Problem Solving

So, I have been using this problem solving instruction system for a couple years now and have really liked how it has worked out. Basically, it takes the approach of really trying to coach the kids on how to deal with an anger or frustration outburst before they actually get to that moment. Before I get too far into this I have to say that this was not my idea, but rather a system that I was told about. At the beginning of the year I sit down with the kids and we talk about the different sort of feelings that we sometimes have. I will often use something like the chart there on the left. We focus in on being angry and what that is like, see the chart on the right. I will have some students come up and act out a situation for me were a student looses their cool over something on the playground. When a child looses their cool we go to the stop light. First, we use the red light and STOP. We calm down by counting to ten or by taking some deep breaths. Then we go to yellow and begin to try and work through the problem. You tell your side and then listen to theirs. Try to come up with a solution. Last, we figure out a solution that is fair to everyone or maybe just walk away. A good hand shake or a hug can seal the deal. After teaching this I try to catch every little conflict in the room. I try to catch them and then help them use the chart to work through the conflict in a way that the rest of the class is catching. Usually, as soon as they see that I am walking them over to the chart to solve the problem they are more embarrassed than anything, but it makes for a great teaching moment.

Mr. tough guy

So, I am trying something a little different this year. After talking with my teaching partner about the best way to start the year in terms of discipline, I have made the choice to toughen up a little bit. Micromanagement has such a negative connotation to it, but I guess if you hung out in my room it might seem a bit like that. I have been careful to really try and stay very positive, but also very no nonsense. If I say you need to sit and just do your work, then that is exactly what you need to do. In the past I have been a little softer, hoping that the kids would just kind of catch on to what they needed to do and out of the goodness of their hearts get the job done. Of course, some little ones always did, but there were the others who were a little tougher to corral. This year I think I am going to crack the whip a little more and see if I can get some better work out of them.

A lot of this thinking came out of an article I read in Newsweek about today's educational system. A reporter compared the education system of 1955 and the system of today and came up with the notion that the main difference between then and now was student motivation. Although I am sure there is a lot more to it than that, something resonated with me about just trying to get the kids to try harder in the work that they are doing. I would love for them to rise up from within and simply aspire to learn more and do more, but when that is not the case, some good old fashioned external motivation by a pushy adult standing over their shoulder can do worlds. We'll see how it goes.

Last year

This last year flew by! I had every intention of posting a blog without fail at least once a week, but well... you know how good intentions go. So here's a shot gun blast of the year in one short blog.

The big highlight of the year in my room was the entrance of the Promethean board. This interactive white board allows me , and my kids to be a little bit like Tom Cruise in the movie Minority Report. But, instead of solving murders before they happen, we are solving math problems and learning about calendar. The kids we absolutely transfixed whenever we sat down to play with... I mean use this great learning tool. Later in the year we even were able to use remote voters that are linked to the board through Bluetooth. The kids sit at their desk and send in their vote on an answer for a problem we were working on. Fun was had by all!
I was extremely honored this year to be selected as Woodcrest's teacher of the year. I was in shock when my name was announced in the staff meeting. I came into teaching through the back door and felt like I would just make do in this new job until I could find my real focus in a career. Well, ten years later and I have come to this place of humble gratitude to the Lord for his work in my life as well as to the incredible people that I work with for all that they have taught me. The classroom has become a real home for me. Thanks everyone!

OK... So I am really going to try and keep up on my blogging this year. I think I am going to take more of a practical slant on things. My good friend Susie Wren has a blog called "let's vent" where we deal with some of the structural things in education. I think that I am going to try and focus on more of the practical day to day issues with the kids and what I am learning with them. So, off we go!