In Search of The Well Managed Classroom

We are all in search of that elusive teacher paradise.  The joy, the bliss, the glory that is... The Well Managed Classroom.

Unfortunately, there is no magic plan or program for this.  And the same ideas and strategies won't work for every kid, classroom, or situation.

But there are universal truths that we can all build on to keep striving for that Teacher Promised Land where everyone listens, no one cries, and kindness abounds.

In an effort to find that peaceful place, I tend to organize my classroom management around the basics, the building blocks, the three R's -

Routines, Relationships, and Reinforcement

Routine:  Practice Makes Perfect!  Or so they say:)  But truly, procedures and routines are essential to keeping a classroom running smoothly. Kids should know procedures so well that they can run that place without me!  That means the procedures should be taught, modeled, and practiced exactly as the teacher would like them to be followed.  There should be no guesswork on the students' part as to what is expected. Honestly, when the children know what to do, how to do it, and when it is appropriate to do it, the day just flows like a river. I have so much more time and freedom because the responsibility for daily routines has been shifted to the children.  One of the best gifts you can give your students is the gift of independence!
(For more on effectively teaching routines and procedures, click the picture above!)

Relationships:  Building relationships.  Gosh, that really is ALL OF IT, isn't it?  Connecting to others. When our students feel loved and understood, they feel safe. Safe enough to take academic and social risks. Safe enough to try and fail. In a close knit, loving environment where everyone is invested in each other, failure is simply part of the process, not an embarrassment.
When students feel connected to the teachers and students in their classrooms, they want to do the right thing because they care enough about themselves and others to WANT to do the right thing, not just follow the rules to avoid punishment.  And punishing kids every time they break a classroom rule is a Trust Buster.  Sure, consequences are often necessary, but seeking out the most logical and restorative consequence will be a much more powerful motivator than walking laps or moving a clip.
(For more on building relationships, click on the picture above.)

Reinforcement: We have taught them the procedures and we've given them unconditional love.  But love and lessons will never fit the bill if the kids don't have the skills to access what we have provided.  We must give the kids the tools they need to manage themselves in our classrooms everyday.

In comes emotional literacy and character building!  The superheroes of classroom management!

Providing the emotional and social tools kids will need to be able to find success is the key to making everything else work.  Over the years, I have used two methods in my classroom that have really helped kids learn to maneuver the social arena.

The FIRST WAY is by developing emotional literacy.  Allowing kids to have time to regroup and reflect instead of receiving a consequence for every infraction of the rules or procedures. A Take A Break space is provided in the classroom where children can take a moment to decompress, take a breather, or think about making different choices. They learn to recognize and regulate their own emotions so they can spend less time disrupting and more time on task.
You can read more about it HERE and HERE.

I use a set of materials to facilitate the students when they take a break that helps guide them through recognizing their feelings, the antecedents, and the possible solutions.  I have have found them to be very powerful management tools that reduces anxiety in my room and frees me from constantly disciplining.
There are two versions, one for younger students and one better suited for older kids.

The SECOND TOOL for giving kids the social tools they need to succeed is character building.  If we want kids to use positive character traits, we need to explicitly teach the desired traits and praise the children in a vert deliberate way when they use them.  Sarah Plumitallo has an amazing way to help children develop character in the classroom.  She flips the clip chart on its head and creates an amazing opportunity to help kids develop positive character traits, encourage their classmates, and make choices that come from the heart.  

You can read her posts about it here and here.

So, as we all continue to search for classroom management perfection and seek out the connections and skills our kids need to succeed, keep in mind that punishment and consequences might seem like a quick fix, but it is just that - and often causes more damage in the end.  I am not saying there isn't a time and place for consequences, just that most everyday behaviors can better be addressed by teaching rather than punishing.

I try to remember to to do my best to redirect in a way that preserves a child's dignity and helps him learn a new approach.  I admit that I often fail miserably at this, but it is still my goal, and I will do my best to treat my students like I want teachers to treat my own sons.

Even More Ways to Grow!

Another great way to improve our classroom management techniques is to learn from each other.  Who better to give us advice or insight than colleagues who have found some measure of success?  Even the most seasoned teachers need a fresh approach sometimes - I know I do!

Sarah and I have decide that we would love to be able to connect with other teachers in a more deliberate way when it comes to classroom management, so we have created a Facebook group dedicated to providing teachers a place to come together to share and discuss classroom and behavior management in a closed group.  Our goal is to improve the management of all of our classrooms through our collective knowledge and experience!  We would love to have you join and share your tips, tricks, and secrets:)

If you would like to join, click here!

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How to Set up, Introduce, & Implement a Take A Break Station

"Take A Break" is a special space in the classroom where children can take a moment to decompress, take a breather, or think about making different choices. Typically, when students are talking, acting out, bothering others, unfocused, upset, or agitated, they don't always need a consequence, they just need a chance to reset and return.  They also need to learn to do this on their own without much adult intervention.

