For those of you planning to earn SCECHs, here are your blog prompts and deadlines:
By 03/13/2020
By 03/13/2020
- Compare and contrast your Mindset Pre- and Post-Training Assessments and share a few thoughts with the group. How has your thinking changed (or not)?
- As a result of what you have learned from reading and discussing the Conscious Discipline book, what are the top three changes that you would like to make in your classroom? Explain why you are choosing these priority items.
- As a result of taking part in the Conscious Discipline book study, what are the top three changes that you would like to see made school wide? Why?
By 03/19/2020
- Respond to at least three colleagues.
- Monitor your own posts in order to reply and/or answer questions.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE ONLINE COMPONENT OF THE BOOK STUDY!
This does not make me happy because I wrote three paragraphs yesterday commenting on this blog and it did not save.
ReplyDeleteI have found that my mindset in teaching and discipline had positively changed. I went from two a lot about me to 8. Mostly every category I have changed to improve my mindset on teaching and management in the classroom. I am not going to spend the time going into much detail again. I totally believe in the idea that my connection with a child supports positive behavior. I am experiencing that now in the classroom. However, if a child does not want the connection, it is not going to happen. I have experienced that also. In summary, I was skeptical at first, but now I am changing and feel that I am more effective in the classroom than before.
My classroom: I have already made changes. These changes include implementing well-wishing and STAR in the classroom. I have taught my students this and have incorporated a well-wisher and STAR leader. This person looks forward everyday to do this, and my other students are responding positively. I also do affirmations in the classroom. I have an affirmation leader. The leader states the affirmation, the other students repeat. They also look forward to this. This may not exactly have been part of Conscious Discipline, but it is incorporating the belief that leads towards a positive outlook together as a team. I also do circle time with my students where they can state something they didn't like that happened that day, or compliment a person. The important part is that they make eye contact and state the problem or compliment. If it is a problem, they also need to state a solution and the person the problem is directed to also needs to restate the solution. This has been working beautifully for me and I will continue.
School wide: I would like to have a teacher's lounge which focuses on the positive and gives us the incentive and courage to continue in our profession. We need the time to communicate with other teachers and have the support. I would also like to see more Shubert "things" incorporated in our cafeteria and at recess. Positives posted in our hallways. Safety guidelines in our cafeteria and playground. Recess and lunch are two unstructured times which I believe exacerbates behaviors, where if we had more positives, guidelines in effect, behaviors would somewhat diminish.
I was skeptical about this at first, but now see a lot of effective results from implementation ideas into my classroom.
This isn't my best. It was written yesterday, but somehow not saved!
Bridgette, this also is my second attempt. I was irritated after spending a lot of time on the post, submitting it resulted in an error. So.... I agree with you on the staff lounge, and having common teacher/colleague time. We have to have affirmation from each other. If we are our best selves, we will be better for our kids.
DeleteAnd I forgot to say how much I'm missing our fun lunches together this year.
DeleteI am really intrigued about this idea of a staff lounge. Would it be k-5 or k-2 and 3-5 in a central location? Where could it be? Would be ALL walk that far? Could it pretty please not also be a closet for extra winter clothes? I know no one can answer these questions, but I'm really just thinking aloud here.
DeleteI, also, agree with the need for staff lounge(s). This could be a place to affirm each others efforts and abilities, give suggestions to troubling situations/students, and just encourage each other. I have especially noticed this lack of time with the change in schedules this year and how our schedules don't overlap like they did last year.
DeleteBridgette, you certainly have 'got the ball rolling' as far as trying these new ideas!
I think it's great that an upper elementary teacher has embraced this when it seems to be geared more toward younger ages. Much respect for you making as many changes as you have over the past two school years.
DeleteStaff lounge. Anyone who knows me knows that I mostly stay in my own room and work through lunch. This is for a variety of reasons, but honestly the biggest reason is that I've often found the atmosphere in the common gathering area to be rather negative in the past. We all need to vent sometimes, but I'm not a fan of venting just to complain. I like solutions. I also don't always feel that it's a safe environment to say things out loud. There can be judgement and a lack of confidentiality. Having said all that, I'm not opposed to this idea. But I am skeptical that it will be a safe, secure, uplifting place. It can look great, but it won't feel great if people are bringing negative energy into it. Just my 2 cents.
