Date Published: May 7, 2025
One of the biggest sources of anxiety for early career teachers is managing classroom behaviour. Questions like How will I stay in control?, What if students don’t respect me?, or How do I handle persistent misbehaviour? are incredibly common — and completely understandable. After all, your ability to maintain order, support learning, and build relationships sets the tone for your entire teaching experience.
What can help ease this anxiety and give you a strong foundation is developing a clear, personal classroom management philosophy. This is more than just a list of rules — it’s a reflective, evolving approach to how you want your classroom to feel, how you plan to respond to behaviour, and what kind of teacher you want to be.
What Is a Classroom Management Philosophy?
Your classroom management philosophy outlines the principles and values that guide how you manage behaviour, communicate with students, and create a productive learning environment. It reflects your beliefs about discipline, autonomy, student voice, motivation, and learning culture.
Importantly, this philosophy isn’t fixed. It should grow and shift as you gain experience, respond to different cohorts of students, and reflect on what works best in your teaching context.
Your philosophy answers questions such as:
- How do I respond to challenging behaviour?
- What does respectful classroom communication look like?
- Do I believe students should self-regulate, or is adult-led discipline more effective?
- How do I balance structure with flexibility?
Why Is It Important?
Without a guiding framework, it’s easy to act inconsistently or overreact in the moment. A clear philosophy gives you something to refer back to, helping you stay grounded even when lessons don’t go as planned. It also supports better decision-making, because you’ll have already considered your approach in advance.
Moreover, when students understand your expectations and your reasoning, they’re more likely to trust you and take ownership of their behaviour. This builds a more respectful and engaged classroom culture.
How to Develop Your Classroom Management Philosophy
To build your philosophy, reflect deeply on what kind of classroom you want to run and how you want your students to experience learning. A good starting point is to ask yourself the following key questions:
1. What Is My Role as a Teacher?
- Am I a facilitator, a leader, a mentor — or a mix of all three?
- Do I see myself as a guide on the side, or a captain steering the ship?
- Do I prefer to take charge of decisions, or allow space for student voice and collaboration?
Consider how your teaching persona might come across to your students. For example, if you lean towards a relaxed style, how will you ensure that expectations are still clear and consistent?
2. What Do I Expect from My Students?
- Should students be actively involved in setting rules and expectations?
- How much independence should they have over their learning?
- Do I expect students to regulate their own behaviour, or will I use specific strategies to manage conduct?
Thinking through these ideas can help you align your classroom management approach with your broader teaching goals. For instance, if you value student independence, your behaviour management techniques should reinforce that, rather than rely on rigid rules and consequences.
3. How Do I View Mistakes and Misbehaviour?
- Do I see mistakes as opportunities for learning or as issues to correct immediately?
- Will I rely more on praise and positive reinforcement, or consequences and structure?
- How will I deal with repeated low-level disruption versus serious behaviour breaches?
Many new teachers lean toward strict discipline to establish control, but over time, you may find that positive behaviour strategies lead to better long-term outcomes and student relationships.
4. What Is My Place in the Wider School Environment?
- What are the school’s policies on behaviour management?
- Are these policies flexible enough to incorporate your personal philosophy?
- How will you adapt your approach to align with whole-school systems while maintaining authenticity?
Even if your school has a clear behaviour policy, there is often room to shape your own approach within that framework. Consider how your values can complement and support school-wide expectations.
Linking Philosophy with Practice: Techniques to Consider
Once you’ve reflected on your values and expectations, you can begin shaping practical strategies that align with them. A few classroom management techniques you might incorporate include:
- Clear Routines: Establish daily habits and transitions so students know what to expect. Consistency is key.
- Restorative Conversations: When misbehaviour occurs, focus on understanding the cause and restoring relationships.
- Praise and Recognition: Reinforce positive behaviour by recognising effort, kindness, and participation — not just achievement.
- Student Voice: Let students contribute to decisions about classroom rules or seating arrangements to build a sense of ownership.
- Behaviour Agreements: Create shared expectations as a class and refer back to them when challenges arise.
These strategies are most effective when they are aligned with your philosophy and used consistently. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but reflecting on your core beliefs will help you choose the right tools.
Revisiting and Revising Your Philosophy
It’s completely normal for your first classroom management philosophy to be idealistic — and for it to evolve. After a few weeks of teaching, you may find that certain strategies don’t work as well as you hoped, or that your students need more support in specific areas.
Rather than see this as a failure, consider it part of your growth as a teacher. Use what you learn to refine your philosophy and update your classroom management plan accordingly. Over time, this will help you feel more confident, flexible, and effective in managing student behaviour.
Final Thoughts
Developing a classroom management philosophy is a powerful way to build confidence and consistency in your teaching. It allows you to take control of your classroom, not just through discipline, but through clear expectations, meaningful relationships, and thoughtful reflection.
By regularly reviewing your philosophy and adjusting your strategies, you’ll not only become a more effective classroom manager — you’ll also continue to grow into the kind of teacher you truly want to be.