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5 Simple Ways to Connect with Students and Build Relationships

Being a teacher these days is not even remotely easy.  The nonsense we have to deal with from developmentally inappropriate standards to endless meetings and data to no lunch or bathroom breaks are nothing short of lunacy.  Throw in an unruly class with some serious behavior problems and you have a recipe for early retirement.

The trick is to make what happens inside that classroom with those kids as joyful as possible so that the rest of the crazy in our profession will be easier to manage,  We must try to shelter our students and ourselves from the stress and pressure.

We all know that achieving that classroom nirvana of peace and productivity requires an authentic connection with our students. When our students feel loved and understood, they feel safe.  Safe enough to take academic and social risks.  Safe enough to try and fail.  In a close knit, loving environment, failure is part of the process, not an embarrassment.

But how do we form those genuine, loving relationships?  There are many layers to that question, but I have complied a list of some of the ways I try to connect with kids in my class.

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I've Given Up the Color Chart - Now What?

The behavior chart has been taken out with yesterday's trash.  But I still have to go back to school and face all those kids and all their BEHAVIORS!!  Now what?!

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Take A Number and Get in the Crazy Line

Sunday morning.  10:05 am.
Mom and three handsome, smiling boys sitting nicely in the church pew, filled with the love of God and basking in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
"The Lord be with you."
"And also with you."

Rewind 10 minutes.

Sunday morning.  9:55 am.  
Mom and three disagreeable boys driving to church.
(Dad is conveniently home sick:)

Stop touching your brother!
No you may not take your iPod to church.
Joe!  That is not a church word!
Did you even brush your hair?
I said no name calling! God does not appreciate you calling your brother a butt face on the way to church!
Leave him alone!
Oh. My. God!  Stop that crap!  We are about to enter the House of the LORD!!

It's like driving around a circus full of monkeys.

But we leave the crazy in the car and when we get to that church door - we take a deep breath, put on a smile, and enter ready for what we came here for in the first place.  And at the end of the service, we are renewed and ready for the next battle.

Which will probably happen in the car on the way home.

I know you've been there.  It may not have been church - it may have been a trip to Grandma's or to the supermarket or cub scouts or whatever.  Inside the car, all the crazy in the universe descends upon your family and you start to wonder if the jail time would be worth duct taping them to the hood.

Then, you arrive, shout out the last threat of violence or loss of the xBox, leave the crazy in  the car and everyone pulls it together.
Ready to go.

As I reflected on all of this today, I realized two things.

1.  I do this everyday on the way to work.
I let go of my crazy.  (At least I try.)
My son's last minute 7a.m. panic "I have to print my homework right now and the printer won't work!"
Did I actually put food in Joe's lunchbox.
I hope that insane administrator leaves me alone today.
I swear if I have to fill out one more data sheet, I'm going to...

I need to leave it in the car, take a deep breath, put a smile on my face, and enter that classroom ready.
My crazy will still be sitting there in the car waiting for me when I leave school.

2.  My students can't always do this.

Emotion rides in with my students every day - fear, worry, anger, hunger, aggravation, anxiety, excitement, silliness, confusion...
Only they don't leave it in the car.  They bring it in with them.
In all it's glory and splendor.

I feel pressured by the pace of the day, the pace of the curriculum, the drive to meet assessment scores, the urgency to move on.
Pressured to ignore all that emotion spilling out all over the place and get ready for that danged test!

I need to stop.

Stop. Take a deep breath.

Take the time to acknowledge the feelings, to help them work through it, to be ready.

Breathe.

And all you legislators and administrators and educational  "experts" need to take a number and get in the crazy line.
Your cut scores and NCLB and rigor will have to wait until I sweep these emotions up off the floor and help some kids deal with some stuff.
My kids can't learn until they're ready.

And I am going to help them get ready.

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Re-establishing Routines and Procedures in January

Monday is staring me down.
Back to my classroom full of first graders.  Who have been out of school for 16 straight days.
Over two weeks of no structure, no expectations, no school rules!

So I'm going in like it's Day 1.  We're going to go over routines and procedures just like we did in September.  I  may take up a bit of time that first week back, but it will pay off in the long run:)

Here's how I teach procedures:

Model

Never assume they know anything.  Model exactly the behavior you want.

Observe and Share

I ask the kids the watch what I do and be ready to share what they noticed.   I model the procedure exactly how I want the kids to do it and let the kids tell what they saw.  They will tell all (or most) of the important components of the procedure.  It is so much more meaningful when they discover it for themselves instead of listening to the teacher tell them how.

I model it again and name each step while I do it. 

