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~ Classroom
Management ~
Let me begin by
explaining that our classroom has no "rules"! Yes, that's correct.
NO rules!! We do however, have certain procedures which we decided upon
together during the first few days of this school year. By allowing
the children to decide what they believe are necessary agreements
for their classroom, & to set their own behavior expectations, they
become "owners" of their classroom.
As an equal member of Ms. Courtney’s 2nd Grade College~Bound Class:
I agree to be responsible and polite.
I agree to come to class ready to learn.
I agree to always do my best work.
I agree to be kind to everyone.
I agree to be helpful to my teachers and friends.
Sunset
School Creed:
When a
student chooses not to follow a set procedure, they fully understand why the
choice was not a productive one because they set the guidelines by deciding
what was important to them in their classroom community. This enables
children to connect behavior choices to consequences. The consequences were
also established by the children & myself.
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Each student has a numbered pocket on a
pocket chart at the back of our classroom. Inside each pocket are 6 "frogs".
These frogs are: Green, Blue,
Purple, Orange, Yellow, &
Red.
When a
student chooses not to follow a procedure, he/she is given a reminder of the
procedure. If the student again chooses not to follow the procedure she/he
is asked to "flip" their frog to the next color. (Each new day is
started on "green"!)
The
significance/consequence for the colors
are listed below:
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Level 1:
Reminder of procedure not followed, & frog is "flipped" to blue. The
procedure is read by the teacher.
Level 2:
Frog is "flipped" to next color, purple. Student reads the procedure.
Level 3:
Frog is "flipped" to orange, signifying a loss of recess during which time
the Class Creed is copied as reinforcement of procedure knowledge. (When we
know better, we do better.)
Level 4:
Frog is "flipped" to yellow. A note and/or call to parent will occur. If
this level has been reached twice in one week for the same behavior, the
student must copy the Class Creed at home and parent must sign it. This is
the student's "ticket" back into the classroom the following day.
Level 5:
Frog is "flipped" to red. A referral is written to the principal's office
and is submitted to Ms. Simpson-Miller
and/or Ms. Doane.
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Positive discipline is utilized
in our classroom every day. Verbal praise is contagious! I
believe in and adhere to the philosophy: "Praise in public,
discipline in private." Building self-esteem and self-worth
are 2 of my utmost goals in our classroom. Children are
fragile and should be taken care of in the most tender of
ways.
To enable positive reinforcement, we use within our
classroom the following rewards:
Bunny Jar:
We add bunnies for good choices. When the jar is full, we enjoy
special treats such as free reading time, a sweet treat, "sit in a
friends' chair", & other special rewards.
Chain Reactiion:
When we receive a CLASS SOS (we are a PBIS school) from anyone outside our
classroom, we add a "link" to our paper chain with the compliment
written on it to help us remember the wonderful thing we did. When
the chain reaches 10 links, we receive a treat!
Trash Can:
Ms. Courtney has a special, small, "goodie-filled" trash can on her
book shelf. When we make an exceptionally good choice, she lets us
"eat from the trash can"!
Tickets:
We receive tickets for
demonstrating S.O.A.R. behavior.
Our tickets can be used to purchase items during our
Weekly Ticket Sales!
These are just a few of our rewards. I also utilize brain research
techniques for energizers and cheers, and I also implement a great
deal of the philosophies taught in Great Expectations & Love &
Logic.
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