Accountability... not discipline
At the start of the year we have a discussion about the importance of learning and behavior expectations. We talk about the importance of setting and meeting the expectations to make sure everyone is set up to succeed during the year. We talk about the different expectations for each area in the school and we practice the expectations so the expectations become habit.
We also talk about our different roles and responsibilities to each other and to the school. In this conversation I tell the students one of my responsibilities to them is to hold them accountable for the choices they decide to make. I tell them I have to make sure I am helping them become the "best version of themselves with school work and their behavior." I introduce the clip chart, which is pictured below, and discuss how the chart works. I tell the students that if they make a good choice with their behavior I MIGHT ask them to move their clip up a color. On the flip side if they make a bad choice, it is my responsible to them to hold them accountable and ask them to move their clip down. I tell the students I have to hold them accountable for their poor choice because I love them and I know they can make better choices. I state several times that when I ask them to move their clip down I am doing it because I love them and I want them to make better choices. I have found that this conversation helps the students understand why they have to move their clip down and we have very few "melt downs."
We also talk about our different roles and responsibilities to each other and to the school. In this conversation I tell the students one of my responsibilities to them is to hold them accountable for the choices they decide to make. I tell them I have to make sure I am helping them become the "best version of themselves with school work and their behavior." I introduce the clip chart, which is pictured below, and discuss how the chart works. I tell the students that if they make a good choice with their behavior I MIGHT ask them to move their clip up a color. On the flip side if they make a bad choice, it is my responsible to them to hold them accountable and ask them to move their clip down. I tell the students I have to hold them accountable for their poor choice because I love them and I know they can make better choices. I state several times that when I ask them to move their clip down I am doing it because I love them and I want them to make better choices. I have found that this conversation helps the students understand why they have to move their clip down and we have very few "melt downs."
The students move their clips up and down all day based on their behavior. When a student ends on red the student will get a "sparkle" on their clip. The original plan was to have a "Hall of Fame" for students who filled their clip to display it but that didn't happen this year. Below you will find picture of a clip with "sparkles" on it.
cougar Paws
Below you will find a picture of the class cougar count. Students can earn Cougar Paws when the ENTIRE class is modeling correct behavior. Our newest behavior goal is to reach 300 by the end of the year.