Practice

Now I ask a couple of volunteers to show the class the procedure.  Again, I ask the kids to watch and notice.  The kids will share what they saw. 

This time I ask a group of kids to model the procedure.  Repeat the noticings and sharings.  I do this until everyone has had a chance to model and share.

Now the whole class will practice the procedure and debrief with what they did correctly and where there were shortcomings.

I am also going to use some anchor charts, journal prompts, and a mini book I made to help kids write and draw about our classroom procedures.  Here are some sample pages:

Which procedures we teach or reteach?  All of them!  Here is a (very) short list of possibilities:

• Enter the room
• Walk through the room
• Sit in a chair
• Get out of a chair
• Walk to the carpet
• Sit on the carpet
• Morning Meeting
• Leave the carpet
• Get in a line
• Walk in a line
• Go to the restroom
• Get a sharp pencil
• Go to the trashcan
• Unpack in the AM
• Pack up in the PM
• Attendance/lunch count
• Getting help from the teacher
• Handing in work
• Listening
• Working independently
• Working in groups
• Organizing materials
• Fire Drills
• Getting a tissue
• Preparing for lunch
• Snack
• Washing hands
• What to do when finished
• Going to the water fountain
• Recess
• Visiting the clinic
• Using stations

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Walking Laps and Silent Lunch

My classroom is my home away from home.  I spend all day there with a whole bunch of kids and I would like it be pleasantJ  So, I try very hard to create an atmosphere that is free of chaos, stress, and discord.

One of the ways I try to do that is to make sure I am not constantly disciplining, intervening, or being interrupted.  I use a combination of explicit instruction and practice of routines and procedures, developing relationships with children, and keeping an organized space where the students can help manage materials and themselves.

I have written previous posts on routines and procedures and developing relationships so on to fairness and trust!

Fairness and trust are paramount to developing relationships with children in the classroom.  Children must be able to completely trust me and know that I absolutely believe in them.

If they are to trust me, then I must be fair and honest with them.

Developing an environment of fairness and trust is one of those classroom goals that is hard to completely quantify.  It doesn't always follow the flowchart and every individual situation is different, so I have to work crazy hard to make it happen.   Some parts of it are fairly straightforward like being honest with my kids, apologizing when I make a mistake, and preserving the dignity of others.  Other parts like logical consequences and consistency have been more challenging to master.

Logical consequences should be as immediate as possible and the “punishment fits the crime.”  So, I will not tell a kid to walk laps or sit out at recess because he threw food at lunch.  A more logical consequence would be to clean up after lunch and that may mean he misses some of recess while he’s cleaning.  Missing a few minutes of recess because he is cleaning up his mess is much more powerful than just walking laps as punishment.

Throwing out consequences for every infraction usually does not change behavior.  Not to say, it doesn't always work.  But to what cost?

Her is an incident that happened to my oldest boy that illustrates how just meting out punishment creates an atmosphere of  resentment that can lead to all sorts of unintended consequences.
My oldest son is one of those teacher’s dream students who pays attention, has great behavior, gets good grades, follows directions, etc. etc. you get the picture.  (I don’t know how I got that child, by the way!)

 In fifth grade, he had a teacher who was a big believer in punishment to manage behavior.  She handed out punishment for every infraction, the kids lived in fear of her and really didn't like her very much.  (Determined from many overheard conversations of the kids at soccer practice.)
But towards the end of the year, when his fifth grade teacher was clearly done, I got some interesting news – he had refused to walk punishment laps at recess and the teacher sent him to the office!  Now, what would drive an over achieving, rule following, teacher pleasing kid who had never been in trouble at school in his life to that kind of behavior?

Let’s back up to that morning.   He forgot to get his planner out of his backpack and had to go back to the closet for it.  The teacher gave him 5 laps – her designated punishment for forgetting something in the backpack.  About an hour later, he got 5 more laps because he asked to go to the bathroom during class.  And then, 5 more laps for not having a sharpened pencil.

Recess rolls around and the teacher tells him to walk 15 laps.  The playground is huge and 15 laps would have taken him a couple of days of recess to complete.   He decided that he had had about enough of the constant fear and punishment and he pushed back.  He said, “This isn't fair and I won't do it.  I want you to call my parents.”

Wow. 

I NEVER would have imagined that little scenario, this kid is respectful to his teachers no matter what.  But I gotta admit, I was a little, itty bit proud:)

Not that he was disrespectful, but that he recognized that things had gone way out of control, that pouring out of piles of consequences was unfair and he was attempting to stand up for himself.

So my questions are – In what way were his consequences logical?  How were those consequences going to help change his behavior?

Was the student/teacher relationship strong, respectful, fair, and honest?

Was he going to trust his teacher enough to be able to dare to try and fail?

What would have been better choices for consequences?  Were consequences even necessary?

