2016

Philosophy Statement
Learn every day. Have an open mind. Choose kind. We all have the opportunity to learn something new every day.
I openly tell my students when I learn something new so they will be open to learning new things in my classroom. Open
minded people embrace being wrong, are free of illusions, dont mind what people think of them, and question everything
even themselves.* I will have this posted in my classroom for my students to see every day as a reminder to keep an open
mind. I want my students to feel comfortable when they are wrong or do not know something because we are in a learning
environment and we will help each other to grow. The classroom community I want to create is one where students are
kind and willing to work with one another as a unit.
I ask my students to hold me accountable for questions they want answers to. For example, I had one student ask,
Miss Webb, did you find out why the pi button on the calculator does not match when you divide 22 by 7 (fraction to get
pi)? I had to respond with, No, I have not found out the answer yet but thank you for making sure I do find out the
answer to your question! I love when they want me to learn with them because it makes me feel like they really do enjoy
being in my classroom learning new things. When I see unenthusiastic looks during class, I often say, Just bear with me,
were going to work through this together. Often this is when we are working math problems with fractions (they have
such a stigma). Just bear with me is my way of saying, have an open mind. When I show my students that working
the big, bad fraction problem is not so bad, they will be able to rise to the big, bad fraction challenge with a positive effort.
I treat my students with kindness and respect. In return, I receive kindness and respect. I am a firm believer in the Golden
Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When students point out my mistakes on the board, I thank
them and I often chuckle about it rather than being frustrated for messing up in front of my students. I appreciate their
standard of correctness and I chuckle so they will know it is ok to make mistakes, we all do. Telling some jokes at the end
of class helps to let off some steam after a long lesson.
Reading over my first philosophy statement, written my first year of college, I realize that I have matured so much
since then as a teacher and as a person. My first statement was broad and now I have more experience and a deeper
understanding of my own personal goals for my students and for myself. I have a better grasp on how to reach my
students the best I can on a daily basis. As time progresses, I have no doubt that if I stay true to the goals I have for my
students, I will continue to grow as a teacher. I can tell my students are succeeding when they leave my class with a smile
on their faces. I recently had one students transfer out of my Math 7 class to my Math 6 class because he was stressed out
in the upper level class. After the first day in Math 6, he smiled and said, Bye, Miss Webb! He never said goodbye to me
in Math 7, even when I would say it to him first. Because we made him feel more comfortable in a new learning
environment, he had an open mind again and more of a willingness to try. When my students leave happily feeling they
have learned something new, I know I am accomplishing my goals.

* https://www.pinterest.com/pin/398216792023955282/

Classroom Arrangement
In my classroom, I hope to have windows to let in the natural light and I hope the sunshine warms my classroom
each day. I will arrange my student desks throughout the year depending on the time of year and the activities we are
doing in class. Each student desk will have a small sticker in the top left corner with a number. When we switch seating
arrangements each nine weeks, the students will have to come in and find the number of the desk assigned to them. My
desk will be in the back corner of the room with hopefully some kind of storage closet. I would love to throw down a
circular rug to make it feel a little cozier. I hope to have two whiteboards, one bulletin board, and a Mimio. Mimio
technology is wonderful! It allows for computer technology and the use of a whiteboard at the same time! Having a laptop
cart will be necessary in my classroom for the Mimio. A filing cabinet will allow me to keep paperwork (unit plans, lesson
plans, master copy worksheets, etc.) organized. I would like a table close by the door so when students come in they can
pick up their Sunrise materials. The table is also a great spot for students to pick up any missed work and turn in any
make-up work. Bathroom passes (hand sanitizer bottles), a bucket of sharpened pencils, a pencil sharpener, a stapler, tape,
glue, and a three-hole punch will also be on the table for students to have access too. I want to provide as much
opportunity for students to stay as organized as possible.
On the borders on my classroom, I hope to have some type of storage space (cabinets, bookshelves, closet, etc.). I
will need to use these spaces for manipulatives, materials for lessons, construction paper, textbooks, etc. On top of the
manipulatives storage shelf, I would like to have each class periods tray for turning in Sunset problems and graded
assignments. I would love to have a small classroom library with age appropriate books. If there should be any down time
in my classroom, students will have the opportunity to choose something to read while others are still working. I really
want to try to have interactive bulletin boards as often as possible. I have seen some on Pinterest for reviewing math
topics and some to motivate students will to work hard in class and I am dying to try them out in my classroom. Of
course, if we have student work to display, we will definitely be posting it up on the bulletin board. I have created some
samples of what I hope my classroom would look like each nine weeks. Below are narratives describing each classroom
layout with benefits it has in serving our classroom community. Following the narratives will be the sample classroom
drawings.
Secondary Classroom Arrangement (First Nine Weeks)
For the first nine weeks of school, I would like to have students in rows. Having students arranged this way
allows me to learn names quickly and I have a great look at my bright, new students. I can easily put faces with names and
I am able to sweep across the room to glance at faces during my lessons. Student rows are great for when students are
working on independent work. During quiz or test time, I will have students arranged in rows because students will be
spaced out. Passing out papers is easy when students are in rows. I would like to time my students to see how quickly they
can pass papers in and out and challenge them to be quick every single time because it saves us time every day. Putting
students into pairs and groups is easy to do as well. We can slide desks together without much effort to create the setting
we need for activities that require group work.

