Guidelines and Procedures
General Guidelines:
Covenant (Relationships) Management:
The teacher will...
· Encourage strong parent to teacher relationships and keep active communication ties to parents.
· Provide opportunities for growth of the classroom community throughout the year.
· Provide opportunities for students to create strong relationship ties to the teacher.
· Treat each student according to his or her needs, while also challenging and supporting each student in their specific talents or interest areas.
The students are expected to...
· Participate actively in community growth opportunities the teacher presents to the class throughout the year.
· Treat their fellow classmates with respect, while also challenging and supporting one another.
· Notify the teacher of any issues they are having in their relationships with other classmates or the teacher.
Content (teaching and learning) management:
The teacher will...
· Create a classroom environment that fosters creativity and inspiration.
· Create a classroom that promotes a positive learning environment for all students' learning styles.
· Manage the classroom in a way that prevents distractions and an unorganized environment
The students will...
· Engage in opportunities to be creative and share what inspires them or what they have learned with the class.
· Participate and use the variety of materials and activities the teacher presents that engage different learning styles.
· Aid the teacher in preventing distractions and preventing an unorganized learning environment.
Conduct (Behavior) Management:
The teacher will...
· Encourage and model both respect and kindness towards others.
· Guide students in making a "classroom covenant" or rules for appropriate behaviors and actions in the classroom.
· Consistently enforce classroom rules for the entire year equally for each student.
· Create a visual system for tracking student behavior throughout the day.
· Encourage positive behavior from the students and remind students of why certain behaviors are important.
The students will...
· Add input while creating the "classroom covenant" and strive to follow its guidelines throughout the year.
· Act with respect and kindness to others in the classroom.
· Monitor their behavior and actively work towards improvement when needed.
· Consider ways to calmly and respectfully resolve current and ongoing classroom conflicts.
Procedures:
To achieve covenant management guidelines:
· The teacher will consistently send newsletters home, make phone calls, personally visit student homes, and provide opportunities for parents to visit the classroom and get involved.
· The teacher will commit to leading "get to know you" games, teamwork building, and other activities at the beginning of the year, encouraging each child to participate. The teacher will continue with these activities throughout the year, doing them about once every month.
· The teacher will commit to sharing pictures and stories from her everyday life, as well as things she is passionate about in the curriculum (such as sharing her own writing during writing time.) The teacher will encourage students to come to her at the beginning and end of the day, as well as during recess to converse and build strong relationships.
· The teacher will actively note the students' individual challenges, providing scaffolds for them in the lesson plans. The teacher will also take note of the students' individual talents and interests, providing them materials and activities that build up these areas and encourage further growth.
To achieve content management guides:
· The teacher will provide a variety of materials, visuals, and books in the classroom to inspire student exploration. Art supplies, music, and physical space for students to create will be provided in the classroom.
· The teacher will keep principles from Universal Design for Learning and Bloom's Taxonomy in mind when designing a classroom environment and specific unit lessons. The teacher will provide supplies and activities that promote visual, auditory, kinesthetic, logical mathematical, and other types of learning styles.
· The teacher will set in place certain habits with students that prevent a distracting environment and create systems and routines with students that encourage continued organization and cleanliness in the classroom.
To achieve conduct management guides:
· The teacher will consistently describe respect and kindness, and how we show it to others, to her students.
· The teacher will provide time at the beginning of the school year for students to engage in covenant making and will guide the covenant making process. The teacher will also post the covenant in the classroom and refer to it when needed.
· The teacher will remind students of the content of their covenant throughout the year. The teacher will also keep discipline records, examining them to make sure consistent discipline, according to the covenant, is occurring for all students.
· The teacher will create and implement a visual system for tracking student behavior for each child. The visual will be posted in the classroom and used throughout the year.
· The teacher will be intentional about encouraging positive behavior. The teacher will also consistently remind students of the importance of certain behaviors when the covenant guidelines are not followed.
Consequences and Rewards:
Of achieving/not achieving covenant management guides:
· If the teacher does not keep strong relationship and communication ties with families a disconnect will occur between the school and the students' families. If the teacher does keep strong relationship and communication ties with families than a stronger connection will be made between the child's home and school environments, which could also have a positive effect on the child’s learning and attitude towards school.
· If opportunities for growth in the classroom community do not happen throughout the year than a disconnect will occur between the students in the classroom. This will have a negative affect on learning and social interaction in the classroom. If the teacher does provide opportunities for growth in the classroom a positive, encouraging, and collaborative learning environment will be fostered.
· If students are not provided opportunities to create strong relationship ties with the teacher than a disconnect will occur between the teacher and the students. This disconnect will negatively affect communication between the teacher and students, as well as have an impact on the child's attitude towards school. If strong relationship ties are created between the teacher and the students, than the student will feel more comfortable in the class and will be more inspired to learn and the teacher will know more about the student in order to meet his/her learning needs.