The only result from her form of discipline was a distrustful, resentful child, a frustrated teacher, a busy principal bothered when she needn't have been, and a highly irritated parent.

This happened a couple of years ago and he is still an awesome student. 

He has learned to trust teachers again, but he knows which ones truly care about him and which ones are phoning it in.

Sometimes determining the most logical, dignity-preserving, consistent consequence is tough.  Teachers have to make a gazillion decisions a minute and try to make these choices on the fly sometimes.  It’s not easy, but I believe it’s worth it.   

I think if walking laps at recess or sitting at silent lunch worked, we wouldn't still be doing it in May.  (Oddly enough, the teacher didn't seem to appreciate it when I told her that. J  Yes, I know, I shouldn't have gone there!)

Any time we are unfair, dishonest, or untrustworthy, we are providing an environment where a child may not try new things if failure is possible because they do not trust that they will be safe when they do so.

Most of the time, I don't give consequences for minor everyday things. If it becomes a habit for one or two kids to always forget to put their folder in the basket, then I will come up with a plan to help them remember, not give them consequences for forgetting. If Sam loses his pencil once or twice - no big deal. If he does it everyday, what can I do to help him learn to remember?

Ultimately, I want my kids to learn to do the right thing and be responsible and I don't think punishment is the way to achieve that. I only use consequences when behavior is repeated, negative, and intrusive. And it is easier to determine consequences for those sorts of behaviors.

I try to think about how I would like others to deal with me. What would I like my principal to do if I forgot to turn in paperwork one day? What should happen if I don't turn it in every week? What should happen if lots of teachers aren't turning in paperwork? I don't always get it right, but I try to be fair and get it as close to right as I can each day:)

I am going to keep working to be as fair and honest and trustworthy as I can, knowing that I will mess it up sometimes and I will get it right sometimes (hopefully more times than I get it wrong!)  I will make every effort to create a classroom atmosphere that helps kids feel safe enough to fail, strong enough to succeed, and empowered enough to come to me openly and respectfully when they feel wronged.

For more posts in the Classroom Management Blog Series, 
click on the titles below.

If Chaos is King, the Kingdom Will Fall

Unconditional Love in the Classroom

Respect Isn't Just the Title of An Old Song

I've Given Up the Color Chart - Now What? 

Take A Number and Get in the Crazy Line

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RESPECT isn't just the title of an old song...

When I think of respect, I think of consideration, tolerance, courtesy, understanding, humanity, dignity.
Respect is essential to maintaining a productive classroom, but I think we so often make assumptions about what kids know and understand about the meaning of respect.

Classroom respect isn't only about kids respecting teachers. Of course we want our students to respect us, but we can’t forget that it’s a two way street. We have to give it to get it.

Just like with love, my respect for my students must be consistent and honest. A respectful classroom means keeping personal matters such as discipline and academic progress, private.

This is why I do not have a behavior chart, or class dojo, or a bulletin board showing who knows their math facts.
Not to say we don’t celebrate successes and discuss difficulties as a whole group, we do! But keeping private things private helps to maintain a child’s dignity.

 I truly believe that preserving a child’s dignity is essential to developing a caring culture of mutual respect.

A respectful classroom environment does not tally up every right or wrong move a kid makes. I don’t want my principal to do that to me! I want him to come chat with me if I screw up. In private. And come up with a solution for avoiding another screw up.

I want him to compliment me when I have done a good job.  But I do not work hard to be good at my job just so I can collect a bunch of compliments from administration.  I work hard because I  like my job and I want to do well.

While I agree that kids need frequent positive reinforcement, I caution teachers to be careful how it’s given. If it’s clipped or punched or counted, it can become a means to an end as opposed to a way to meaningfully integrate positive behaviors.

I want kids to respect me, their peers, and our school space because they WANT to, not because they are avoiding a color change or attempting to earn a reward.

So to get that from students, I must value their contribution and their opinions.
I must model how to treat others in the way that I treat students and staff.
It means I honor my promises to them.
It means that I leave my snarky sarcasm in the teacher's lounge.
I treat them the way I want teachers to treat my own boys.

Children are perceptive little creatures - they know which teachers truly respect them.

They value that respect, even if they are yet unable to return it.

(Stay tuned next week for Fairness and Trust:)

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Unconditional Love in the Classroom

PART 2 of the Classroom Management Series

Developing classroom community and respectful relationships

Developing classroom community is another brick in the foundation of classroom management. 

It’s the old “One for all and all for one” adage at work.  We’re all in this together.  We spend the whole day together and I see those kids more than many of them see their own parents.  We really are a little family for 7 hours every day.

So how do we get the kids to be a positive, contributing member of that family each day?  How do we get them to care enough about us and each other to really want to do what needs to be done to make the day go smoothly?

Build relationships. 

