Courtney Hughes
September 11, 2014
Philosophy of Classroom Management and Discipline
Education is the cornerstone of a person’s life. I believe children are shaped by their
education. They are shaped into future leaders of our country and the future generation of
our society. Education provides an open door for students in all kinds of different
backgrounds to achieve great things. It shapes their lives and truly determines where and
sometimes who that child will be in the future as they continue to accomplish each grade
and each school year. Education allows students to gain a sense of self, a sense of
knowledge, and a sense of truth throughout their lives. Through schooling, children find
who they really are and who they want to be. They gain skills in their education that will
help in society and the business world. They gain a sense of fact and truth through subject
matter that they would not learn if they were not able to earn an education. However,
behind every student’s education is a teacher guiding him or her in the direction they need
to go.
Teachers are facilitators who guide children in the right direction. I believe a good
teacher is someone who allows the student to think outside the box and does not confine
him or her into one way of learning. I think every teacher should adhere to all different
types of learning styles and allow children to succeed in the best way they can. The teacher
needs to show the student that their way of learning is never wrong, but to always strive to
achieve higher than anyone’s expectation. Teachers are also there for emotional support.
Many times a teacher has to be a parent, a mentor, and a teacher all at the same time. They
are with students sometimes more than the parents and need to be there for the students
not only in the educational aspect, but also in the emotional and personal support each
student needs. A good teacher can bend, shape, and mold into everything each student
needs with ease and be comfortable to adhering to those needs of students. They need to
provide an environment that makes every student feel comfortable and wanted. By doing
this, each classroom needs a classroom management plan where all students feel they have
a structured and safe environment.
My classroom management plan must consist of equal wants and needs of the
teacher and the students. The students need to have a voice in what they believe rules and
regulations should be within their classroom. However, teachers need to also provide some
rules that students must abide by as well. They should always be a balance between
teacher and student. I believe two goals that should be prioritized are respectfulness and
kindness. Students and teachers need to show respect to others and make sure every
person is being kind to each other. If one child feels threatened or hurt, it will disrupt the
entire classroom. I believe that classroom set up should be a huge part of the classroom
management. Students need to have a small group feeling, but also know they are part of a
bigger group as well. They should all feel comfortable in smaller settings, but be willing to
participate in large group activities. This is all created by the way a teacher arranges his or
her classroom and manages the flow of the room. The teacher has a huge role to play in the
lives of the students and always has to have a sense of control in the classroom.
I believe teachers should have moderate control and students should have moderate
control. Teachers need to guide students through what they need to know, but perform it in
the way that students want to learn the material. I believe students should not be lectured
to or have the teacher be the only one talking in the classroom. I am a huge supporter of
small groups in which students use problem solving and group efforts to find solutions to
math problems, or solve vocabulary jigsaw puzzles, etc. Students should not always depend
on the teacher for everything, but use the resources around them and fellow students to
help learn the material provided.
All of these traits and beliefs listed above are quite similar to William Glasser’s
model of Non-coercive Discipline, also known as reality and choice therapy. He believes
that students need to feel love and belonging in their classroom while also having a sense of
voice and power. He truly believes in student’s choice and having the teacher guide them in
the right direction of their education. I truly like that he stresses the five basic needs that
consist of: survivor, freedom, fun, power, and love and belonging. I believe a teacher should
meet all these needs in his or her classroom to succeed as a teacher. These are what
children need in their environment to learn and grow in their education. It is the beginning
of what children require before they begin learning core concepts in their classroom.
My philosophical belief is that every child needs to feel that it is ok to be
independent and unique from every student, but also feel like he or she belongs to a
classroom “family” that they can depend and trust throughout every day. My belief is that a
teacher needs to support this and guide the children into the right educational direction
and allow the student to achieve however they know best. Teachers, finally, need to strive
to teach their students to the best of their abilities and help the student grow educationally,
in maturity, and in their life as they work to become the amazing person they are meant to
be.