Character is...

...how you act when no one is looking.

I was away a lot in February! I really dislike being away. It's a lot of work for me and it's stressful for the kids to have someone new in every time. We had some discussions this week about character education and how to act when I am not here. We have a co-op student (who is going to school to be an Educational Assistant) here with us on Thursdays until the end of April. She happened to be here on Wednesday when I was away and she also goes with the class to their rotary subjects. She was shocked at the difference in how the class treats me (and each other) when in our own classroom in comparison to how they treat other teachers, particularly supply teachers. So I decided that on my preps I would go with the class to their rotary subjects on Thursday and Friday. I got to see Music, Dance, and French. In all 3 classes, the teachers reported a difference in how students acted when I was there in comparison to when I was not. I feel that this shouldn't be the case.

I believe in having high standards for my kids and for my classroom. I want them to learn academically, yes, but I also want them to be the best person that they can be. I want them to have high self-esteem, be effective advocates for their learning needs, and to be proud of who they are. I have received note after note with student names being written down for being disruptive, rude, and producing little work while I am away...and now I am disappointed and frustrated because it is March. This kind of stuff should not be happening this late in the year. As we learn and develop as a class in the Fall, I am more lenient, but by the end of winter, well it seems that we need to get back to basics.

So for the month of March, the whole class has an iGoal of demonstrating character throughout the day no matter who is teaching them and to transition successfully. We came up with 3 ways to transition:
                      1. Go from one activity to another without talking
                      2. Line up and travel to and from rotary classes without talking in the hall
                      3. Get materials without speaking
If everyone does this, then we will not waste time when we could be learning, teachers will be less frustrated, peers who follow the rules consistently will not be annoyed, and we can be proud of ourselves and go back to being known as the class who rarely has problems during nutrition break, who doesn't disrupt other classes when in the hall...the class who used to get compliments from all the other teachers.

I like to approach discussions about poor choices and behaviour and work on next steps based on each child's goals and needs. At this point though, it seems that my approach is not working with some students, so I will be going to a consequence-based approach for this month. If you receive a Book of Doom page home to be signed, that means your child has had a warning and 3 strikes in an area (such as being excessively silly, being rude, talking out, etc.). Book of Doom pages are consequence sheets that describe an inappropriate action, how it effects others, and what should be done next time. Students have to write it out on their own time (not during fitness break) and at home and then get it signed by an adult. If 3 Book of Doom pages are given for the same behaviour, then the student will be sent to see Mrs. Baggs. I hope that it doesn't have to come down to this as I don't like to send kids to the office and only do so if physical aggression or another serious issue has occured.

I recently read an article on education and current research is showing that it's not just 'smarts' that makes a person successful, it's their ability to self-regulate and make good choices. Even when no one is looking.

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I want to thank Cassandra and Christina who took the time to organize our classroom games when they noticed that they weren't put back properly when I was away on Wednesday (2 indoor recesses). Thanks girls...I appreciate your initiative and thoughtfulness!