Build those relationships with Love, Respect, Fairness, and Trust.

Love

I know you’ve seen this before-

And that is true.  Kids will never make the effort to truly BE a part of the classroom community if they think it doesn’t matter.  They will just be in the classroom each day and not care if they have a negative effect on the space or not.

Ya gotta love ‘em.

And I’m not talking about plain ol’, run of the mill, love.

I’m talking about unconditional love.

That really hard, ‘I absolutely love you no matter what, even when you’re being awful’ love.

I have a 3 year old son and anyone who has had experience with a 3 year old knows they usually tell it like it is!  Here are a couple of interactions we had recently on the topic of love.

We were riding in the car and out of the blue, that sweet little voice from the back seat calls out, “I love you, Mommy!”  Awww!  How sweet is that!?

 “But, sometimes I don’t.”  Ouch.  Thanks for your honesty kiddo.

And like most moms, I recently told him no to something.  (Doesn’t matter for what, I can’t even remember.  Probably no more cookies:)

Here’s how the conversation went.

Joe:  I don’t love you!

Me:  That’s, okay.  I love you.

Joe:  Well, I don’t love you.  You’re naughty.

Me:  I’m sorry you’re upset.  But I still love you.  Even when you’re naughty.

Joe:  I will love you when you’re nice!

(Imagine that cute little grumpy face and those sweet, pudgy little arms crossed!  

So cute, it’s hard not to giggle:)

But, these conversations reveal the key to unconditional love that our kids don’t always understand.

I love you all the time.  Even when you’re naughty.    

My hope is that once kids know that I care about them, they will care about me and hopefully, each other.

My hope is that if I truly and honestly show unconditional love to my students they will learn to show love for each other.

Loving them doesn’t mean giving in to them and letting them run the show.  Ultimately, the show is mine.  I am always the ringmaster.  But in loving them, I stop and listen to what they have to say, ask about things they like and do, provide materials and activities they enjoy, laugh with them, provide a lovely classroom space, hold their hands, hug them, make eye contact, tell them they’re awesome, and show them respect.

Stayed tuned tomorrow for RESPECT!

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If Chaos is King, the Kingdom Will Fall...

Classroom management is one of the hardest parts of teaching and there is no quick fix.  It sure does help if we share our successes with each other so we can try to make sense of it all.  Ever since my post last year about never using behavior charts and the “Take A Break” station, I have received oodles of questions about how to make it all work without charts and stickers, etc. so I have written it all down in a series of several posts. 

Classroom management is the absolute foundation of an effective classroom teacher.   

It doesn’t matter how lovely the lesson, how cute the classroom or how magnificent the materials - if chaos is king – the kingdom will fall.

While there are many practices that build up a strong classroom management foundation, I have found that are three fundamental necessities:

• well established routines and procedures
• developing a classroom community and respectful relationships with each other , and
• love ‘em like they’re your own.

 Let’s start with routines and procedures. 

“They’ve been in school for (fill in number here) years.  They ought to know how to walk in line and sit on the carpet!”  Yes, they should know.  And most of them do know.  But what they don’t know is how YOU want them to line up and sit on the carpet.  They have come from many different homes and classrooms and have been taught lots of ways to walk in a line.  They all have a little different perspective on how that works.  Until we have shown them EXACTLY how they should walk in a line – we are not going to get the line we expect.

Think about it from a teacher’s perspective.  You go to work in a new school and it is time to take the kids to recess.  Now, you know how to take kids to recess.  You’ve done it a thousand times.  But this time, you get fussed at by admin because you didn’t (fill in procedure here). 

“You should have known to do that – we went over it in the faculty meeting at the beginning of the year.  All the other teachers did it.  Weren’t you listening?”

“Wait – you told me that once at a meeting where you told me a million other things and I’m supposed to remember that along with all the other new stuff I’m trying to learn this new school year?!”

Now it sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

So now what?

Think of developing classroom routines and procedures in the same way we approach instruction.  Scaffolding! 

Model the procedure.  Practice it with them.  Let them practice on their own, slowly shifting responsibility to the students. 

Here’s how I introduce procedures:

Model

Never assume they know anything.  Model exactly the behavior you want.

Observe and Share

I ask the kids the watch what I do and be ready to share what they noticed.   I model the procedure exactly how I want the kids to do it and let the kids tell what they saw.  They will tell all (or most) of the important components of the procedure.  It is so much more meaningful when they discover it for themselves instead of listening to the teacher tell them how.

I model it again and name each step while I do it. 

Practice

Now I ask a couple of volunteers to show the class the procedure.  Again, I ask the kids to watch and notice.  The kids will share what they saw. 

This time I ask a group of kids to model the procedure.  Repeat the noticings and sharings.  I do this until everyone has had a chance to model and share.

