Brett Bleiweis

Philosophy The teacher, students, and parents should all be working together to maximize the success of each student. The teacher should create a sense of a caring community within the classroom in order to foster a positive, safe, and inspiring environment. The community will develop a sense of accountability and respect among the students and teacher in the classroom. Students are expected to give their best effort every single day. They are part of the community where learning and well-being of others is of utmost importance. The students will be accountable for their actions and hold each other to the highest standards so that each individual and the group as a whole will thrive. Parents are expected to help the children succeed to the best of their abilities. They will be given specific instructions on how to best help their child academically. Without proper parent involvement, learning will not be as effective as possible. If parents do not have the proper resources or knowledge to complete the tasks, they will be given the necessary tools to gain that information. Administration should allow for the teacher to run his/her classroom as he/she pleases. The teacher was hired to guide, challenge, and engage the students socially and academically. Empowering the teachers to run the classroom in a style that is fitting to his/her own strengths will help the teacher feel more comfortable. Additionally, empowering the teachers shows confidence in them. Building a positive, safe, and creative environment Responsive classroom will be utilized in order to enhance productivity and build an excellent climate. Class meetings are imperative to running a smooth classroom. This allows for the class to discuss and mentally prepare for the day ahead. Additionally, it facilitates discussion on important issues in the classroom that do not necessarily pertain to the curriculum. We will take a proactive approach to behavior by creating the rules together as a class the first week of school. Basic guiding principles will be the same regardless of grade level- respectful, responsible, caring (Will vary based on grade level) Specific rules might include: Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself No offensive language Wait for directions to be fully given before moving Full attention on the speaker when they are talking (discuss looks like, sounds like) Failure to comply with rules and expectations will be marked in agenda book to be signed by parents Part of building a successful community is based on the principle of accountability. I will utilize self-evaluation and problem solving techniques in order to help monitor and regulate issues that may arise. Self evaluation of behavior- will have students grade themselves honestly on their behavior and attitude for the week in several categories (can be aligned with report card character traits) Honesty is crucial here- I want to see what the student thought about his/her behavior/attitude for the week and will check each one and give my feedback. If they arent honest, they potentially will be docked a lower mark. Problem solving strategy- peer mediation, self-checks, and evaluating problem and coming up with the best solution are all strategies I plan on modeling and practicing these with the students. Class discussion will be utilized when appropriate to discuss problem solving- takes time in the present but will save time in the future Before school/summer checklist Class jobs The team or even the school possibly determines these jobs. I would rotate the necessary jobs by using popsicle sticks (each child has their own). They will rotate over one slot each week. If there are more people than jobs, there will be a bucket with the remaining names. Gives a sense of responsibility and accountability in the classroom. Name tags Will create name tags for students so they know where to sit on the first day- will have room on the back of them to design their own nametag Layout and arrangement of classrooms I enjoy the cluster of groups layout because it allows for students to work in small groups as well as partner work (some groups might have less desks than others just depends on class) I will prearrange groups based on gender (equal amount at each table) Will adjust each month based on different factors such as performance, IEPs/504s, distractions, friendships, etc. Layout will be changed if need to facilitate certain activities Horseshoe could be utilized for class discussion purposes Rows could be utilized to practice standardized testing procedures. Have rough outline for year Outline for each unit Attempt to work in themes in assignments/ class activities Possible themes- holidays, sports, food, countries, states, current events, etc. Will label boxes, folders, and areas appropriately so that the students know exactly where everything goes in order to stay organized Create a chart with every students name on it so that it can be used for attendance Parents letter Will write a letter to the parents with an introduction to my classroom, my expectations of them and the students, and my goals for the year. Students letter I will write a handwritten note to each student so that they know I care about them and want them to succeed. First week of school checklist Will read book(s) to read to class to discuss topics such as diversity and caring. Will follow up with writing activity/class discussion. First Day Jitters- Julie Danneberg Chrysanthemum- by Kevin Henkes Thank you, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco Will attempt to personally call each family to express my excitement to work with everyone. Will try to incorporate a compliment into each conversation Student Rights and Responsibilities packet will correspond to our creation of the rules for the class Will allow for me to introduce the class discussion format as we discuss the rules Rehearse, Rehearse, rehearse all transitions and procedures until they are engrained in our routine. Procedures for students Entering class in the morning I will do