Building
Character
Having worked as an elementary
school teacher for many years I know the importance of building character in
your classroom. I learned over the years that time spent on character
education, in particular at the beginning of the school year, was time well
spent. Think about it. To engage successfully in academic learning, the
following skills need to be in place:
- Emotional
regulation
- Problem
solving
- Communication
- Teamwork
Students don't always come to school
with the skills that they need and it is up to the educator to support kids in
learning the "how" of getting through their school day. If you have
ever read The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton and Roxanne
Kriete, you will agree that spending time at the beginning of the school year,
setting expectations, modeling and practicing socially acceptable behaviors,
establishing a routine for identifying and resolving conflict and solving
problems as a team will set up your students for success and allow your
classroom to run like a well oiled machine.
Setting
Kids Up For Success
I remember one year, when I taught
fifth grade. I was excited for the year, having been in fourth grade for many
years. I was eager to dive into the fifth grade curriculum and set up a great
academic program for my kids. Unfortunately, the twenty five youngsters in my
class were not as excited as I was. The school year started off with problem
behaviors, arguments, yelling, teasing... It was not the happy school year I
had envisioned. About three weeks in, I brought academics to a screeching halt
and put a heavy emphasis on character building. During the next month and a
half I started holding a morning meeting each day, used the time right after
recess for meditation and created an "Acts of Kindness" Wall.
Everything we did academically involved practicing team-building and problem
solving skills and assertive communication. By the end of October, my students
not only knew what to expect and what to do, they also knew how to do it well.
My well oiled machine was achieved!
Morning Meeting
Holding a morning meeting is an
important part of your classroom culture. Starting each day as a community,
interacting positively with one another is a great way to start off the day on
the right foot, for students and for the teacher! There are many different
activities you can incorporate into your morning meeting. Be creative and add
activities that feel right for you and for your kids. Some ideas include:
Class Pledge- Write a pledge that speaks to
the core values you want at work in your class. An example is "I pledge
allegiance to my class, that I will try my best, to make good choices and try
real hard to be responsible like the rest. I care about the others here and I
care about me. I want school to be a special place where I learn and want to
be!"
Greetings-
One year I taught my students to greet one another using both Spanish and
American Sign Language. Students would pair off and say/sign "Good
morning, how are you?" The student would respond with "Good morning,
I am (happy, mad, tired, sick...). How are you?" The kids loved the
bilingual challenge!
Circle of Friends-
Ask your students to sit in a circle either on the floor or in chairs. Pose a
question such as "How will you be successful today?" or pose a
challenge such as "Compliment the person next to you on something nice
they did yesterday" and have each student respond. Emphasize active
listening skills and use a talking stick if needed.
Problem Solving Box-
Set up a box in the classroom with problem sheets that students can fill out
indicating the following: I have a problem with... It is a problem because... I
have tried to solve it by.... Each morning pull out one problem sheet and read
it to the class. Allow the kids to generate possible solutions to the problem.
The person who wrote the sheet can remain anonymous or they can identify
themselves. Either way, the child with the problem will leave the circle with
many new ideas to try!
Minute to Win It-
Put kids into pairs and give them a 60 second challenge to complete together.
Use riddles, math problems, rebus puzzles or have them complete a physical or
building task like on the tv show. Allow the students to be noisy and have fun
while they build teamwork skills!
Calm Kids are Productive Kids
I think one of the best decisions I
ever made as a teacher was to add meditation to my schedule. I have used the
technique at different times of the day but found that right after recess
really helped kids to recharge and refocus, allowing success for the second
half of the day. The meditation does not have to be long. Even a few minutes of
mindfulness to breath and stillness can calm an active or emotionally labile
child allowing them to make good choices with their behavior and with peer
interaction. Try some of these techniques. I'm sure you will notice a
difference in your students' affect as well as your own!
60 Second Vacation-
Have the kids lay on the floor or relax in their seats. Ask them to close their
eyes and imagine a place where they feel happy, calm and safe. Guide them in
using their senses to explore this place, envisioning themselves doing
something to be focused, calm and successful. After about 60 seconds of quiet
visualization and deep breathing refocus students on the classroom environment
and their job as a student.
A Moment of Stillness-
Have kids relax as above and guide them in taking slow, deep breaths (belly
breaths) filling up their lungs and expanding their abdomen like a balloon on
the in breath, then releasing on the out breath. Once a breathing pattern has been
established, ask the kids to continue breathing, remaining as still as possible
for a minute of meditation. It is helpful to have them imagine sinking into
their chair or melting into the floor. When time is up ask the kids to open
their eyes and focus on your face (or a point in the room), taking one more
cleansing breath.
Breathing Buddies-
Students lay on their back on the floor with a small stuffed animal on their
bellies. This is called their breathing buddy who helps them learn to take
belly breaths as described above. Model for students how to take a belly
breath, saying "On the in breath the belly goes out and on the out breath
the belly goes in." Guide students in taking slow, deep belly breaths for
a few minutes then collect the buddies and get back to work feeling refreshed!
Meditation
for Kids
Being
Kind is Cool!
It is helpful to teach kids the
importance of being kind and caring toward others. I helped my students learn
this valuable lesson by first identifying acts of kindness in literature,
providing roleplay scenarios and by inviting the "Note Fairy" to
visit my classroom (she secretly leaves notes for students who she witnessed
acting kindly toward others). Once the term "Act of Kindness" was
well understood and students were regularly engaging in AoK's I set up an
"Acts of Kindness" Wall where students could note the kindness of
others or post their note from the Note Fairy to celebrate their own success.
Each week a different student was honored on the wall with a brief description
of how he/she went above and beyond in helping our classroom be a kind and
caring environment. Regular celebration of success really helped to motivate
kids to be kind to others and to themselves!
Random
Acts of Kindness
Welcome |
Random Acts of Kindness
Kindness stories, quotes, ideas, classroom resources and more.
Kindness stories, quotes, ideas, classroom resources and more.
Karen LeVasseur is an LCSW and is owner and operator of Calm4Kids Therapy Center, LLC in Bradley Beach, NJ where she offers hypnotherapy, play therapy, EFT, and mindfulness based psychotherapy for clients ages 3 through adult. Karen also has vast experience as a School Counselor, Elementary School Teacher, School Social Worker and School Anti-Bullying Specialist.
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