DeleteIt's interesting to me that I had no checks before or after in the not like me column. I changed from two to three checks in the a little like me column. The one that says children who act our are feeling threatened or unsafe was checked in the post test but not in the pretest. It never occurred to me that children would feel unsafe at school. School should be a safe place where children are surrounded by caring adults. I went from one check to five in the somewhat like me column. I went from one check to three in the a lot like me column. And finally I went from ten checks to five in the completely like me column. Taking a pre-training assessment, or a survey to me is like walking the plank. I never truly commit to check marks if I'm not really sure what the box means. So as you can see, the check marks shifted as I gained more knowledge on what I was being asked to commit myself to. I never truly say the things I think on a survey in fear of having my answers held against me in some sort of way. I think we would have to do a deeper study of conscious discipline and really go into it with an open mind for me to buy into it. It was a whirlwind and to be honest, we'd need to slow way down, and try techniques and strategies in order for me to buy into it.
ReplyDeleteThe first change I would like to make in my classroom are, breathing techniques which help the students and myself to restart our systems in stressful situations and calm back down. The four square breathing honestly worked for me. The second thing I tried only one time was the Wish You Well technique. I used it on a student who had been absent for a week and his response was to look at me like a puppy with his head cocked sideways because he wasn't sure if I was teasing or serious. I had to expand my sentences a lot so he would know I really meant it. I like the re-do technique and conflict resolution. I've tried the re-do and the students don't seem to take offense to it. The conflict resolution teaches the kids to be problem solvers on their own if they can learn the technique.
Morale is critical to having a solid school family. I feel our moral is very low at this point.
School pride/spirit would be a great place to start with our students and staff. A lot of students don't take pride in our school. We could start simply by teaching the school song to them or school chant or something. I'm sure people have many great ideas. My colleagues are some of my greatest resources, but yet I don't get to spend time with them because our schedule spreads us thin and we are running in different directions trying to do data meeting, recess duty, cafeteria coverage, not all of us have specials each day to get stuff done. So my second thing is to work on a good schedule and take care of our teachers. We need breaks and time just as the students do. The next thing I would like to see happen in our school is an R&R room specific to grades 3-5. I honestly rarely send my students to R&R but when I do, they are sent away saying there is no room or the room in unsafe. Sometimes even set on the bench. It has been effective to send some of our toughest cases to the middle school/high school R&R room because they don't want to go and it turns from being a game to a serious consequence. Another thing that was mentioned in the last blog would be a teacher, lounge/work room for meetings that is decorated in nice colors with decorations.
Thank you to all my colleagues for making this a better place to work. A lot of you make my day more than you will ever know.
I am in total agreement with everything you published. Morale is extremely important and something needs to be put in place regarding promoting positivity in our school.
DeleteI also hadn't considered kids not feeling safe at school, but now I see it constantly! The thing that triggered me the most was a small sentence about children who don't "have a safe place, will make a safe place". This triggered me because I SEE IT in k-2 DAILY. They literally make their own safe place under tables, under coats, or under the arms of the people that make them feel safe. For many, not feeling heard, means not feeling safe. That is something we can fix, just by listening.
DeleteI, too, was 'hit' by the thought of students not feeling safe at school...but I see it more and more. Especially after viewing and discussing suggestions from the 'Shurbert School', I now see and am trying even little changes to make students feel safe here, within, our learning community. When situations arise I try, more, to discuss with students how those affected might feel, and how those around should/should not react. I have been, for past month or so, having more stories, lessons and discussions about kindness and how we can show kindness to one another.
DeleteThank you for your candid post. You have a lot of suggestions that will help to make our school lives more manageable and more positive for the students. I agree with your assessment of not considering that students might not feel safe at school. That is something that I wouldn't have considered before this book study.
DeleteMy pre and post mindset didn't move a lot, which actually surprised me because I wasn't excited about conscience discipline but now I am. It seemed way too flowery for me at the beginning, and truthfully, I still does. I was resistant to it working, but it DOES so I can't argue. The biggest change from this whole thing is noticing myself and my own reactions. I cannot control kids, but I can control myself.
ReplyDeleteTop Three Changes? Another reason why it has taken me until the very last day to respond to this is because I don't know. Here's a shot: 1) I want to listen more and talk less, 2) I want to give kids opportunities to problem solve, and 3) I want to help kids care about each other, by sending well wishes and modeling cooperative problem solving strategies with and for them. I say this because tattling has always been a problem, but I've never addressed it in a way that didn't add to the problem. Since beginning use of the "Time Machine", I've watched my toughest students become communicators. I've seen genuine, unforced apologies, and that gives me hope. By listening more, I'll see more of what the triggers were and be able to identify what the children are actually telling me when they tattle. I'll be able to help them make friends, instead of lose them.