my best to greet the kids at the door each day. If I dont then I will drop what I am doing to personally acknowledge them. Students are to put their backpacks away in the designated area Students will place their homework in the homework bin in their corresponding slot Attendance Students will move their clothespin to the here side of a chart. Will allow me to quickly see who is here and who is not. Morning work Students will complete the morning work that will be clearly stated on the board. Will also be used as a makeup/catch-up work period. Still responsible for the morning work which will focus on either social studies or science because those are the subjects that are cut out first. How to start a class Sharpen pencils Take out notebooks Complete brain warm up Brain warm ups will be graded from time to time Will learn to grade each others papers Will learn to grade own work Can turn brain warm up into group work Conferences There will be a designated signup sheet for personal conferences. If a student needs to conference with me, they can sign up. These will be moveable pieces. Energizers Energizer for transitions in the middle of blocks from subject to subject. I will use a previewed video of a Dance, Dance revolution for the students to sing and dance along to. Social timeout- let kids chat and relax with a snack Timer will bring students back to attention Questions for teacher During group work that lasts for extended periods of time, I will designate one member of each group to ask questions for the entire group. I will teach students to evaluate the importance of questions so that they can learn to find the answers themselves. If the question happens during individual work time, they will ask a friend or look it up on an iPads (depending on activity) Students will stay at seats and I will come to them to minimize movement Class discussions Will call groups to carpet by table No assigned seating- must follow rules of no touching Agenda book Will end each day and block by dedicating last 5 minutes to filling out agenda This promotes organizational skills and reduces likelihood of forgetting assignments Transitions during stations and to and from stations Will ask for a self check of each student during stations Am I on task? Am I doing work that I am proud of? Am I being a good group member? Will have each group evaluate their performance at each station Worked to the best of our ability Stayed on task Worked productively as a group Line up at door Will call table by table to line up at door Last person in line will close the door and turn off lights End of day procedure We will go over agenda books as a class Gather materials on our desk Pick up floor around our table and sanitize our desks Call table by table to pack up backpacks Finish day by read aloud on carpet as time permits When you finish assignment early Typical early finishers can run errands (not advertised) Read your SSR book Work on another subject Try to create assignments that doesnt involve different finishing times Absent work Will personally create absent packet Packets will be located in the absent box with a folder with the students name on it Pencils Will have a sharp box and a needs sharpening box in designated location Students are to have at least 3 pencils at their desk at all times to minimize issue Do not need permission to leave seat for pencil sharpening Bathroom/water One bathroom pass at a time Must sign in and out Need to raise hand and ask permission If water/bathroom is in classroom, permission is not necessary- inappropriate during instructional time, but okay during group work/individual work. Bringing the class to attention- Raise your hand if you can hear me? Class, class? Yes, yes. Missing assignments Must be accompanied with written note from the parent In schoolwork can be completed during morning work or another time before/after school (depends on schedule). Teach how to: Take notes- Cornell style Read a text book How to study- sq3R, flash cards Write down assignments Complete homework My daily procedures How I will organize papers on my desk Incoming pile Outgoing pile Cabinet with information/work on each student (data) Will have a "reminders" board How I will collect homework Part of the morning process How I will pass out papers Use my paper passer job How I will collect papers Pass certain table member on inner portion of table. I will collect from those people to facilitate process. Behavior Classroom expectations We are responsible- this applies to not only in the classroom, but also in other areas of the school such as the hallways, restrooms, playground, and cafeteria. We are responsible for our learning, others learning, our community, and for the general well being of the classroom. We are respectful- this means that we are respectful to the classroom, our classmates (their learning, backgrounds, and belongings), and to the school. We are caring- I want the students to genuinely know that I care about each of them and want to help them do their best. We care about each other and will learn how to be caring citizens. Student rights and responsibilities handbook Create with students during SRR unit first week- Want them to understand rules are to be followed along with expectations Created together as a joint effort to create a community feel. Rewards Class rewards will be discussed with the class. The class should be rewarded for their good behavior but want to build intrinsic motivation instead of relying on extrinsic rewards. This will be used depending on the class. Some classes will need it more than others. Individual rewards- will be in the form of responsibilities such as running errands, extra privileges (more iPads/CPU time), will be on individual basis. Want the children to learn to love learning and expect good behavior- there shouldnt be an award for behaving correctly and appropriately. Consequences Will be sign the agenda book for parents to sign Will track on my own to see pattern Will have students grade themselves each week to hold them accountable