Secondary Classroom Arrangement (Second Nine Weeks)

Each nine weeks, I would like to change the seating arrangement to spice it up a little bit. I will have students who
need to be close to the board in the front four desks. The two single desks are the Distributors (based off the Distributive
Property, x(4+11+10) = 4x+11x+10x). The Distributors will help me to distribute papers and other materials to the
students in the V and the rows outside of the V. Again, we will time our passing out and in of papers and materials. I
am hoping students will want to be in the hot seat for our race to beat our best time. Students will be able to earn their
way into the Distributors desk by having their homework all week. The names of the students who had their homework all
week are in a drawing for next weeks Distributors. I will monitor who has been a Distributor already so that everyone has
a chance to help. If I do have a group of students who are not interested in helping out and wanting to be Distributors then
I will randomly choose each week who will be in those desks. If I have some chatty students, I can use these two
individual desks to isolate them during direct teaching lessons. I think the V with the rows framing the V makes our
room cozier and feel a little closer, and more like a community. I hope that this seating arrangement opens students up
more to learning new material and participating more in their learning. This arrangement also makes it easy to get into
pairs or groups for activities w9e may be doing one day.
Secondary Classroom Arrangement (Third Nine Weeks)
After winter break and during the winter months germs are everywhere! I feel that it is best to have the students
spread out a little more. We will have rows again like the first nine weeks but they are more communal because the desks
turn in. Having the desks turned toward the board almost forces students to look in that direction. I am sure that we will
find the most efficient method to hand out papers and hand them back in. I will be sure to keep track of our fastest time.
With the desks positioned this way, I am able to scan the room quickly. This arrangement does make it a bit more
challenging to pair up or get into groups but it is not impossible. We will always be able to make it work!
Secondary Classroom Arrangement (Fourth Nine Weeks)
Another funky V shape to end the school year. I may or may not allow my students to choose where they would
like to sit for the last nine weeks of school. The single desk in the center is my Distributor. We will use the same process
as we did in the second nine weeks to determine who the Distributor will be. I feel that this seating arrangement allows us
to be close and we can have discussions easily with everyone being able to hear one another. I think students would feel
comfortable in this setting. Pairing up and getting into groups is not a struggle. Students can scoot desks apart from one
another in assessment situations.

Classroom Procedures

Entering the Classroom: As my students enter the classroom each day, I will do my best to be at the door to
greet them. Walking in, students will need to pick up any materials needed for the day from the table right inside
the door. Once students have made it to their seats, they should first copy down the homework in their agenda.
The homework is written on the left or right side of the board depending on the class period. Leaving their agenda
at the top right corner of the desk, students should also have their previous nights homework out and ready to
check. Students should then begin working on their Sunrise, or Do Now, a short activity that I have written on the

board or is waiting at their desk before they enter.