School wide changes I'd like to see would coincide with the goals above. If I want to change things in my own classroom, they have to change everywhere because my personal goals are closely linked to the same problems I see on the playground, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, in the gym, and on the bus. It's surely irritating when a student behaves in the classroom, but not when they are away from me. I'd love to see our paras and Grandmas (especially mine) start listening before reacting. It's a tough goal, but I'm not shy.
Alesha, I totally agree with your 'biggest change' statement--noticing OUR actions and reactions. We may not be able to control the students, but we CAN control ourselves. We might give students suggestions and strategies, but we cannot MAKE them follow them.
DeleteOh, yes--I, too, have seen the 'in classroom vs. other location' behavior frustration. Just when you think you might be 'getting somewhere' where with student action/reaction and then learn of incident on playground, cafeteria, ets. I guess we have to add to our teachings the reminder that these strategies are lifelong...not just for classroom, during discussion.
Thank you for sharing your thinking! When we do reconvene school, I believe that the support staff will need to be filled in on some of the areas that we would like to focus on. It is going to be imperative that we are "on the same page" as much as possible. Also, I am committed to pursuing the idea of reviewing and implementing a chapter per month and really digging into the content in the 2020-21 school year.
DeleteI think talking less and listening more is a great goal for most educators. I'm not even a big talker and I can tell that I talk too much at times. I'm making a connection to my posted comment regarding not lecturing students about their behavior because it's ineffective. Afternoon break time in our classroom has turned into a time when students will often come to me with troubles or concerns. This has just naturally evolved with very little prompting from me. I can ask the open ended-questions and listen to the answers without much distraction or interruption. I really just help facilitate conversations between students as they are very eager & willing to problem solve most of the time. It's pretty cool.
DeleteComparison of my pre and post training assessments: Actually, this really surprised me, not so much the change of attitude as the numbers of the changes. I still see discipline as a disruption to my day, but not as much. I now see more of conflict as being a 'call for help' rather than disrespect.
ReplyDeleteChanges I would like to make in my classroom (in no certain order):
1. Unlike last school year, I did not create a 'job board' for this class, and I miss it. . I would like to reinstate the class 'job board', with meaningful jobs. This would 'free up' my hands to inable me to connect more with students, and it would provide students with opportunities to contribute to our classroom family/community.
2. I would like to increase the number of 'rituals' done in our classroom to create my connections and build on being more of a community. Once we all return to school I would like to, finally, start this, as well as introducing 'Well Wishing' to students. We already to birthday recognition with singing and I give each 'Birthday' sticker and bookmark, as well as having 'Groovy Birthdays' posted on the wall. I'm not sure about end of the year, as yet, but on first day of school I do give each student a 'Welcome' bag that gives them a few learning items to get us started.
Our class has nightly folders that help with communication with families and I do communicate with them in person, telephone, and writing in these as needed. If I have learned nothing more from this 3 week shut down of schools, I have realized the need to increase my communication with families by creating the additional connection with techology that Nicole has been trying to convince me of. It WILL be an addition to my 'Back to School' set-up next year. ..if not sooner. Yes, so much of our teaching is 'hands-on', and no, not all students have access to this, but it would be a way to reach so very many of them with suggestions of activities and websites to keep them learning.
3. My students know where they can get bandaids and eye glass cleaner, as needed. I would like to increase this to also have a place where they can find items such as 'Boo-Boo Spray and 'Cranky Cream' for some of the not-so-noticable hurts that may come during a day of learning...perhaps even a mirror with the 'I am safe' quote on it.
4. I know we were told 3, but...another thing I would like to try with this group of students is having a circle/class meeting. We currently have a 'Brag Board' weekly where students 'nominate' others that they feel have followed 'Classroom Rules' during the previous week and classmates 'vote'/agree or disagree with the nominated ones. I'm not sure if I would want to add or replace this with the circle/meeting time, but I would like to increase the ways and amount that we celebrate, connect with each other, and solve problems within the classroom.
Changes that I would like to see made school wide:
1. I would like to see a morning assembly, whether weekly or daily, to start day/week of learning with positive note and routines that consistantly welcome students and cncourage them to be 'ready to learn'.
