A Sliding Scale of Encouragement

My daughter showed me this wonderful system of rewards and sanctions for a classroom, but it can easily be adapted for home use:

Set up a scale that begins in the middle with READY TO LEARN.  Then add steps going up that read GOOD DAY, GREAT JOB, and OUTSTANDING.  Add steps going down that read THINK ABOUT IT, IMPROVEMENT TIME, and PARENT CONTACT.  Either give each child his or her own sign or create a classroom sign large enough to accommodate all students.

Create a clothespin with the child's name on it.  At the beginning of each day, every child starts at READY TO LEARN.  As he or she does something remarkable, you clip the pin higher.  As he or she does something less admirable, move the clip lower.  At the end of the day if the child is at READY TO LEARN or higher, he or she earns a star on the chart.

What I like about this system is that if a child messes up at 10:00 am, causing the clip to go down, he has the rest of the day to redeem himself.  This prevents the child from giving up early in the day because of one misdemeanor.

To implement this at home, simply change the wording on the scale to suit your family situation.

Happy Teaching!  Here is a link to the source: http://www.newmanagement.com/ebooks/pdf/clip_chart_ebook.pdf

Preserving Childhood Projects

Remember the pictures on the fridge... 3-D log cabins ... volcanoes that really erupt.... milk carton bird feeders... and the myriad of other projects your children have made?  How do you preserve those memories without crowding your basement, attic, and garage with clutter?  Create an album of photographic memories for each child. 

Even if you aren't into scrapbooking, simply creating an album of photographs will be an important part of your children's memories.  However, decorating the pages with dates, quotes, and other enhancements will definitely increase their value as your children get older.  Or maybe you'd like to create a digital album of their projects!  Whatever you decide, you can take a picture of the project after a suitable amount of "real" appreciation time.  Then put the item in a designated place for a little more time in case the young person wants to see it again.  Then after a few more months have passed and other projects have come to the front of their memories, you can toss the project, knowing that you have preserved it for generations!

Here are some links to helpful websites: Mixbook, Smilebox, Scrapgirls, and Shabby Princess. However, if you surf the net, you'll find many, many more ideas for preserving childhood memories. 

Attention, teachers... You can also use this to preserve memories of each year's projects and students.  Remember to record names, dates, and comments.  You'll thank me when you retire!

Classroom Feng Shui ... for next year

At this time of year, many of you are probably cleaning the classroom, tossing old projects, and looking forward to a relaxing summer.  Here are some ideas to consider over the summer so you can begin with a Feng Shui-ed classroom in September:

A.    Your entrance area needs to be welcoming and uncluttered.  It is also your diversity area.  FS this area to bring your students into your realm with an arrangement that helps them feel comfortable with their environment.  As with any other meeting, first impressions are important.  So, you need to attack as many senses as possible.  Can you find a round metal table from a yard sale that you can place there? (Remember to wash it well before placing it in your classroom to remove other folks’ bad chi.)  It should be no more than about 18 inches in diameter or whatever will fit comfortably in that space.   On the wall in that area, include posters or mantras that show people working together for the common good.  

B.     Put your metal file cabinet to the left of your door for strength – it will support your career area.  On the side of the cabinet as students come in the door, rotate career ideas for your subject area every month.  By the end of the year, you’ll have shown them ten different careers that will use your subject matter.  Avoid earth elements here, but include wavy, watery things, perhaps a wavy border around the four edges of that side of the file cabinet highlighting your career posters.  Keep the top clear of clutter by placing an incandescent lamp there – something blue or black, wavy, and metal. 

C.     Place your desk to the right of the door with your back to the wall.   A white flowering plant on your desk would be perfect.  Remember that this is usually an "metal" corner in most classrooms, so use a round ceramic pot that has a touch of turquoise or blue for that plant.  Also, keep your desk neat and clutter-free as much as possible. 

D.    The magic number for your knowledge corner (left as you walk in the room - see below) is 8.  Can you think of 8 key curriculum concepts you can highlight either on the wall?  Remember to refresh those eight concepts with each unit or marking period.

For more tips to consider this summer, read Feng Shui for the Classroom: 101 Easy-to-Use Ideas.  While you're browsing my website, consider reserving a workshop for the rest of the faculty next year! 

 

Put the YOU back in YOUTH

Teachers, look closely at your students.  Some of them are bright, strong, and active.  Others need a little more encouragement to participate and achieve high grades.  The former group most likely includes youthful volunteers, children who give their time and talents to those in need.  Statistically, students who volunteer in the community have higher grades and fewer absences than those who do not.   Seventy percent of teens who volunteer reported that volunteering gave them a new perspective on community issues.  As a result of their volunteer efforts, teens reported high grades in school and new career goals. Their communities found renewed interest in the environment, senior citizens, needy children, and orphaned animals. 

What does this tell us?  That we need to focus on helping kids to help others so that they can help themselves.  Why?  Because volunteering does not involve competition or grade achievement.  A notable side effect of charitable work is that the students gain one more positive section of information on a college transcript or job application.  Quite simply, volunteering forces students to look outside of their egocentric box and toward the greater needs of others.           

Recently, I spoke with a man who teaches special education in a closed classroom for emotionally disturbed middle school students.  Mr. Smith (not his real name because I met him at a party and we spoke only briefly) had a particularly difficult young man who never did homework, reacted with disdain at most of his requests, and generally disliked school.  Mr. Smith found that the young man, whom I’ll call Will, did enjoy reading.  Perhaps it became his escape from his family problems.  So, the teacher arranged for Will to read to fifth graders.  Together they chose Dear Mr. Henshaw as the read-aloud story.  Will went into the classroom, began to read, and the students were spellbound.  Later, Mr. Smith asked Will to develop ten questions for each chapter that he could ask when he was done reading.  Will, who would never do his own homework, came in the next day with ten well-developed questions.  This new work ethic carried over to his other school work, and Will began to pull up his grades.  He also became less of a discipline problem as a result of his volunteer reading for the fifth graders.             

So, how can teachers get students to become junior philanthropists?  Build on their natural talents, just as Mr. Smith did.  Kids love to socialize.  Encourage them to see that they can volunteer at a nursing home and socialize with people who get visitors only once a week, sometimes less.  Help them to understand that not everything needs to be done for money.  They could volunteer to babysit for an overworked mother of four who needs to take a break.  Help them to know that they can volunteer for other than human causes.  Some kids can join an environmental campaign to clean up a nearby stream, while others might volunteer at the local animal shelter.  There are no limits to the kinds of volunteer activities that young people can do.            Try to develop a philanthropy that also builds on your curriculum.  Since I taught child development, it was an easy match for my students to support Care Bags 4 Kids, a foundation that provides necessary items for needy children.  But what about the other disciplines?  Here are some ideas to consider:

• Write letters to soldiers - English and social studies classes can participate. (Note: use only the student’s first name and assign a student number for a return letter to the school.)
• Design and build bat houses or martin houses to combat the mosquito population – Shop and math coordination.
• Anti-smoking and substance abuse campaign for middle school students – Health and biology classes.
• Translation services for ESL students and foreign citizens in the community – Foreign language classes.

Each class is unique.  What can you do within your class that will serve the school or greater community while helping the students understand the value of charitable giving?           
 
The benefits of helping kids to help others are boundless.  The young people learn that caring for others is just as important as caring about their own needs.  The people they help benefit from their efforts, plus the children learn the value of money when they budget fund raisers.  Isn’t it time we put the YOU back into YOUTH?

For more ideas, read Helping Kids Help