Sunrise: The Sunrise will take about five minutes to complete and students will write it in the Sunrise section of
their notebook. This requires students to put pencil to paper and practice a recent lesson. Students will be able to
complete the Sunrise without my direction and without talking to other students (Teach like a Champion, Doug
Lemov). Music will be playing softly to signal that we are having independent work time and we are not talking
to our neighbors. I can circulate the classroom and do a homework check while students are working on the
Sunrise. I will also be looking to see that students wrote down their homework in their agenda. I want to teach my
students how to stay organized and I hope that these skills will follow throughout their lives. When I turn the
music off, we will go over the Sunrise as a class or I will have a few students go up to the board and show their
work. As a class, I will cue students to guide me through the problem. If I have students show their work, we will
take a quick survey on who agrees and disagrees with the answers given. If someone disagrees, we will work

through the problem together to figure out where a student may have went wrong.
Sunset: At the end of each class, students will have at least one question pertaining to the days lesson. Upon
completion of the Sunset, or Exit Ticket, problem, students need to turn Sunset in to their class periods tray. The
Sunset problem will be a way for me to see how students are handling the new material we have just covered. I
will look at them at the end of each day to determine what my next Sunrise problem will be. Having students
practice the skill again will help to reinforce it and I can address the problem areas I noticed when looking at their

previous class periods Sunset (Teach like a Champion, Doug Lemov).

Homework Checks: Each day at the start of class, I will circulate the room to check for the previous nights
homework. I will keep track of missing homework by putting an X. If students only have half of their homework
done or if they have not shown their work when it is asked to be shown, I will put a 1/2. Homework is graded for
completion every day. However, I do choose one homework assignment each week that will go into the
gradebook. Students do not know which homework assignment this is because I want to encourage them and push
them to have their homework done every time. Students who have all of their homework for the week are put into
a drawing for the Distributors desks in the classroom.

Taking Attendance: As I circulate the classroom for my homework/agenda check, I will be able to tell who is
missing based on the empty desks in my classroom. Over time, I will become more and more familiar with who

sits where so I can easily mark who is missing on my Homework Check Grid. If some one is absent, Ill write
Ab. I can also reference the seating chart if necessary. My students will also be able to tell me who their missing
neighbor is so I can mark it down. I will most likely have to mark attendance in an electronic format to the office

so once I have done my homework check; I will mark attendance on the computer.
Absences: When students are absent, I will gather notes, materials, and homework for them at the end of the day.
Students should call or have a parent/guardian call and request to pick up their missed work in the office that day.
The student is responsible for picking up missed work and completing the homework for the next day in class. If
there are concerns or questions with the content covered, I will most definitely work the student to help catch
them up from the day they have missed. If a student does not request missed work or does not pick up missed
work from the office, it will be in the classroom in a file titled We Missed You (see Missing Work). Eighty
percent of success is showing up. Woody Allen. Attendance is expected but I of course understand that illness

happens and I would love it if my students stayed home when feeling like not sharing bad germs.
Tardies: Being on time is the goal. Coming in late hinders the student to be in harmony with what is already
going on in the classroom. Tardies will be marked with a T on the Homework Check Grid. Students coming in
late are to quickly get out their agenda, fill it out, pull out their homework, and get started on the Sunrise or begin
taking notes wherever we are in class at the time. I will catch the student up for missed time at the end of the class

period. I will also have to mark tardies in the computer.

Missing Work: Missing work is in the We Missed You file on the materials table. The next day the student
arrives at school, he/she is responsible for picking up their missed work from the We Missed You file and
completing the homework by the next class period. The student turns in the homework to the What I Missed file
found on the material table. I will review the homework to be sure that the student is back on track with us and
did not have any issues catching up on material. These homework grades are on the Homework Check Grid as

well.
Make-up Procedures: See Missing Work for where to find make-up work and where to return it. If a student
returns the make-up work within a day of the day missed, he/she will receive full credit for the assignment. If a
student returns the make-up work within two days of the day missed, he/she will receive half credit for the
assignment. If a student returns the make-up work after more than two days of the missed day, he/she will not
receive credit for the assignment. Falling behind is not an option in our classroom and students need to be taking
responsibility of their learning. We will reschedule missing quizzes/tests as necessary.

