Classroom Management Plan Evaluation

Here are my rules: 1. Be in your seat by the time the bell rings. 2. Raise your hand before speaking or getting out of your seat. 3. Respect the teacher, your classmates and the classroom.

There is one of my rules that I have a hard time enforcing, #1. It seems like none of the other teachers require their students to be in when the bell rings, and also the kids coming from the vocational school are always late. Plus, I'm passing out papers at beginning of class and taking attendance instead of standing at the front of the room writing down their seat numbers on the board.

I like rule #2 and I'm pretty good with it, but I need to add "and wait for my permission" because otherwise they think that if their hand is in the air they can talk/get out of their seat.

I'm good with #3 as well. It cuts out the disrespectful comments most of all.

I wish that at the beginning of the year I had told them more about why I had these rules, how my rules would help them in the real world (college, job). I always get "but it's so childish to have to raise your hand to talk." Also, I should have given a talk on cheating at the beginning of the year, because that seems to be a favorite pastime for a number of my students.

The other part of my classroom management plan, creating the environment, has worked really well. My class is very pleasant and positive. I smile all the time, regardless of those people who say don't smile for the first month. I've been called "Ms. Happy" when I walk down the hallway. I can't count the number of times I've been asked why I'm always smiling, or "are you going to teach us to smile like that?" It has worked really well getting the students to participate-- I love when I start the class with review questions and the hands shoot up in the air.