2. I would like to see a 'We Care Center' created to provide both students and staff with the materials to express their appreciation, concern and caring for other students, as well as staff, as they wish. This could provide, yet another, connection between school family/community.
3. I would like to see the '100% here' signs both used within classrooms and celebrated throughout the school, recognizing the importance being at school and celebrating the excitment of learning.
You have so many positive ideas, and I believe that most of them are reasonable to implement with a little thought and planning. I am looking forward to seeing some of these changes as they evolve, whether it is this school year or next!
DeleteRhonda, I agree with Michelle... your tone is so positive and compassionate. Your students are lucky to have a teacher who is willing to learn, grow, adapt, etc... and remain so upbeat through it all. Let me know how I can help with planning and implementation as we move forward! :)
DeleteCrossing my fingers that the third time is a charm! The blog hasn't been working for me, and I've lost all of my work twice, so I'm going to post in three parts.
ReplyDeletePart 1 - Pre-assessment vs Post-assessment
My answers didn't change much overall, and the ones that did moved in a slightly more favorable direction - assuming that a traditional mindset towards behavior is bad. Most of my pretest responses were already mostly in line with the conscious discipline approach. One response that didn't change was the one about rules. I think rules are necessary. When we become older, "rules" are called laws and the government enforces the laws by "punishing" people who don't follow them. It's real life, and we're setting our kids up for failure if we don't recognize that.
I agree with you, Nicole, about the need for rule. Students need to realize that 'rules' (whether liked/disliked, agreed with/or not) are a part of life (now and in future) and that they are a necessary part of living within a community.
DeleteI think about our current situation in this country... Temporary "rules" are being created to respond to a crisis (or at least an impending potential crisis). This is for the greater good of all. If you don't respect rules, and the reason for the rules, you don't follow them. If you don't follow them, you put others at risk. We need to be more community-minded. The wants and needs of the individual do not & should not come before the welfare of the community.
DeletePart 2 - Changes in my Classroom
ReplyDelete1. Safe Space - I've introduced this idea to my class, but it hasn't really seemed to garner much interest. Perhaps starting out next year with a well thought-out and established area for a safe space is better.
2. More Relaxation and Stress-Reducing Activities - We have been practicing deep breathing and hook-ups. I have also started using music again as a way to calm the atmosphere in the classroom. I'm going to continue to try out strategies from the book with my class this year.
3. Noticing - This is a powerful strategy that can be used in a wide variety of situations. I've used it and like it, so I'll continue to do so and hopefully get better at it.
When I think back to your classes over the past couple of years, I believe that you would have had some immediate interest in the safe space concept. No need to go into further detail (to protect the innocent) - I will just leave that one right there.
DeleteI would have been trying these strategies like crazy with last year's group. My tried and true methods often didn't work. I guess it's really about having a vast array of "tools" to implement when/if needed.
DeletePart 3 - School Wide Changes
ReplyDelete1. Post visual reminders of behavioral expectations - someone will have to take the lead on this, and then everyone will need to buy-in. We need consistency, common language, and regular reminders. The pictures need to be clear. It might even be worthwhile to buy them from the CD website.
2. Changes to R&R - Maybe R&R needs to be in a space that is configured differently - the room where staff eats lunch in the lower elementary wing comes to mind because it's near the office but shaped like an L. R&R needs clearly defined zones, in particular an area for raging and an area for breaks.
3. Time Machine - This is a strategy that works, and it's easy to implement. Instead of lecturing kids about their behavior, we need to add a "do over" to our list of strategies. And by "we", I mean everyone - kitchen staff, bus drivers, subs, etc.... Obviously this is just one way to respond and it won't work in every situation, but I've had success with it. It seems to diffuse the situation and keep things from escalating when done right. It also forces kids to reflect on their behavior and choices.
I feel so overwhelmed to tackle the visual reminders, but I know it must be done! Printing, cutting, labeling...it's just so overwhelming. I think purchasing them really would eliminate a lot of stress surrounding these.
DeleteYes, we already discuss with students the school wide expectations for various locations within the school. I agree that visual reminders would be helpful for students to see and read throughout the building. Perhaps if these were purchased from CD program and posted the similarity of them would help students realize the importance to the entire learning community.
DeleteGood thought about purchasing the visual aids from the CD company. We definitely do not need more stress in our teaching lives!
DeleteI'm not sure where the money for this would come from, or how much it would cost, but I do think it would simplify things for everyone.
Delete