· If the teacher fails to treat each child according to his or her needs than an environment where each child has equal opportunities to gain knowledge and present their learning will be discouraged. If the teacher instead meets each child's needs and supports them in their specific talents or interest areas, than there will be a highly likely that each child will reach their full potential.
Of achieving/not achieving content management guides:
· If students do not have an environment that fosters creativity and inspiration than enthusiastic learning will fail to occur. If however, an environment that fosters these ideas is put in place, students will be more eager to learn and will be better able to express themselves through their learning.
· If students do not have a positive learning environment geared towards their learning style, than students may fail to easily acquire new knowledge in their preferred fashion. If however this environment is put in place, than students will be more eager to learn and will better acquire new knowledge.
· If distractions and an unorganized environment are constant in a classroom, than it has the potential to negatively affect student attention and learning. If a clean, distraction free environment is created however, students will have the proper space and environment to think, learn, and work together.
Of achieving/not achieving conduct management guides:
· If the teacher does not encourage and model both respect and kindness towards others, than the students will learn from their teacher's negative example. However, if the teacher does model respect and kindness than the students will learn from this example, and go on to create a thoughtful and considerate classroom community.
· If the class does not make a "classroom covenant" than students will not consider how their actions affect others around them and will have no behavioral guidelines. If the class does create a "classroom covenant" than all students will take ownership of the guidelines they create together and have a written record of how they agree to behave in the classroom. This will lead to better conduct from students, and create a better functioning classroom community.
· If the teacher does not consistently enforce classroom rules for the entire year, equally for each student, than students will begin testing behavior limits and acting out against the guidelines they created. If the teacher does consistently enforce classroom rules for the entire year, equally for each student, than the class will understand that the rules apply all of the time to every student, and begin to create habits and lifestyles revolving around them.
· If a visual system for tracking student behavior throughout the day is not created, than students will be unable to thoughtfully reflect on how well they are behaving. If a visual system is created, students will be encouraged to behave according to their guidelines, after being reminded by the visual.
· If positive behavior is not encouraged in students, and reminders about why certain behaviors are important are not given, than students will forget about the importance behind conduct guidelines and begin to disregard them. It positive behavior is reinforced and reminders about the importance of certain behaviors are given, than students will find a purpose in acting according to conduct guidelines and will follow them more actively.
Covenant (Relationships) Management:
The teacher will...
· Encourage strong parent to teacher relationships and keep active communication ties to parents.
· Provide opportunities for growth of the classroom community throughout the year.
· Provide opportunities for students to create strong relationship ties to the teacher.
· Treat each student according to his or her needs, while also challenging and supporting each student in their specific talents or interest areas.
The students are expected to...
· Participate actively in community growth opportunities the teacher presents to the class throughout the year.
· Treat their fellow classmates with respect, while also challenging and supporting one another.
· Notify the teacher of any issues they are having in their relationships with other classmates or the teacher.
Content (teaching and learning) management:
The teacher will...
· Create a classroom environment that fosters creativity and inspiration.
· Create a classroom that promotes a positive learning environment for all students' learning styles.
· Manage the classroom in a way that prevents distractions and an unorganized environment
The students will...
· Engage in opportunities to be creative and share what inspires them or what they have learned with the class.
· Participate and use the variety of materials and activities the teacher presents that engage different learning styles.
· Aid the teacher in preventing distractions and preventing an unorganized learning environment.
Conduct (Behavior) Management:
The teacher will...
· Encourage and model both respect and kindness towards others.
· Guide students in making a "classroom covenant" or rules for appropriate behaviors and actions in the classroom.
· Consistently enforce classroom rules for the entire year equally for each student.
· Create a visual system for tracking student behavior throughout the day.
· Encourage positive behavior from the students and remind students of why certain behaviors are important.
The students will...
· Add input while creating the "classroom covenant" and strive to follow its guidelines throughout the year.
· Act with respect and kindness to others in the classroom.
· Monitor their behavior and actively work towards improvement when needed.
· Consider ways to calmly and respectfully resolve current and ongoing classroom conflicts.
Procedures:
To achieve covenant management guidelines:
· The teacher will consistently send newsletters home, make phone calls, personally visit student homes, and provide opportunities for parents to visit the classroom and get involved.
· The teacher will commit to leading "get to know you" games, teamwork building, and other activities at the beginning of the year, encouraging each child to participate. The teacher will continue with these activities throughout the year, doing them about once every month.
· The teacher will commit to sharing pictures and stories from her everyday life, as well as things she is passionate about in the curriculum (such as sharing her own writing during writing time.) The teacher will encourage students to come to her at the beginning and end of the day, as well as during recess to converse and build strong relationships.