Getting Attention: During independent work time and during group work time, I will have music playing in the
background. Most of the time it will be instrumental music and on days when we let loose we can have some
tunes we all know and love to sing along to. The volume of the music will determine the noise level (see Noise
Level). When the music is off, that means please stop what you are doing and shift your focus to me. Another way
I will get attention is by saying, Knock, knock. I want my students to respond by saying, Whos there? I will

have a joke ready after that prompt to settle my students, give them a good laugh, and then move on with why I
quieted them down. If I need a joke quickly, I will have a list of jokes as back-ups so I always have something for
my students. If I need the immediate attention of my students, I will say, Tune in. I will also use tune in

during class when I see a student not following along with us.
Staying on Task: Music will be playing while students work independently and while students work in groups. I
will be playing mainly classical music or instrumentals. Anything that does not have words to it so that students
can feel free to get lost in the music. I hope that if gives them a rhythm while they work. I know that listening to
music without words helps me to concentrate more on what I am doing. However, if we do need to let off some
steam we may pick a few tunes we all know and love to sing. While I am teaching, I will scan the room to make
sure that students are following me. If I see students that are zoning out on me, I will say, Joaquin, tune in,

please. I will say this politely as a reminder to come back to be with us again.
Noise Level: The rule of thumb for noise in our classroom will be If we cannot hear the music, then we are being
too loud. I will adjust the volume of the music depending on the activity we are doing. During independent work
and quizzes/tests, the music will be soft and students are to be silent. We are not conversing during these times
with our neighbors. During group activities, the music will be louder to allow students to converse with their
group members. Students still need to keep in mind that If we cannot hear the music, then we are being too

loud. If it does get too loud, I will call attention, using cues from Getting Attention.
Finishing Work Early: If students have finished work early, they are to stay quiet while others finish working.
Students may read a book quietly (one they have with them or one from my classroom library), draw/doodle
(squiggle picture), work on assignments for other classes, work on the Interactive Bulletin Board, or work on
any make-up work. I will also do my best to have extra practice work that may be a bit more challenging for

students who may want to challenge themselves a little more.

Interactive Bulletin Board: Below in the Resources section of my blueprint will be links to great sites with

Interactive Bulletin Board ideas. Students will be given opportunities to work, play, and review on the board.
Restroom Breaks: Students will need to ask permission before leaving the room to go to the restroom. I will have
small hand sanitizers for students to use as the bathroom pass from our classroom. One for the girls and one for
the boys. When the hand sanitizer is back, another student may go to the restroom. If a student needs to go to the
restroom while I am teaching, he/she can simply raise the restroom signal, which we will establish as crossing
of the first and middle finger. I will respond with a nod to the student to leave the room to go to the restroom

taking the hand sanitizer as a pass.

Pencils/Supplies: Students are to bring their agenda, binder, spiral notebook, and pencil to class. A bucket of presharpened pencils will be on the table at the front of the room for students who may need to borrow a pencil. If a
student borrows a pencil, there will be a space on the board for him/her to write his/her name so I can hold
him/her accountable for borrowed pencils. I do expect the pencil to be back in the bucket at the end of the class
period. The supplies are for our classroom community and we need to keep them abundant for future students
who may forget materials. If students need to sharpen their pencil, they should get up and go to the pencil

sharpener, which will be next to the pencil bucket. Any other materials that students will need for the day will be
on the materials table. For example, if we are using white boards that day, there will be white board markers and
eraser rags. Students will have respect for all of the classroom materials we use because they are what help us to

have a nice, learning environment.

Collecting Papers: Each class period will have their own tray on top of the manipulatives storage shelf to turn in
papers or assignments for grading. I will give verbal reminders at the beginning of class to turn in certain items

but after that, it is the students responsibility to remember to turn in their work before the end of class.
Returning Papers: I will do my best to stay on top of my grading each night that I have something to grade for
students. If everyone has turned in the assignment, then I will distribute the papers the next day after grading them
during a time when students are working independently. However, if students are still missing the assignment or
have not taken the quiz/test, I will have to wait until all make-up work is in before returning any graded papers.

