Oct. 31 weekly Announcements

Oct. 31 morning announcement from Rob Darling on Vimeo.

Math Intervention, Reading Intervention....Behavior Intervention?

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When a student struggles with math, we rush to identify why they are struggling and how to fix it. Same thing with reading, we can give assessments and dissect their reading deficiencies down to the specific long vowel pattern or inflected endings they're struggling with. 

But when a student does not follow school rules, doesn't keep hands to self, gets frustrated and hits or flees or yells, the traditional response is: "Stop." "Go sit at your desk and put your head down." "I've given you 5 warnings, you just lost some of your recess."

Most of our students are not able to self-diagnose their academic struggles. It has to be taught, modeled, and retaught....all year long. Do we have the same intervention system for our students who need behavioral interventions or do we talk at them, take something away as a consequence, and hope they will magically learn a skill that they have probably never learned, and maybe never even seen modeled correctly outside of school?

The following was an actual conversation with one of my kinder teachers and one of her 5 year olds. This is not a reflection what the teacher did wrong, but an example of a student behavior:

Teacher: Tommy told me you were in the bathroom swearing, is that true?

Student: Yes, I said h_ll.

T: We have talked about using this kind of language. Let's stay in for a few minutes and practice more appropriate behavior.

S: Ah, d_mmit. 

T: That's another word we aren't supposed to say, we have talked about that one as well.

5 minutes go by. Student was sitting and reading, working with the teacher on appropriate language and behavior. (Behavior intervention, good.)

T: Ok, do you remember why we needed to stay in and practice?

S: Yes, because I was talking to someone in the sh _tter. (-think Cousin Eddie empting his RV's septic into the gutter)

Teacher: *speechless*  (she actually had to turn away to avoid being seen laughing)

Do you intervene or dish out a consequence? 

Oct. 24th announcement video

Oct. 24 announcement video from Rob Darling on Vimeo.

Oct. 17th announcement, with students :)

Oct 17 morning announcement from Rob Darling on Vimeo.

A Mistakes Party

We have some teachers who take the last 10 minutes of each day and have a "Mistakes Party." This is where students identify and celebrated the mistakes they made that day, or rather, the mistakes they learned from that day. 

Parents: This is a great way for you to help your students recognize the importance of "grit." Ask them about mistakes they made and what they learned from it. Be sure to point out that it was because of their courage to try that they overcame something challenging.

If anything, spend a few minutes each day discussing the following two questions:
What was your biggest challenge today?
What made you happy today?

Don't criticize or offer advice, just listen. We can gain valuable insight to their lives, and can understand what it means to struggle in the life of a Kinder, first and/or second grader.

Oct. 10 announcements

Oct. 10 announcement video from Rob Darling on Vimeo.