Loving Love & Logic

While it took about two months, I'm happy to report that I've finished Love and Logic.  I've {previously shared} that I read the parent edition last summer, but it didn't quite meet my needs as a teacher.  This book is often back ordered, but persistence and patience paid off.  Amazon delivered the book a few months ago and I've been slowly making my way through the pages.

Most of the book isn't filled with earth shattering revelations, but rather small tweaks to my classroom management and instruction.  As a teacher, I've found that one of my biggest challenges is falling into power struggles with students (particularly strong willed, more difficult ones).  I'd often find myself frustrated and wanting to have the last word in arguments.  This cycle wasn't leaving me very happy as an educator.

So, I sought out solutions.  A colleague recommended this book and not wanting to admit defeat with my teaching career, I took her advice, swallowed my pride and read the book (the parent edition) last summer.  This year, I've tried some of the strategies (such as choices and consequences with empathy).  It's making a difference.

There are still days when I'm frustrated by my students' choices.  One of the most difficult things about teaching (that no one tells you) is that I don't get to leave my job at school.  Often times, I'll be up tossing and turning, trying to figure out how to deal with a particular student.

One of my students this year has really gotten under my skin.  He's not defiant, he's not argumentative, he doesn't shout out.  He just simply doesn't do anything.  He is not meeting his reading goals, he's not doing his homework, he's not participating in class, he's not doing much of anything.  He simply sits all day.  Parent contact doesn't help the situation.  He's a smart young man and capable of being successful, he's just choosing not to apply himself or try, which is beyond frustrating as a teacher.  Writing him up doesn't work. I don't want him to sit out of recess to read, because then he'll associate reading with punishment (which is not what I want).  I've tried asking him how he'll solve his problem, but he simply shrugs apathetically.  My usual strategies aren't working.

Luckily, Love and Logic had an idea that I'll be trying in the classroom.  One of my favorite aspects of this book is the real world scenarios and different suggested lines for discussion.  My students have been a little antsy lately (spring fever hit early), so they're going to have a bonus surprise indoor fun break...if they've met their weekly goals and completed all their work.  

However, this student (and several others) probably won't be joining.  Instead, I'll phrase it that they're fortunate to have some bonus time to catch up on their goals and are welcome to join us once they've met their requirements.  It's not recess that's being taken away, but rather a very real consequence to their actions (or rather, inaction).   When the complaining starts (as it will), I'll respond with empathy. I'll state that it's a bummer and ask how they intend to solve their situation. I'll state that they're welcome to join us once they've completed the expectations.

Will they be frustrated? Yes.  Will they get to uncomfortably experience the natural consequences of their actions? Yes.  Will it be a discussion? Nope.  I will let them choose to continue to be off task, but also choose the consequence (not participating in our fun activities).  I'm okay with them living with their consequences because I'm no longer owning their behavior choices.  

Fingers crossed this strategy will be a game changer for my more apathetic students. I don't resort to yelling, consequences (being written up) aren't working, so instead I'll focus on acknowledging the positive choices that others are making.

And...she's done!

For those that have been following the adventures of Ursula, I'm pleased to announce that she's done!

My students enjoyed chips and capri sun during our movie reward.  I'm pleased with the positive changes I've seen in most of them.  The strategy didn't work for all my students but it was nice to reward the students who are trying :)

AM reward

In our SWAG competition between AM and PM, the AM has won again.  This time, they had a half hour of free board game time.  The timing worked out perfectly because we lost twenty minutes of our hour to an assembly, so after fluency there was only time to meet with one group (and cover everything we needed to).

Reward snapshots:

Many of my games were generously funded by friends, family, and strangers on donors choose.  Thank you again for continued support in my classroom!

(The Series of Unfortunate Events board game was perhaps my favorite find ever! I found it at Bookman's, a used bookstore in Arizona.  I didn't even know it existed until one magical spring break!)

I love watching them get so excited about comprehension and reading games!

Monthly Mystery Motivators (February)

We've had some escalating behavior concerns, so we decided to focus on the following positive behaviors:

We are trying to set our students up for future academic success as well as to be kind people.  We had an assembly with them and gave them contracts to sign, outlining the four behaviors we are looking for.  

If students do not follow the behaviors, they earn strikes in the given reward period.  They must display positive behavior choices 80% of the time to earn the monthly mystery motivators!

For February:

The students who earned the reward had extra recess time with their teachers (and the art teacher during his prep).  The students who didn't earn the reward wrote a behavior reflection with the counselor instead.

Our next reward is on the 12th and then again at the end of the month.

Each reward is different and we have 6 rewards in all for the duration of the school year.  Students must earn 4 of the 6 rewards to be invited to the end of year, fifth grade only dance!

We want to show students that by making good choices, being respectful to others and completing your (home)work, you get rewarded in life.

Sometimes, the reward is as awesome as an hour of kickball!

Ursula, several weeks in

For those of you following the adventurous building of Ursula, here is her most recent glamour shot:

As you can see, she is nearly complete!  With three weeks left in this class motivator, I'm pleased to see a nice change in some of my students. Did this motivator work for all of them? No, of course not.  But I have seen more effort out of most of them, which is what I was going for.

We'll be having a lunch time party for those students who fully completed their homework for eight of the ten weeks.  It will be a juice and donuts party during recess time and by invitation only!  I'm excited to get to positively reward my students who are consistently trying their best.

Tomorrow she'll get her arms, next week her yellow shells and her sea horse scepter on the final week!

classroom management

Classroom Management

While some days it's a struggle, I do try to make my classroom a positive and happy place to be.  Like most teachers, I prefer to highlight appropriate behavior choices rather than emphasize bad behavior choices.  In the past, I've tried these strategies:

1. Student/Teacher Points:  

When students are working collaboratively and at appropriate voice levels, they earn points.  When they don't, I do.  At the end of the week, we find the difference between the point values (yay for a quick math review!) and if the students are ahead, they add that many marbles to a jar.  When the jar is full, they earn a prize.

I try to make the prizes academic related, such as reading outside on the play ground or giving them "book worms" (gummy worms) to eat while they read inside on the floor.

2. Table team points:

Simple enough, the table with the most points at the end of the day/week wins a prize.  Some days it could be leaving first, some days it could be a positive note or call home, some days it means they get to have lunch with me.

However, I'm starting to get a little bored with these tactics.  Then I found this idea on pinterest:

Using a dollar store puzzle and magnets, this teacher made a cute visual reward system.  Every time the class is working together cooperatively, they earn a piece of the puzzle.  When the puzzle is complete, they earn a prize.  I really like the visual component for students.  With a small enough puzzle, this could easily be left on the board or a filing cabinet as a reminder about good behavior choices.

Now, let's talk about SWAG.  In my classroom last year, it stood for Students With A Goal.  However, I like this version even better:

SWAG means success, will power, attitude and goals.  

I will probably be making something like this for our fifth grade hallway.

I bet the fifth graders would like to be reminded to bring their SWAG every day :)

Lastly...white board markers.  For some reason, white board markers make every task instantly  more exciting and engaging.  However, I often run into the issue of caps being left off, students pressing too hard, etc which leads to a quick depletion of my stash.  Now, these Expo markers aren't cheap, so I was thrilled to find this solution:

With accountability, students can learn more responsibility and I can stop buying as many markers :)  No marker = no white board.  Students can complete the task on paper instead if they are not responsible with their markers.