Now the whole class will practice the procedure and debrief with what they did correctly and where there were shortcomings.

This is where we can make or break it.  This is where we think the kids have it so off we go.  Nope.  They have it for right now.  But we have to do the whole procedure again tomorrow.  And the next day.  And until they are doing it completely correctly every time. 

It can be very tedious, but it is so worth every minute!

Once the school year gets rolling, I go through every procedure in our class about once every week.

Which procedures should we teach/model?

All of them.  Every single thing I want them to do in a particular way.  Anything I want them to manage on their own without my assistance.  Every transition, every station, every space they use.

Here are a few from my list during the first few days:

How to:

Enter the room

Walk through the room

Sit in a chair

Get out of a chair

Walk to the carpet

Sit on the carpet

Leave the carpet
Turn in classwork
Enter the cafeteria
Get out recess equipment
Manage personal book boxes

Get in a line

Walk in a line

Go to the restroom

Get a sharp pencil

Go to the trashcan

(essentially, every single transition of the day!)

I have had teachers tell me that this is too rigid and too controlling.  While on the surface it may seem that way, in reality, I have afforded my students a great deal of freedom by helping them know and practice classroom procedures so well.  Because of the well established routines and clear expectations in the classroom, the kids know what to do so that everything runs smoothly and there are minimal interruptions.  As the year progresses, I can give the kids a great deal of autonomy and choice because I know they will be able to handle it.

In my class, kids take care of all of the above procedures and many more without ANY help from me at all.  They get up and go the restroom, water fountain, garbage can, pencil cup, etc. without asking me permission or signaling me.  They know what to do, how to do it, when it is appropriate to do it,  and our day moves on smoothly.  I have so much more time because I have shifted the responsibility for daily routines to the children.  I do not need to control their every move.  I simply need to teach them how to move about our day so they can do it on their own.

Now for the “what ifs”

What if they don’t do it correctly?

Call them back without anger or frustration.  Briefly review the procedure.  Ask them to do it again.

Be sure to notice the correct behaviors (without naming names!) and praise the hard work they are doing.  Do this as many times as it takes.

Yes, you might have to remind some of them the same thing every. single. day.  But, remember.  They are children.  They are human.  They are not perfect.  They are not adults.  They are not your minions.

Treat them like you would want a teacher to treat your own child.

What if you have one or two kids who just won’t comply when everyone else is following the procedure?

Of course you will have those kids.  Some kids can’t help it and some are just downright disrespectful.

Remember, being responsible enough to follow procedures affords the kids a great deal of freedom and choice.  Logically, if you are not following procedures, then you do not earn the freedom and choice.  I would urge caution here.  This should not be a “you didn’t follow directions so you don’t get to (fill in the activity here).”  I usually approach it on an individual basis and in private with something like, “In order for our classroom to be a great place to spend time together each day, it is important that we all do our part.  I am concerned that I see you not following the restroom procedure.  For the rest of this week, instead of being able to go to the restroom whenever you like, I will have three designated opportunities for you and I will monitor those times for you.  When I start to see you becoming more responsible again, I will start to give the choice and responsibility back to you.”

I am very careful to approach this in a helpful, guiding way, rather than with a punitive/punishment  type attitude.  Even though I may be mad enough at that kid to spit nails, I cannot let him see that.  He must know that I am helping, not punishing.  I try to be quick, clear, and not argue with them.

You will have kids that are disruptive to the point of not being able to manage these transitions and spaces.  When teaching procedures doesn't work - meaning they know the procedure but are unable or unwilling to follow them, it's time to move into modification, and rewards and consequences.  More on those here:

Update:  I added an item to my store that can be helpful in establishing procedures.  Check it out if you 're interested:)

12

The Cape

The day after Halloween.  One of a teachers's most dreaded days of the year.

Of course, I entered the classroom that day with trepidation.  What teacher in her right mind wouldn't?
But I was ready - I have done this many times, I knew what was coming and braced myself for the difficult day ahead.

But those sweet little, sugared up 6 year olds would not fall into the trap of Halloweens past. They entered the room calmly.  They hung up their things.  They sat down with books and read quietly.

I checked the calendar.  Yes, the day after Halloween, sure enough.

I eyed them all with suspicion, but I carried on and we all went to the carpet for morning meeting.

That's when I noticed it.  The cape.
Darren sat there calmly on the carpet, crisscross applesauce, eyes on the teacher, smile on his face.
Wearing a long, black cape.

Now, my first instinct was to send him to his seat to put that thing in his backpack right now this is not Halloween we don't wear costumes to school thank you very much.

But in that split second of decision making about what words would fall out of my mouth, I didn't say that.  I didn't say anything.

It would disrupt our morning meeting and Darren would be embarrassed and I would not be modeling respectful interaction and he isn't being disruptive and does it really matter anyway?

