Classroom Management
4th Grade-St. Elizabeth
2007-2008
Routines and Procedures:
All 4th grade students will be taught the routines and procedures appropriate to their classroom at the beginning of the school year. Students will also be involved in deciding how some of the routines and procedures are carried out in the classroom. This will help the students feel more ownership of the daily routine as well as make it easier for them to comply with it.
Community Guidelines:
Once again, students will be involved in creating the specific guidelines for the classroom. Although the specific guidelines cannot be listed here, they will involve:
* making the classroom a safe environment
* solving your own problems (assistance is always available)
* keeping the Christ-skills in mind at all times
When specific guidelines are decided upon, they will be posted in the classroom and on our website.
Consequences:
Our school adheres to the Love and Logic form of discipline. Everything that is written below is based on material from the Love and Logic program. If more information is needed, please see the school website.
Many teachers have a list of consequences that they apply to any misbehavior in the classroom regardless of the situation. A Love and Logic classroom has consequences, but they are different depending on the situation. The consequence for a misbehavior should not be punitive, but it should be the natural consequence for making a poor choice.
* The first step a Love and Logic teacher takes is trying to discreetly help the child make a better choice. This can be done with a look, proximity, or even whispering some encouragement or choices to the child when no one is looking.
* If the child still has not made a good choice, they may be asked to move to a different seat or room to think about their actions.
* If the behavior continues, letters may be written and phone calls may be made.
Regardless of the consequence, the teacher will always strive to make it “fair.” In addition, the consequence will never be intended to humiliate the child. We are trying to teach the correct behavior, not tear down the child’s self-esteem. Because of this, a child is always free to say “I’m not sure that’s fair” when they feel they are being treated unjustly. In this case, the child’s opinion will be heard and a decision will be made from there.
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