Sarah Simpson

EDU 5310
Behavior Management Plan:

I believe that each child that enters my classroom deserves to be taught and loved. They
deserve to be taught and loved so that they can be guided on their way toward becoming a
successful adult. One day they will be the teachers helping their own set of students. They will
be parents, leaders, doctors, officers, scientists, engineers, etc. In order for them to find success
in whatever path they decide to take, they must first be taught. This teaching includes much
more than just math and reading. This teaching includes behavior. According to Class Acts,
teachers should “Plan specific steps for them (students) to follow. Plan these before you walk
into the room.” Students must be taught how to interact with others, how to respond to
authority, how to politely deal with a challenging situation, how to control their anger, how to
complete a task they are not excited about, and so much more. I believe that it is not only
important to teach behavior, but it is unfair and damaging not to. Students need to have
boundaries. It helps them feel safe. Students need to see that when they step out of the
boundaries set, it is not a fun game. It does not bring fun, desirable outcomes. I want to give my
students the best chance for success I possibly can. Teaching and enforcing behavior will give
them this chance.
I also believe that each child has individual needs. This means that, though the rules
may be the same for every child, the response to breaking a rule is not the same. Students
come from different backgrounds, different cultures, different home lives, and different
educational experiences. According to Margaret WIlson, “We want to stop behavior mistakes
from escalating, restore the children to positive behavior as soon as possible, and keep other
students’ learning on track” (Wilson 28). I believe in responding to behavior in whatever way is
going to best help that child to find success and help the rest of the students to continue to
learn. This will look different, but what is fair isn’t always equal. We have to be flexible and
handle various situations that are thrown our way. In fact, flexibility is one of the twelve
characteristics of good teachers. According to “Twelve Characteristics of Effective Early
Childhood Teachers,” there is a demand “that you be able to deal with change and unexpected
turns” (Colker 4). The behavior of children is often unexpected. I commit to follow through in
such a way to best help each child in my classroom, however that may
look. Below is a brief outline of my plan to help each child find the
success they need in learning about behavior.

Preventative:
● At the beginning of the year:
○ Build class rules with students
○ Explain, model, and practice expectations for common
classroom tasks
○ Start class-wide reward system (class tally, marble jar,
etc.)
 ● Frequently
○ Talk with students about things they like
outside of school
○ Play games outside at recess or in the
classroom to learn more about students
○ Change class jobs so that students feel
like they are contributing
○ Have Fun Fridays or other celebrations
for students that are behaving
appropriately
○ Make adjustments in seating arrangements to place students where they are
most likely to be successful
○ Review and reteach expectations for different classroom
times
● Daily
○ Greet students at the door
○ Clip ups to encourage good behavior
○ Positive praise and encouragement
○ Blue tickets/roadrunner coupons/class cash
Supportive Techniques
● Review expectations often
● Set time limits for various tasks
● Proximity
Intervention Techniques
● Sit aways/Think times- if a student has needed many reminders
and has clipped down to orange, they can go to another
classroom, write what happened, and have a reteaching moment
with that teacher.
● Contracts
● Calm down room
● Reteach expectations individually
● Teach positive behavior responses
Important Procedures
● Beginning of the day: Students put their backpacks/coats away, grab their breakfast, put
their chair down, and quietly start working on their self-starter.
● Sitting on the rug: Students sit in their own square on the rug. The voice level is 0 unless
students are asked to do a partner talk or answer a question. Students have a signal if
they need to use the bathroom, and they do not need to get off the rug for any other
reason unless it is an emergency.

● Lining up: Students line up quickly and quietly, one person in front of the next. They are
asked to face forward with their “bumpers and bubbles.” This means they have their
voices off and their arms folded. They are asked to stay in their spot in line.
● Recess: When the bell rings or the whistle blows, students line up quickly in the
designated area. As soon as they enter the school, their voices are required to be off in
the hallway.
● Centers: Students are expected to use level 1 or level 2 voices in their groups. If they
are silent reading, their voices are expected to be off. They are expected to transition
quickly from center to center and get on task quickly.
● End of the day: Students get their homework folder back. They color their behavior
tracker with the right color for that day, stack their chair, and quietly wait to be excused
to go get their backpacks. Once they have their backpack, they sit quietly on the carpet
until we are ready to line up and head to rotations. They are excused from rotations.
● Bathroom: Students have the chance to go at the beginning of the day and before each
recess/lunch. If they have an emergency another time, they are required to ask for
permission. There is a designated sign they use if they need to go.
● Pencils: If students don’t have a pencil or an eraser, they can get one from the jar. If
their pencil breaks, they can put it in the sharpen jar. Pencils are rarely sharpened during
school. Miss Simpson sharpens them outside of class time.
● Getting attention: Students raise their hand if they need something and wait to be called
on. If they need to use the bathroom or get water, they use the designated hand signals
for that so that I know that is their specific need.
● Giving attention: If an attention prompt or signal is given, students are expected to stop
talking and put their eyes on the teacher immediately.
Communication with Parent/Guardians
● Daily through the behavior tracker- parents can
discuss with their child what color they ended on
and why
● Frequently through notes home about upcoming
events
● Parent Involvement nights and Back to School
nights
● SEP conferences
● Notes/phone calls home

References
Colker, Laura J. “Twelve Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers” Young Children,
Mar. 2008, pp. 1-6.
Forlini, Gary, Ellen Williams, and Annette Brinkman. Class Acts. Lavender Hill Press, 2010
Wilson, Margaret. Teasing, Tattling, Defiance and More...Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.,
2015.