focus on the positive

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Home : 2004 : August : 10

focus on the positive
By Kelly

Personally I avoid any management plan that focus on the negative. It is to hard as someone else pointed out to know whether or not Joan is talking because she does not understand or if she is just being chatty. My approach
is to highlight the positive. If Joan is talking then I congradulate someone in her general vincinity for remaining quite and showing good listening skills or maybe for raising their harnd when they needed help. If Joan takes no notice of this then bring the praise closer in proximity to her. She will ge the message. By using positive language you are sending a caring message and

giving positive attention. I find that kids who are really looking for attention don't care whether it is positive or negative so I get them hooked on the positive. Take the kids who really drive you that you are more likely to chide on a frequent basis and praise them at every opportunity. It is remarkable to see how fast they become hooked to the positive attention and really want to please you. I personally ban negatives in my class. I do not say no or don't etc. I redirect when necessary or praise in proximity. I suggest reading an awesome book called: Managing Challenging Children I hate the title but love the book. It is really about managing all children and just accepting their differences in upbringing and personality etc. It really changed my experiences in the classroom. I am not saying I don't discipline. I do but they know that if I have to say their name because they are acting in an unacceptable manner then they have gone way to far. This is where the consistency really matters. If I had to say their name then they own me recess time because they have interfered with the learning of others in the class. It is a given. I do not need to say it I typically do not need to say more then the childs name. As a reminder I will work my way over to the student while I continue with the lesson and quietly remind them that they own me some time. Then we talk about why they are there and they show me how much work they got done. Depending on the amount of completed work done they may need to give me time to work on it or they may need to apologize and move on.