesha High School now for a little over two semesters while completing my field
experiences required for the Teacher Education Program. I have passed all of the state licensure
exams and will, upon completing this Student Teaching experience, be ready for licensure in the
state of Kansas. I live in Independence, KS with my husband, three children, and three cats. I am
greatly looking forward to this semester and having the opportunity to teach your child.
This last week we got started on our Shakespeare Unit. We started out with reading and working
through several of his sonnets. In the upcoming weeks, we will move onto watching and
studying first Macbeth and then Much Ado About Nothing. Your child will have several
assignments for each work to help them understand and follow the actions of the plays. It will be
an exciting unit to explore as we uncover the reasons for all of the bloodshed in Macbeth and try
to puzzle out the hidden identities in Much Ado About Nothing.
I hope to meet you all at Parent-Teacher conferences. If you need to reach me at any time before
then, I am available through email at hconnors@usd461.org and/or by phone at (620) 325-3015.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Halle Connors

Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! This first week has been an exciting time as I am getting
to know your child.
I am writing in order to familiarize you with our classroom rules and procedures. I firmly believe
that rules and procedure are most effective when everyone is on board.

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

In my classroom, I expect my students to listen attentively and work diligently. I also expect
them to speak up if they have questions. It is my goal to provide a classroom atmosphere
conducive to these behaviors.
Our classroom rules are:
1. Safety First
a. This means to please refrain from any potentially harmful behavior including, but
not limited to: throwing, physical contact, and leaning back in your seats!
2. Show respect
a. This means to the teacher, to school property, to your peers, and to yourself.
3. Discuss!
a. Have an opinion and speak about it even if it is different than someone elses
opinion. As long as the discussion is respectful, differing opinions are welcome
and encouraged.
Consequences:
4. Non-Verbal Warning
5. Verbal Warning
6. Ten to Thirty Minute Detention after School
7. Office Referral
If a consequence is needed for your child, you will receive notification of the rule infraction and
consequence by the end of the school day the infraction occurred. For after school detentions, I
will notify you by email. For office referrals, you will be contacted by the school office staff.
I hope to meet you all at Parent-Teacher conferences. If you need to reach me at any time before
then, I am available through email at hconnors@______ and by phone at (620) _________.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the expectations that I have for
your child.
Sincerely,
Halle Connors

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

Dear Parents,
Attached you will find a copy of our Classroom Contract. We have already gone over this
contract as a class and your child has signed the Contract showing their intention to follow the
Classroom Rules and Procedures. I would encourage you to go over this Contract with your child
so that you can familiarize yourself with my expectations in my classroom. By signing the
Contract, you are saying you are aware of our Rules and Procedures and will encourage your
child to adhere to the guidelines for their behavior.
Please, let me know if you have any questions or if you would prefer to go over the Contract
with me personally. I am able to be reached through email at hconnors@_________ and by
phone at ____________.
Thank you!

Halle Connors

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

Student Behavior Contract for Mrs. Connors Classroom

TO: PARENT/GUARDIAN AND STUDENT
[Name of student] will begin this contract on this date _____________ to help in assuring his/her success.

GOALS FOR STUDENT:

8. Show respect
a. This means to the teacher, to school property, to your peers, and to yourself.
9. Discuss!
a. Have an opinion and speak about it. Even if it is different than someone elses. As
long as the discussion is respectful, differing opinions are welcome.
10. Safety First
a. This means, please refrain from any potentially harmful behavior. No throwing,
No physical contact, No leaning back in your seats!
11. Complete Homework
a. Homework is due at the beginning of the hour. Come to class with your
homework fully complete and ready to hand in.
CONSEQUENCES IF GOALS ARE NOT MET:
1. Non-Verbal Warning
2. Verbal Warning
3. Ten to Thirty Minute Detention after School
4. Office Referral
Special Note: The consequences mentioned above are null and void if student commits an act that would require a suspension and/or
expulsion. This will be determined by school policy and the school administration.

By signing this contract all parties agree to the stipulations in the document and will following
accordingly.
______________________________
Student

______________________________
Parent(s)

______________________________
Teacher

______________________________
Principal

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

An important element of having a successful relationship with parents is having a paper

trail. To this end, I will have my own record keeping system. I will take my own notes over the
course of the day. I plan to have a Word Document open that I can use to type quick notes about
the class before or after I take roll. This dated document will also be used to type up any hand
written notes I make throughout the day. Detention slips and office referral slips will also be used
to help create the paper trial that I will have for my classroom.
I will also make sure to document any behavior issues in my class with the appropriate
form or forms. For behavior requiring after school detention, I will write a detention slip for their
parents and for my files. I will also send the parent an email detailing the time the rule infraction
occurred and what the infraction was. For office referrals, I will write a referral slip for the
parents and for my files. The parents will then be contacted by the office staff.

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

Engaging Instruction
I believe that it is important to keep instruction as engaging as possible. Students today
are used to having technology involved in most everything they do. To help harness this
expectation they have in the classroom, I plan to use multimedia in many of my lesson plans.
Some ways that I will incorporate media include:

Relevant films
PowerPoint presentations
Youtube videos
Allowing the students to film poetry interpretations
Allowing them to type answers to essay questions instead of writing longhand.

In addition to the use of technology, I believe that it is important to be positive when

teaching lessons. If I have low enthusiasm then how can I expect my students to be excited? I
believe that it is vital for me, as the teacher, to model enthusiasm and excitement about the
lessons that I teach.
Likewise, it is also vital to instruct the students in many different ways. I do not plan to
lecture all the time. I plan to vary my lessons to include exciting activities that will appeal to the
variety of learners that I have in my classroom. For example, I plan to have a small lesson on
fencing when I teach Hamlet. This will appeal to the Kinesthetic leaners as well as to the
Visual-Spatial learners.
Overall Management Philosophy
I believe that all nonviolent and nonthreatening rule-breaking behavior should be
managed in the classroom as much as possible. I believe this is important because it helps
establish the relationship between teachers and students. If a student is sent to the office for every
infraction, then respect for the teacher or the classroom rules cannot be established. However, if

Halle Connors
Classroom Management Plan
Spring 2016

the consequences come directly from the teacher, the one who made the rules in the first place,
then there is a ready-made situation for respect to begin to grow.
Follow-through on promised behavior by the teacher should be viewed by the students so
that there a reduced chance that the rule-breaking behavior will occur again. This can only
happen if the consequences for any such behavior are handled in class and, when appropriate, in
front of the class. Guidelines for all violent or threatening behavior should always be followed
according to school policy; however, I firmly believe all consequences for classroom rule
infractions should be handled by the classroom teacher whenever possible.