Hurt or Heal

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Quiet spray

Our hallways have been notoriously noisy (for years, I understand) when students change classrooms. This is my new "weapon of warfare" for the hallways. I will keep it on my desk. When I hear noise in the hallway, I could, if desired, walk out and spray as many students as possible (Don't worry, it won't be in the eyes or anything and it's only aqua). 

Who says being an school leader can't be a little fun?!

Out-of-school & in-school causes of misbehavior

Discipline with Dignity offers a great overview of the causes of both out-of-school and in-school causes of misbehavior.

Out-of-school causes

• Effects of the media (violence on TV and video games)
• A sense of entitlement ("me first" attitude)
• Lack of a secure family environment (divorce, child abuse, etc.)
• Diminished social civility (politicians name-calling and put-downs, offensive song lyrics. "If adults do it, why can't I?")
• Concentration of poverty (low socioeconomic status)

     
Consider polling teachers: Which out-of-school cause do you believe has the GREATEST impact on misbehavior in your classroom?

We have limited control on what happens outside of school, but knowledge of a child's home life is critical for building strong, healthy relationships with students and families.

In-school causes

• Competitive environment (with regard to academic achievement and behavioral improvement... competition is BETWEEN students instead of WITHIN each student. Individual's improvement is not being adequately acknowledged)
• Student boredom
• Powerlessness (students do not have a voice)
• Unclear limits (little clarity on what types of behavior will and will not be tolerated).
• Educational opportunities are earned, not given (Field trips, class parties are taken away for poor behavior)
• Lack of acceptable outlets to express feelings (no good ways to release emotions and thoughts)
• Attacks on dignity (students see themselves as losers and have ceased trying to gain acceptance in the mainstream i.e., they would rather be recognized as a troublemaker than be seen as stupid)

As a school/grade level, how can we address these potential causes?

One Idea: 

• Form a school discipline committee. The committee tackles one of the in-school causes. Have teachers, administrators and support staff sign up for the committee. Grouping could be: four teacher spots, one admin spot, two support staff spots. Also, enlist a parent and a student to the committee.
• Brainstorm ideas. Remember to keep the student's best interest in mind. (See example on Page 26 of Discipline with Dignity)
• Develop a specific plan of action: What will be done, who will do it, when it will be done, and how it will be evaluated.

You could also do similar activities with a group of parents. Have them vote on what they perceive as the #1 in-school cause. You could then discuss, in a non-judgmental manner, the out-of-school causes.

With something to think about,

Mr. Russell

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The school office: to send, or not to send?

There are basically three primary goals when disciplining a student or a group of students:

1.) Get back to teaching as soon as possible,
2.) Treat the student/s with dignity, and
3.) Maintain the teacher's authority.

This article focuses on the third goal: A teacher maintaining his/her authority in the classroom.

One way of the easiest ways to diminish a teacher's authority is by sending students outside the classroom. There are definitely times when a student should be removed from the classroom. However, this should be the exception, and by no means the norm. A teacher should, by all means, try to deal with the issue within the classroom.

When a teacher sends a student outside the classroom i.e., to another classroom or an administrators' office, the student indirectly receives the following message: "I don't know what to do with you. I can't handle you right now so I am sending you to someone else and they will deal with you." The teacher basically gives his/her authority to someone else.

If the primary goal is to remain teaching, you do not want to be pressured into taking a long instructional interruption to deal with a discipline issue. One effective strategy to quickly get back to teaching is to delay consequences. Read more about delayed consequences here. (Instead of "I'm busy preparing supper" it would be "I'm busy teaching right now.")

In some situations, a student may need another place to cool off. This also would give the teacher an opportunity to possibly cool down. There is a better way to remove a student from a classroom in these exceptions. A way that maintains a teacher's authority.

1.) Make an arrangement with an administrator that when you send a student to his/her office, the only thing the student should be doing is cooling off. The administrator could simple show empathy for the student i.e., "How sad, I know Mrs. Smith has a plan on how to deal with this. Don't worry about it." (This last phrase actually does the opposite - it makes the student worry and increases their seriousness towards the situation). The administrator should not try to solve the problem by engaging in a lengthy "lecture" style discussion.

2.) The teacher could meet with other teachers or the administrator later that day to brainstorm possible consequences and ways to deal with the discipline problem.

3.) When the teacher follows up with the student, he/she can have the administrator sit in on the discussion. All of the administrator's comments should reinforce the teacher's authority and professional know-how.

How do you see this strategy working for you in your school?

With something to think about,

Mr. Russell

Getting ready for another school year. A list of classroom procedures to consider.

Procedures add predictability to the classroom and are part of creating a secure learning environment. Procedures must be 1.) explicitly taught, 2.) practiced, and 3.) reinforced throughout the school year. 

