Parent+Information

__** Parent Information **__

I would like to stay in close contact with all of my students' parents over the course of the school year. On the first day of school, I will meet and greet all of the students and their parents if they are dropping them off that day. I would like to do one to two home visits to get to know the parents and see what each student’s home life is like. I would prefer to do my first home visit before the school year begins in order to set the foundation for my teaching style as well as my expectations. I think my second home visit could be just after the holidays.

Showing up on time will be crucial to my students' learning. I would like everyone to be in line waiting for me when the bell rings. I would like the parents to drop their child off on time so we can start our day without any distractions. The curriculum requires us to do a fair amount of literacy activities in the classroom. I would like you to read with your child at night. This is not a requirement, but can aid in your child's reading. Along with this, I would like you to make sure your child's backpack gets opened every day when they come home from school. Homework will not be assigned every night, but I would like you to take a look just in case there is a letter or message sent home for you. I would also like you to take an active role in his/her learning and come into the classroom to help out and see your child's progress.

My classroom with be conducive to positive behavior because I will have strict, but fair rules. I believe strongly in student choice. On the first day of school each year, I will have the students come to the carpet and we will talk together and make up rules for the classroom. Creating the classroom rules together is a great way to hold everyone accountable.

I will make my classroom environment facilitate effective learning by creating a safe environment where students will feel comfortable talking about and sharing their thoughts and opinions. I also want them to feel comfortable asking questions and not be afraid to raise their hands. If I can carry myself professionally, I hope it will rub off on the students. Many of the students I have worked with do not have a positive male role model in their life. I want to be there for my students and be able to model how one should act.

I plan to have some sort of color card behavior scale. This will involve four different color cards. These four cards are put in a pouch under each student’s name. If a student is not following a rule or is acting out they will have to change their card. The order will start with a green card, and then will go to yellow, then orange, and lastly red. If the student hits orange they must refocus. The refocusing is to hopefully help them realize what they were doing and to calm them down. If they receive a red card, they must refocus again and their parent will receive a call about their behavior. When they refocus I will have them write a short paragraph on why they were acting out and what they could have done differently. I think this is good for the students because they can move back and forth between the cards and everyone will get a fresh start each day.