Hello Homecoming!

Unfortunately, I did not allot enough time to develop last weeks blog!  I understand many of you were very disappointed (enter sarcasm here)!  The journey of life makes us feel overwhelmed, exhausted and unappreciated and sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and re-examine what is important.  The last two weeks have proven to be mentally exhausting to me beginning with the passing of my grandfather and a week later a dear friend.  Events such as these put life into perspective and certainly remind us to appreciate what is in front of us.

Often times we let students get the best of us...raising our voice, saying demeaning things, asking questions (when we really don't want them answered), making assumptions (they "just" don't want to work, he doesn't even care) and shaking our pointy fingers at them.  All of these behaviors lead to combat with students and don't resolve conflicts!  Every single one of us is guilty of one or more of the above behaviors.  

Kevin Dill and his dynamic training and life changing strategies have helped many educators to re-evaluate their disposition.  Recently many Scott teachers were given the opportunity to attend the Dill training and were excited to share their experience.  Ms. Carroll has written a powerful piece which makes her our 2nd GUEST BLOGGER!  Yes!  Mrs. Carroll is a blogger!    

Enjoy the articles and remember we are here for a purpose.  Every child needs support and we accepted this charge when we became educators.

We all need that day in the sun, that long-awaited vacation, or even that morning when we can have a stay in our pajamas all day.  This is the kind of day Kevin Dill gives to teachers and administrators when they attend his Choice Language, PBIS, Conflict vs. Combat workshop.  Every year we come back to our classrooms with specific goals for the year, especially when dealing with student behavior.  We tell ourselves, we will not yell, we will not argue with a student, and we will handle any behavior problem in our classroom without any help from the office.  These plans sometimes fail by that third or fourth week of school.  With this workshop, teachers are shown how to establish a school wide tiered system for behavior expectations and understanding the three types of behaviors some students may have and how to handle them with routines that teach good behavior expectations.

            Understanding why students challenge rules is what this workshop entailed.  Kevin Dill is very serious with his presentation but entertaining with his anecdotes.  Mr. Dill explained the three different tiers for misbehavior and gave solutions to handling them through various strategies.  Students misbehave because of what he called distorted thinking and their lack of skills to use in a classroom environment.  Although we smiled and giggled at his explanations and his reenactments, most teachers and administrators easily saw ourselves at one time or another in these situations.   As teachers we must flood the environment with positives, do not argue, use key words, such as regardless or nevertheless, and know that we do not have control over the students.  Students have control over themselves when it comes to behavior.

            Everyone who attends a workshop with Kevin Dill will walk out at the end of the day refreshed and ready to go home to make their plan of action for positive reinforcement in their classrooms.  They will walk out ready to go back to their schools and share these ideas with their peers.  One of Mr. Dill’s best quotes of the day was “Kids don’t crave discipline…They crave boundaries.” We need to give these boundaries in a positive environment. After all the word discipline really equals discipling. 

An additional note on Balanced Literacy...

As the saying goes (with a little change of words), “You can teach an old dog (or even a young one) new tricks.  This school year Balanced Literacy is being implemented by the language arts/reading teachers. As a result, the camaraderie with language arts/reading teachers is at a high this year.  Balanced Literacy combines reading with writing in the classroom through several components, Guided Reading/Writing, Shared Reading/Writing, Individual Reading/Writing, Individual Conferencing, and Word Work.  These terms are constantly being repeated to the students in the Balanced Literacy class so that they, too, become familiar with the terms.  Also, most Balanced Literacy classes are scheduled for a blocked class (two class periods together).  At the end of last year’s school year, most of the language arts/reading teachers attended a two day workshop to further understand this program.

Be aware that teachers and administrators are meeting together several times a month to share ideas and questions.  The discussions are at their highest peak between these teachers.  Discussions are constantly flowing in the hallway, at team time, during lunches and prep times, and after school, to share ideas of what is working and may not be working.  Classrooms are being visited among one another to see different methods teachers are using in their classes.  Each day another idea or teaching strategy is added to the different components of this program. The baby steps we have been taking are now becoming giant steps as we build more confidence with the program each day through practice in the classroom and communication with one another.