The following are important procedures to consider for a K-12 classroom:

• How to enter the classroom (also when to enter the classroom. Should students remain lined up outside until an adult arrives at the classroom?)
• What should students be working on at the beginning of class? (do now/first focus/morning work/etc.)
• Where (and when) must students place completed assignments.
• How a class will be quieted i.e., hand signal, short phrase.
• How to get your attention when you are available AND when you are working with another student.
• How to get permission to leave the classroom.
• How to transition from whole group to small groups.
• How to report something to the teacher i.e., bullying.
• What students should do if they finish their work before others.
• When to sharpen a pencil ("Pencil sharpener closes at 9:00 a.m."/"Pencil sharpener is only open during morning work.")
• How/when to ask to go to the restroom i.e., sign language symbol for "r" and not during direct instruction.
• The students and I love this one: How to greet a classroom visitor... "Hi, my name is Brendan. Welcome to 402 where every minute counts. We are currently learning about adding sensory details to our realistic fiction stories. Welcome."
• How to walk in the hallway.
• How to calmly respond to an emergency i.e., fire drill, lock down.
• What students can do at the end of class.
• What is the end of day procedure?

What other procedures do your students need? The more you focus on the small details now, the less issues you will have later. Be prepared!

With something to think about,

Mr. Russell

 

Positive Language

Image Credit: thewordchef.com

A former colleague emailed me a link to a great article, Want Positive Behavior? Use Positive Language.

Our words and tone of voice are powerful. They can hurt or heal. I have always believed in the power of the tongue. Like a tiny rudder on a ship, the tongue can steer a child's behavior in two very different directions.

Go here to read more about using positive language to promote positive behavior in your classroom.

With something to think about,

Mr. Russell

3 reasons for success

Child : "I can't do it. It's too hard."
Adult :"Aren't you glad I don't believe that?"

This is one of my favorite lines for when a child believes they cannot do something. A primary purpose of a child's education is to teach them that successful people are not born successful. Success normally comes through persistence, hard work, and a never-give-up attitude.

Here is a simple way to teach and reinforce the attributes of a successful person.

When I taught I created a large poster for our classroom that read:

REASONS FOR SUCCESS

• I've been practicing.
• I worked hard.
• I kept trying.

When I would walk around the room to monitor learning, I would simply stop by a student's desk and point to a question or task that they had done well on. I would not say anything. When I had introduced the poster and it's concepts, I explicitly taught students that when I stopped and pointed at their work, it would mean that they need to identify which one of the three reasons for success they think had resulted in them doing good work. Without saying anything, I was asking, "Why did you get this right?" Although I was silent, the student would reply verbally with one of the three reasons.

This simple activity reinforced and recognized a student's persistence, hard work, or never-give-up attitude.

High-achievers believe that EFFORT results in their successes, NOT luck.
With something to think about,

Mr. Russell

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Pick up a copy of any Love and Logic parenting resource. You will not be disappointed!  We enjoy this one.

We get sad, not mad. Showing empathy.

Empathy is at the core of the Love and Logic approach. When a child misbehaves, we get sad, not mad. When our daughter misbehaves, we simply say, "How sad." Then when we share the natural consequence for her mistake, we strive to share it with empathy, not out of frustration or anger. We are by no means perfect, so we keep one another in check if we notice one of us acting out of frustration.

For example, if our daughter fails to wear her coat, she gets cold. We may say something like, "I'm so sorry you're cold, Livia." If Andrew misses the school bus, he stays home with an unexcused absence for the day. "What a bummer that you missed an after-school party on the day you were absent, Andrew" (Fay & Funk).

We want children to learn from their mistakes, right? Well, if we choose to reprimand them, we will probably loose an opportunity to learn. Consequences with empathy may result in Livia thinking, "Tomorrow I'll wear my coat" and Andrew deciding, "I'll wake up fifteen minutes earlier tomorrow."

CONSEQUENCES + EMPATHY = LEARNING

Here a few of my favorite Fay quotes on empathy and consequences:

• "Consequences will do the teaching; empathy will lock in the learning."
• "Empathy drives the pain of the consequence down into their little hearts, where it can be converted into wisdom."
• "It is virtually impossible to transfer blame to someone who legitimately feels sad for you."

With something to think about,

Mr. Russell

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Pick up a copy of any Love and Logic parenting resource. You will not be disappointed! We enjoy this one.

Driven by love

 

When we discipline our children, what motivates us? Discipline must be motivated by LOVE, not anger. During the process of discipline you want your child to know and understand that you love him/her too much not to do anything. Try using this line when sharing the consequence, "I love you too much not to do anything."

Do we sometimes find ourselves disciplining out of anger? At a recent parenting seminar, an interesting idea was shared. The presenters believe that a big reason for the increase in child abuse is the unwillingness to delay consequences. By delaying consequences, we buy ourselves time to cool down. We also have time to determine an appropriate consequence. You can learn more about delayed consequences here.

Remember, "Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it" (Harold Hulbert).

With something to think about,

Mr. Russell