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by parents talk
Jun 21, 2011
I cringe at parent teacher conference when a parent comes in and tells me their student loves to go home and play school. They are "Mrs. _____". The first time it happened I wondered what kind of example I was in the classroom and have tried to watch myself because I realized how big an impact I had on my students and their family.
Here's my kindle entry...yay, kindle!
This is a good website for teaching kids how to care.
I use this website OFTEN for character education!! I love the lesson plans under elementary. We don't have a No-Name- Calling week in our school, but I use these materials regularly. Maria C.
I think I'm going to work around this book next year. I'll read the book and have a discussion based on it...return to it when it seems like a good idea. I think we'll also have a class bucket where kids can write a compliment to a classmate and then we'll share them all occasionally. I haven't got it all worked out yet, LOL. Judy
Just wondering if there is anyone out there who has read the book or works in a school that uses the program.
In many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it...See MoreIn many ways, I think teachers in Kindergarten have it a little easier than teachers of higher grades. In general, we get kids in K who still want to impress their teacher, who can be polite and actually use "please" and "thank you" without prompting. We get kids who love us unconditionally. They aren't yet at that age when it becomes "what's in it for me". They're more at the "let's all work together and have a happy class" stage. I use ALL of that daily.
You MUST set an example. The teacher HAS to be the one who ALWAYS says "Please", "Thank you", "Excuse me", "You're Welcome", "Are you okay?", "I'm so sorry", "You may", and "You may not". Our kids are with us 6 and a half hours a day for 180 days...that's a staggering 1,170 hours. Amazing opportunities for teachable moments!
Politeness is to do and say, The nicest thing in the nicest way.
Make it a part of your everyday routine and it becomes a good habit. When the children see you do it all the time, it becomes a habit that they want to emulate. You know you've done a good job when you're handing out WORK, and you hand a child a paper, and they say "Thank You!" (sincerely!!). Remember to say "You're Welcome!" with sincerity.
As an adult, I've experienced teachable moments. I worked for a time as an IA. The teacher I worked with was new and young, yet I didn't boast about my experience. SHE was the teacher and I the assistant. Every day, I would ask her what she wanted me to do. Did she want me to work with a small group? Did she want me to do the hall bulletin board? Her answer was always the same. "Sure. Fine. Whatever. I don't care." I slowly began to realize that for all her youth and vitality, sadly, she truly didn't care. Teachers HAVE to care. You have to care about the little things: what color bulletin board border will I use this year? You have to care about the big things: where is his winter coat? Does he not have one?? Note to self, go talk to counselor and go to Children's Wear.
When children see you (for 1,170 hours) showing care, concern, and compassion for others, they learn that those are appropriate and good values to have. When someone sneezes, say "God Bless You". When someone coughs, ask "Are you okay?" When someone throws up (and in K they do a lot), it takes every bit of willpower not to dry heave or look disgusted and attend to the poor sick little one who didn't mean to throw up on your shoes. Always keep an extra pair of shoes at school, buy tissues in bulk, keep cool band aids on hand for real and imaginary boo boos, stash extra snacks for those kids who never have.
There will be hundreds of thousands of times in a year when you're at the end of your rope, it will be the last straw, you're about to be driven up the wall or around the bend. Take your pick. Patience. Take a deep breath. Count to ten slowly. Bite your tongue. You are being watched by impressionable children. How they see you react and respond in ANY situation is a huge teachable moment. I had an irate parent one day accost me in the classroom, when the children were there. I said "Excuse me" to the children, and then I "Ma'am-ed" the parent: Yes ma'am, no ma'am, oh I'm sure ma'am, never ma'am, absolutely not ma'am, yes ma'am, okay ma'am, you have a good day now ma'am. By the time she left, she was calm. I was shaking, but I hadn't raised my voice, I was calm on the outside, and I was polite. I notified my admin of the situation. At day's end, the same parent apologized to me. It was all a communication error. What did the children see? A calm, polite person dealing with a very angry person. Their teacher didn't yell, "go up in the face", curse, push, hit, or stomp. Teachable moments. There is more than one way to resolve a situation.
Character is politeness, compassion, integrity, respect, responsibility, truth, honor, honesty, and more. There are programs out there that can help, good children's books to read aloud, and posters that you can put up on the walls. A classroom teacher has many opportunities throughout the day to model and demonstrate positive character traits. We have these kids for 1,170 hours. That's 70,200 minutes. That's a lot of teachable moments.
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