Homework Check Grid

Student

Homework
Assignment

Classroom Rules
I will have the classroom rules posted for us to see. We can look to the classroom rules when we need reminding of
the positive standards we will hold ourselves to. On the first day of school, the students and I will discuss our three
classroom rules in detail. We will talk about what the rules mean and how to follow these rules. Overall, I hope that these
rules will not only help students in my classroom but also help them to grow as individuals.

Believe in yourself
Choose kindness and laugh often
Learn every day

Believe in yourself: I want my students to come into my classroom each day feeling ready to work and confident that
they can do any task I throw at them. I want to instill in them that they can achieve their goals when they believe in
themselves. Keeping an open mind helps to follow this rule. Students should be open to new ways of learning and
performing tasks in our classroom. Students will know that beating themselves up over not understanding something is
not acceptable. Instead, students should take a deep breath and remember to believe in themselves because I would not
give them anything I did not think they could accomplish.
Choose kindness and laugh often: Our classroom is a community and we are all going to respect each other. To do so, I
would like my students to choose to be kind to one another. I am sure there will be times when students are irritated with
one another but we will always choose the higher road. As I stated in my Philosophy Statement, laughter is the best
medicine. If students are feeling stressed, we will laugh. A good laugh is sure to fix any issues we could be having with
classwork or with classmates. Students will know that being unkind to our classmates is not acceptable. Instead of being
unkind, a student should have a laugh and maybe make the other person laugh as well to lighten the mood. Then, students
should work out any differences using kind words.
Learn every day: Each day, in addition to believing in themselves, I want my students to learn something every day. This
does not just apply to our class but also to everyday life. Students will find that there is new knowledge all around them
that is just waiting for them to soak it all in. I know that it can be overwhelming some days to take in so much new
information, but holding on to the newly learned material makes for an even better learning experience the next day.
Students will know that tuning out is not acceptable. We are meeting together in our classroom community to learn and
we learn at least one new thing every single day. I want my students to keeps that open mind to learning each day.

Discipline Plan
After we discuss our classroom rules, students will draw up a Behavior Contract. The contract will ask students
to describe what each classroom rule means to them and what to do if the rule is broken. Getting student thoughts about
the classroom rules will help me to see which students may not completely understand what our rules mean. Honestly, I
do not think of them as rules but as guidelines to live everyday life by. The Behavior Contract allows me to hold students
accountable for their actions. I will be able to pull out the contract and show them what they have pledged to do in our
classroom. I like asking the question What can you do differently if you break this rule? The question forces students to
think about what it takes to follow the classroom rules. If students are unsure about how to follow any of our three rules, I
am able to catch that early on.
In addition to having the Behavior Contracts on file, I will have Behavior Notices for those students who do not
follow the classroom rules. The notice will ask students to identify which rule they have broken and how they broke the
rule. Students will also have to think of a plan of action and tell me what they are going to do to fix the problem today,
tomorrow, and the rest of the year. I will allow students to refer back to their Behavior Contract as a reminder of the
pledge they took at the beginning of the year. The Behavior Notice goes home and to be signed by both the parent and the
student. Having these Behavior Notices helps the student to remember what it means to be a good member of our
classroom community as well as keeps parents informed.
Once the student returns the Behavior Notice, the student and I will discuss what an appropriate consequence
would be. I would like to deal with consequences on a case-by-case basis. The consequence needs to align with the
behavior that was broken. For other classroom disruptions, such as talking out of turn, not having homework, or not
having materials for class, I will use the Dojo points system. I will use Dojo to reward good behaviors in the classroom. I
will also use Dojo to deduct points for students that cause these other classroom disruptions. Once a student gets to ten
Dojo points, I will allow them to choose a prize from a small prize box or jar.

Behavior
Behavior
Notice
Contract
Think about our three classroom rules and the discussion we have had about
our classroom rules.
Believe in yourself
1. What does this rule mean to you?
2. What can you do differently if you break this rule?

