Home - School Behavior Chart

Next year I am going to try something new for behavior.  This year I would call parents when there was some kind of big behavior problem at school, and when particular students had a really great day/week, but I didn't have a consistent home-school behavior communication plan.  So, here it is, my behavior plan for next year (only for students who need it, of course):

Behavior Rubric

I've now used this rubric for two years and I'd swear by it.  I use it once a month.  I have the students self-assess their behavior in one color, then I also assess their behavior in another color.  I have them take it home and have their parents sign it.  Sometimes on the back I have the students write an area they would like to improve in and a goal for that area.

Behavior Rubric by Ronee Treadwell

Powerful Article

This article, by Ron Berger, is one of those well-needed bits of inspiration.  He postulates that excellence is a culture and a climate, not a quality of children.  He paints a picture of his classroom as we all dream ours to be, one of empowering and impressive student effort with a culture of respect.  He also describes a case-study, detailing one newcomer's change from obstinate and full of school hatred to open and willing to work his hardest (though sometimes still difficult).  I love these examples of teachers doing the true work of a teacher.  Take the time to read it, it's worth it.

Fostering an Ethic of Excellence

"Check Out These Buns!"

Yesterday was one of those days where it was necessary to stop everything and regroup, reteach, and reflect.  But in the moment where I felt like pulling my hair out because everything seemed to be going wrong, I was reminded why I love working with children it the STRANGEST way.  During this classroom meeting one student was sharing a mistake he made that day and this is what he said in the most lamenting voice:
"Today at lunch I took my hamburger buns and put them on my butt and yelled, 'look at these buns!'"
I don't know why but this comment caught me hilarious, but I couldn't stop laughing.  I laughed, my kids laughed, and then we had a serious conversation about what is appropriate at school and what is not.  Ok, so this seems like a weird moment for my career choice to be reaffirmed, but...  In this moment I simultaneously realized that kids are hilarious and I love working with them, and it became clear that the kids appreciated that I'm human.  I may have made a mistake, but it brought me closer to my students.  Always a give and take.

Words of wisdom

Words of wisdom from my co-teachers: "You cannot make a child behave, you can only make him or her want to behave."

AND

"You get what you notice, so point out the positive."  Live by these words.  I've seen the truth in them.  We caught ourselves dwelling on the negatives of our very challenging class last week, made an adjustment to notice the positive and it's been a much better week!  It really does work!

Try it, it will change your world!

Cartooning!

Ok, so it sounds silly, doubt it all you want, but please try it.  I had my doubts, too.  As I said before one of the books I am currently reading is called Make it Visual in the Classroom.  This book has really changed the way I think about thinking and learning.  It has also supplied me with the most valuable tool I've found yet--cartooning as an anticipatory set and as a teaching tool.  It's so simple.  It feels awkward at first, but my co-teachers and I were blown away by the attentiveness it supplies.  I had the rapt attention of an entire class of nearly 60 students.  You could've heard a pin drop.  All it takes: a clean sheet of white printer paper divided into eight sections, select a story in your life that illustrates and creates background and meaning for the lesson you are about to teach.  (I.e. I told a story about a time when someone broke into my car and I got angry for a lesson on anger management, and a story about going to the zoo and noticing that things come in groups--legs on animals--for a lesson on multiplication).  It takes just a few minutes and gives meaningful background to the lesson, creating a framework for students to begin thinking about the topic.  The illustrations should be simple and quick, they just need to show the idea.  Even better, the kids can learn this process.  I've also begun to use it with students that have a hard time visualizing themselves behaving appropriately (below).

To use tangible rewards, or not to use tangible rewards?

While I am against the consistent use of tangible rewards--pencils, stickers, stamps, bookmarks, etc.--as a behavior management system in a full-time teaching situation (see research on motivation by Harter (1981), Lepper, Greene and Nisbett (1973), Cordova and Lepper (1995), and Whyte (1979), as well as others) because I feel it sends the wrong message about learning and decreases student motivation in the long run and eventually becomes ineffective as a behavior management strategy, I can't argue the practicality of using tangible rewards as a substitute.  In a full-time teaching situation (during student teaching) I would occasionally and sporadically reward students with tangible rewards for showing improvement, which I didn't feel harmed the students' intrinsic motivation.  Following this logic, utilizing tangible motivators as a substitute should not affect student motivation in the long run, and should not become less effective because of the short term in which they would be utilized, but still I don't feel right about it.  I know substitute teaching is sort of an artificial situation, but I still feel like I'm going against my beliefs as an educator.  It has been effective along with my other behavior management techniques, though.