I swear I don't know how two minutes worth of thoughts can fly through a mind in .25 seconds, but teachers do it hundreds of times every single day.  We have to make a gazillion decisions at almost every moment of the day about what to say, who to call on, when to push it, when to let it go, say yes, say no, praise, remind, cajole, smile, give the 'look', move on, slow down.  Good grief, we should be the ones wearing capes.  We are super heroes!

But, in this particular split second on this particular day, I ignored that cape and our meeting continued on just like every other day.
 After a bit, I forgot about the cape.

I remembered again when we left the carpet to get out math journals and I saw Darren rise from the carpet, gently swish his cape around his side, and glide back to his seat.

What was that?  Oh my goodness, it was hysterical, that's what it was.  It was beautiful.  It was amazing.

Darren never rises or swishes or glides.  He is usually tripping over untied shoelaces, bumping into others, and stepping all over his coat and backpack which are invariably on the floor.

As I stood there in amazement, I lost my split second decision making opportunity.  I was so mesmerized by the moment, I didn't have the chance to say, "Go put that thing in your backpack right now this is not Halloween we don't wear costumes to school thank you very much."  I didn't say anything.

So, I ignored that cape and continued on with math journals just like every other day.
After a bit, I forgot about the cape.

I remembered again when we lined up to go to art and I saw Darren rise from his chair, gently swish his cape around his side, and glide into line.  I swear he looked an inch and a half taller.

I used my split second this time.  And I made a very resolute split second decision not to say a single thing to Darren about that cape.  Apparently, that cape had super powers.

Now, the other amazing - I can't believe I didn't even realize how amazing - thing that happened on the day after Halloween, was that not one sugared up six year old in that class said anything about Darren's cape.  No one yelled, "Darren, why are you wearing a cape?  Don't you know you're not supposed to wear a cape to school?"  Not one of them screamed, "Mrs. Sabiston, Darren's wearing a cape!"  They didn't say anything.

So I didn't say anything.  No one said anything about that cape.

When we walked in the hall, other teachers noticed the cape.  You couldn't miss it with all the swishing and gliding.  I got a few looks from my colleagues.  The 'why didn't she tell him to put that thing in his backpack right now this is not Halloween we don't wear costumes to school thank you very much' looks.  But I gave that 'we're going with it, trust me' smile and we all moved on.  No one said anything about the cape.

But, all day, Darren swished and glided and grew.  His chest was out, his head held high.  Super powers, I tell you.

At the end of the day, just before we got on the bus, I whispered in Darren's ear that I loved his cape and it was wonderful, but he should probably leave it at home tomorrow.  He nodded and got on the bus.

I haven't seen the cape since, but I still think Darren is a bit taller.

I hope Darren had an amazing day after Halloween.  I know I did.

12

Why I Will Never Use A Behavior Chart Again - PART 2 - The Linky

Wow.
What a response I received from the last post on behavior clip charts - comments, e-mails, and pins, Oh My!

I was a little worried about that post (See it HERE).  I honestly didn't want to upset or offend anyone who uses behavior charts, but I felt strongly that if we (parents and teachers) truly reflect on the impact of those charts on our children, we would strive to find better alternatives.  Here is the comment that made it all worthwhile:

http://alwaysalesson.com/

Gretchen, you are a brave woman!  Reflecting on our own teaching is probably one of the hardest things we do as teachers.  It can be painful to do at times.  And , trust me, I have had many painful, reflective moments!  :)

So many teachers  left comments and sent e-mails to share wonderful ways they are supporting positive behavior in classrooms without using behavior charts.  I am amazed at the effort and creativity teachers are pouring into providing social support for their students:)

So I decided to start a linky for teachers to share all those terrific ideas.  Please link up and share your ideas for promoting positive behavior, developing classroom community, and helping students develop self regulation skills - all in a way that builds up a child.  It could be a new post or one from the past.

If you do not have a blog - please leave a comment :)

I am looking forward to hearing lots of great ideas!

Peace,
Nikki

If you would like to add the linky to your post, here is the code.  Make sure you paste it in "HTML" mode at the end of your post.
<!-- start InLinkz script -->
<script type="text/javascript">document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=204067&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');</script>
<!-- end InLinkz script -->

19

Why I Will Never Use a Behavior Chart Again

I know from all the clip charts and behavior charts I have seen on Pinterest that this statement has probably already raised a couple of eyebrows, but I hope you'll hear me out anyway.

A few days ago one of my colleagues, (who is a great teacher, wonderful mom, and all around awesome person) sat down at our team meeting and said, "I want you to know that I am never using a behavior color chart again!"