Choose kindness and laugh often

1. What does this rule mean to you?
2. What can you do differently if you break this rule?

Learn every day

1. What does this rule mean to you?
2. What can you do differently if you break this rule?

I pledge to follow the classroom and accept responsibility for my actions if I do not follow these
rules.
Student signature:_______________________________

Name:_________________________

Date:________

Date:__________

Time:________

Your choices have broken the behavior contract that you signed for this class.
1. In complete sentences, please describe your behavior as specifically as possible.

2. How are you going to make this situation better?

3. What are you going to do better for the rest of this class today, tomorrow, and for the rest
of the year?

Please sign this completed form and have a parent or guardian sign it as well.
Return this completed form tomorrow.

Student Signature:_________________________

Date:_________

Parent/Guardian Signature:__________________________

Date:_________

First Day of School Plans

Since I am not sure what grade level I will be teaching or what specific content I will be teaching, I cannot be
super specific with my first day of school plans. However, I do have several activities that I want to do with students on
the first day of school to welcome them to our classroom. I want to have fun and really get to know my students on the
first day while getting to know our classroom as well. Taking the time to get to know my students will make them feel
comfortable and allow them to get to know their classmates. I would like to wait until the second day of school to discuss
classroom rules and procedures. The first day should be devoted to us learning one another since we will share the next
180 days together.
Getting to Know Each Other:

Toss the Beach Ball

o The beach ball will have get to know you questions on the different sections.
o We will toss the ball and wherever the left thumb is will be the question the student answers.
o Example questions
Tell us about your favorite summer memory.
Tell us about the people/animals that live with you.
What is one thing you really enjoy doing?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you eat?
o This activity allows the students and me to get to know one another with some fun and interesting
questions.
Multiple Intelligences Assessment
o Helps me to see how I can better accommodate my students.
o Also, provides me with an opportunity to discuss with students that we all learn in different ways.
Self-Portrait
o Students will use drawings or pictures from magazines to make a collage of pictures that tells us about
o
o

themselves (i.e. a favorite animal, color, or food, interesting hobbies, family, etc.).
After the self-portraits are complete, we will share them with the class.
The self-portrait will allow the students and me to get to know each other. I will also make a self-portrait
to share with the class.

Getting to Know the Class:

Resource Scavenger Hunt

o Give students a list of resources that will be useful throughout the year (i.e. extra paper, pencils, stapler,
o

hole punch, etc.).

Have the students locate each resource.

The scavenger hunt gives students the chance to get to know our classroom. I want students to become
independent and get the materials they need when they need them. This activity gives me the opportunity

to talk about where to locate useful resources.

Stick It!
o Students will write responses to the following prompts and post them to the corresponding prompt poster
o

posted on the board.

Example prompts
Our classroom should be _______________ every day.
Math is important because
Miss Webb can be most helpful by
This will be my best year of math because
This activity allows me to receive input from my students about how they feel about the subject matter I
teach. I will also get responses on how I can help my students throughout the year.

Resources
Books to keep me fresh

Lemov, Doug. Teach like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass, 2010.
The First Days of School by Harry Wong
The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools by Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. Mullet
Lost at School by Ross Greene

Websites for me

www.classdojo.com
https://getkahoot.com
Interactive Bulletin Boards
o http://www.residentassistant.com/ra/take-a-chance-kindness-notes/
o https://www.pinterest.com/pin/129619295500817044/
o https://www.pinterest.com/pin/163114817731443101/
o http://rockstarmathteacher.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/my-classroom-pictures-2013-2014-school.html
https://www.ixl.com/
Pinterest Boards (Math/Education)
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/math-picture-books

Websites for students

https://.kahoot.it
http://www.adaptedmind.com/Sixth-Grade-Math-Worksheets-And-Exercises.html
https://www.ixl.com/
http://www.funbrain.com/FBSearch.php?Grade=6

Quotes that Need to be Seen

When you
Enter this room
Learning is fun and

Andrew Lewis Expectations

We respect ourselves and others.
We are lifelong learners.

Cooperation is expected.

We build positive relationships.

Our positive attitude and

We always do our best.

Mutual respect are part of

We never give up.

Everything we do and say.