Behavior Management

Behavior management has not been a problem yet for me as a substitute, which I found surprising as a new teacher.  I think it is because I clearly state my expectations (as well as post a copy on the wall) and consistently use these steps: 

8 Behavior Management Steps

1. Gentle reminder.  (Say student’s name, tap student on the shoulder, or other verbal or gestural reminder).
2. Remind student of expected behavior. I.e. “Bob, eyes up here.”
3. Ask student which expectation/ground rule they are breaking.  (If the student does not answer or know, show the student with fingers or point).
4. Ask the student to visit the peace place, exercise dots or similar spot to calm down or think about his or her actions or get out energy, depending on the problem.
5. Have individual meeting.  Ask what is going on.  If the student may not be telling the truth ask: “Is that the truth?”
6. Use “I message.”
1. Specific behavior
2. The tangible result
3. Feeling
7. Ask the student to visit another classroom with a buddy teacher to cool down.
8. Complete a behavior contract that describes the behavior, a more appropriate response, and how he or she will make up for the behavior.

If these steps are ineffective in a full time classroom setting, create a behavior plan for the student with parents, other teachers, specialists and principal.  In substituting I would contact the office.

Thank you to Ken Peterson for all of your brilliant advice and strategies.

Attention, Please!

I've found that ways of getting the students attention is one of the most important tools a teacher can have.  That being said, here is the list of ways to get attention that I have compiled (remember to explicitly teach the expectations for each technique):

• Use a rain stick, music, bell, chimes, whistle (at recess) etc. (Can be especially effective if specific to the activity, unit or routine--i.e. an instrument from a particular culture)
• Clap a pattern and have students repeat the pattern or designated response
• Sing a song (establish the expectation that the students will sing with you and join you wherever you are in the room).
• Play music (Establish the routine that your will play music for a certain amount of time and this is the amount of time students have to clean up or get ready to begin workshop, when music stops students need to stop, look, and listen).
• Excuse students by telling them the “magic word” and then whispering words that start with the same letter, rhyme, or have some other common theme and finally the magic word releases them (with this transition students will get excited, be sure to establish the expectation that there is no running).
• Give students group or table names and use the sign language sign to release their group.  Wait until all groups are quiet and their eyes are up before signaling.
• Raise your hand and have students raise theirs when their mouths are quiet and their minds are ready (stop, look, listen)
• Flick the lights on and off. NOTE: This may induce seizures, be cautious of the use of this signal.
• Say: One, Two, Three, Eyes on me
• Say: Give me five (Explain what the five mean, and post a poster:

               1.    Eyes on me

          2.    Hands and feet still

          3.    Mouth quiet

          4.    Ears listening

          5.    Ready for instructions

• Above, Pause, Whisper: (Get the students attention with a sound—chime, or other sound louder than their voices, stand still and wait for “pregnant pause,” then whisper instructions.
• Choral response: Sing or chant a phrase, i.e. "Who lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea," students chorally respond, i.e. "Spongebob Square Pants!" ("Peanut, Peanut Butter," "and Jelly").
• Say: "If you can hear my voice..." i.e. "put your finger on your nose."  Add new instructions but keep saying them in an increasingly quiet voice.

Always wait until students are quiet and giving you their attention.  Never raise your voice above theirs, they will only talk louder.  Talk quietly and enthusiastically.

Teachers Leaving the Profession

Numerous sources have found that one in three teachers leave the profession in their first three years of teaching, some sources claim that by five years this number increases to 50%.  (I will add more specific sources later).  This is attributed to lack of training (specifically in behavior management), lack of support, and lack of financial stability.  Why, then have I not received one class in my undergraduate degree on behavior management?