· The teacher will actively note the students' individual challenges, providing scaffolds for them in the lesson plans. The teacher will also take note of the students' individual talents and interests, providing them materials and activities that build up these areas and encourage further growth.
To achieve content management guides:
· The teacher will provide a variety of materials, visuals, and books in the classroom to inspire student exploration. Art supplies, music, and physical space for students to create will be provided in the classroom.
· The teacher will keep principles from Universal Design for Learning and Bloom's Taxonomy in mind when designing a classroom environment and specific unit lessons. The teacher will provide supplies and activities that promote visual, auditory, kinesthetic, logical mathematical, and other types of learning styles.
· The teacher will set in place certain habits with students that prevent a distracting environment and create systems and routines with students that encourage continued organization and cleanliness in the classroom.
To achieve conduct management guides:
· The teacher will consistently describe respect and kindness, and how we show it to others, to her students.
· The teacher will provide time at the beginning of the school year for students to engage in covenant making and will guide the covenant making process. The teacher will also post the covenant in the classroom and refer to it when needed.
· The teacher will remind students of the content of their covenant throughout the year. The teacher will also keep discipline records, examining them to make sure consistent discipline, according to the covenant, is occurring for all students.
· The teacher will create and implement a visual system for tracking student behavior for each child. The visual will be posted in the classroom and used throughout the year.
· The teacher will be intentional about encouraging positive behavior. The teacher will also consistently remind students of the importance of certain behaviors when the covenant guidelines are not followed.
Consequences and Rewards:
Of achieving/not achieving covenant management guides:
· If the teacher does not keep strong relationship and communication ties with families a disconnect will occur between the school and the students' families. If the teacher does keep strong relationship and communication ties with families than a stronger connection will be made between the child's home and school environments, which could also have a positive effect on the child’s learning and attitude towards school.
· If opportunities for growth in the classroom community do not happen throughout the year than a disconnect will occur between the students in the classroom. This will have a negative affect on learning and social interaction in the classroom. If the teacher does provide opportunities for growth in the classroom a positive, encouraging, and collaborative learning environment will be fostered.
· If students are not provided opportunities to create strong relationship ties with the teacher than a disconnect will occur between the teacher and the students. This disconnect will negatively affect communication between the teacher and students, as well as have an impact on the child's attitude towards school. If strong relationship ties are created between the teacher and the students, than the student will feel more comfortable in the class and will be more inspired to learn and the teacher will know more about the student in order to meet his/her learning needs.
· If the teacher fails to treat each child according to his or her needs than an environment where each child has equal opportunities to gain knowledge and present their learning will be discouraged. If the teacher instead meets each child's needs and supports them in their specific talents or interest areas, than there will be a highly likely that each child will reach their full potential.
Of achieving/not achieving content management guides:
· If students do not have an environment that fosters creativity and inspiration than enthusiastic learning will fail to occur. If however, an environment that fosters these ideas is put in place, students will be more eager to learn and will be better able to express themselves through their learning.
· If students do not have a positive learning environment geared towards their learning style, than students may fail to easily acquire new knowledge in their preferred fashion. If however this environment is put in place, than students will be more eager to learn and will better acquire new knowledge.
· If distractions and an unorganized environment are constant in a classroom, than it has the potential to negatively affect student attention and learning. If a clean, distraction free environment is created however, students will have the proper space and environment to think, learn, and work together.
Of achieving/not achieving conduct management guides:
· If the teacher does not encourage and model both respect and kindness towards others, than the students will learn from their teacher's negative example. However, if the teacher does model respect and kindness than the students will learn from this example, and go on to create a thoughtful and considerate classroom community.
· If the class does not make a "classroom covenant" than students will not consider how their actions affect others around them and will have no behavioral guidelines. If the class does create a "classroom covenant" than all students will take ownership of the guidelines they create together and have a written record of how they agree to behave in the classroom. This will lead to better conduct from students, and create a better functioning classroom community.
· If the teacher does not consistently enforce classroom rules for the entire year, equally for each student, than students will begin testing behavior limits and acting out against the guidelines they created. If the teacher does consistently enforce classroom rules for the entire year, equally for each student, than the class will understand that the rules apply all of the time to every student, and begin to create habits and lifestyles revolving around them.
· If a visual system for tracking student behavior throughout the day is not created, than students will be unable to thoughtfully reflect on how well they are behaving. If a visual system is created, students will be encouraged to behave according to their guidelines, after being reminded by the visual.
· If positive behavior is not encouraged in students, and reminders about why certain behaviors are important are not given, than students will forget about the importance behind conduct guidelines and begin to disregard them. It positive behavior is reinforced and reminders about the importance of certain behaviors are given, than students will find a purpose in acting according to conduct guidelines and will follow them more actively.