I stopped using those charts years ago and I couldn't have been happier to hear her say that!  And, it seems, her reason for saying it was not that different from my reason for letting those charts go.  Her own sweet first grader had come home from school the day before, completely crushed after being put on "red"on the color chart.  A sweet boy who wants nothing more than to please his teacher and do the right thing at school.  I'm sure he did something he shouldn't have or tried his teacher's patience one too many times, but that child will not walk into that classroom with his head held high tomorrow.

 I remembered my own son coming home from Kindergarten, day after day, in tears because he just couldn't seem to stay on 'green'.  He wanted so badly to behave.  He wanted to please his teachers. He wanted mom and dad to be proud of him.  But his impulsivity did not allow him to keep himself in check for the whole school day.  Every time she moved that clip, he was being reminded that he wasn't good enough for his teacher.  That kindergarten year was one of the hardest years our family has endured.  It is utterly heartbreaking to hear your child say things like, "I hate myself.  Why can't I be good?  My teacher hates me.  I'm not good enough."  Tears are dropping on the keyboard as I remember those moments.
Now that he is being treated for ADHD,  he is much happier at school and doing well, but that color chart just about destroyed my son.

I began to look at my students through different eyes and imagine what they must be feeling.

Some are ADHD like my little guy and are battling their own bodies for control each day, some are coming from homes so broken and troubled it's just astounding, and many are simply neglected and left to be raised by siblings or television.  I really had to stop and realize that my wishes for their classroom behavior were superceded by their own complicated lives.

This realization led me to discover a few things about color charts, both from using them and seeing them used in my own children's classrooms.

•  They track behavior, but they do not change it.
• For kids who are not able to adhere to the cultural expectations of school, the chart can be absolutely demoralizing.  And this seems to be mostly boys - hmmm.
• The chart makes the assumption, before the kid ever crosses the threshold of the classroom door, that he is going to misbehave.  Ouch.
• As much as we try to make that chart seem like a 'reminder' and not a negative thing, it is still embarrassing to many children.
• Even kids who always stay on 'green', often feel stress and worry as they watch some of their classmates repeatedly move on the color chart.

I know many proponents of the charts say that some kids just need the reminder to get back on track.  They see their clip moved and they want to get back on green.  The children know the chart is not a negative thing - it's just a way to encourage them to do the right thing.  They need consequences for negative behavior.  And the newer charts reward positive behavior.  It works for me and my kids like it.
I hear and understand all of these beliefs - some of them are very valid.  I held them, too.

But, I just ask you to place yourself in that little person's shoes, looking up at the teacher they want to impress (yes, even the disobedient, defiant, disrespectful ones:)  and imagine how they see themselves.  How they feel.  What will they take away from the experience?


I just have to say that after using the charts, then letting them go and doing something different, I can't buy into my old color chart anymore.  Kids do need reminders to stay on track.  They do need consequences for negative behavior, and we should reward positive behavior.  But not by causing stress, worry, and shame.  I had to become a mommy and feel my own child's pain to see that.

So, the next logical question is "If I don't use a clip chart, what do I do?"  The very same question I asked myself (many times!)  The answer is actually a long one and is really a journey rather than an answer, but I would encourage you to look into some new ideas, see what else is out there, and give it a try:)  While it was oh-so difficult for me, I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone!

A few years ago, my school decided to use the Responsive Classroom approach which changed my thinking completely about classroom discipline. (I am not really touting RC as the best around, because it's just one of several great approaches out there to building a positive classroom community.  There are other similar programs with similar tenets.  This is just the one with which I am most familiar.)  The way that RC builds community, helps children internalize social skills, and responds to behavior is so powerful.

I will leave you with one idea that could possibly take the place of a clip chart move.  My school uses a  "Take a Break" space.  This is not a traditional "Time Out".  This is a place in the classroom where children can take a moment to decompress, take a breather, or think about making different choices.  The students often go there on their own, but sometimes are asked to go there by the teacher.  The student will only stay there for about 1 or 2 minutes and  I use an egg timer so kids don't stay too long.

The basket includes a mirror because sometimes it helps a kid to see the emotion on his own face in order to recognize it.  There are squishy balls for squeezing the tension away, a few cue cards for self calming, and a timer to remind kids not to stay too long.  There usually is a little stuffed cat in the box, too - wonder where it went!?  Someone must have needed a little snuggle for the road:) 

I know there are teachers who have found behavior charts to be very successful in their classrooms.  I just wanted to share my observations and experiences and maybe remind us all to take a closer look at our little people from a different perspective.

~Nikki

UPDATE:  If you would like the directions and printables to set up a Take A Break station in your classroom or home, you can purchase the file HERE on TPT.

UPDATE:
Here is a post with a more detailed description for setting up a Take A Break space:

Here's another post you may find helpful.  It gives ideas for what to do with chronic behavior issues that are not appropriate for the Take A Break space.

Need more Classroom Management Techniques?

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