We have spent a good deal of our Thursday conversations talking about where behaviors come from, the purpose they serve, how our experiences play a role in our choices, and last week we talked about the relevancy of antecedent events. This week we need to spend a little bit of time talking about the difference between organic and acquired behavioral problems.
Over the past several weeks we have been discussing what a behavior is and where behaviors come from. We have even talked a little about the difficulties of recording and measuring and reporting behavioral incidents. Now let’s start talking about the elements that will help us change behaviors. To begin this discussion we have to start with the focal point of behavior change – the function the behavior serves.
I just closed my eyes and now it is time to start all over again. The morning shower is about the only time I am going to have today with a little silence. That moment of peace is my chance to brace for the day. The problem is that in my moment of peace I can’t take my mind off of my kids who are struggling. I can’t stop thinking about the things I should have done to make learning a little easier.
There is a lot of discussion on the news and online, in schools and homes across the country about whether or not having a robust and even mandatory pre-k program in our schools is necessary. There are all kinds of statistics pointing to the advantages of pre-k. For example, the “Chicago Longitudinal Study” found that pre-k recipients were 29% more likely to graduate from high school than their peers who did not attend pre-k. The “State Efforts to Evaluate the Effects of Pre-Kindergarten” study out of Yale found that pre-k attendees were 44% less likely to repeat grades than their peers who did not attend pre-k.
The ongoing debate over the need for pre-k tends to take a “baby and the bathwater” tone which has proponents on one side saying it should be universal and even mandated with opponents on the other side saying it is basically glorified babysitting and tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere. As is the case in most of these situations, the truth lies in the middle and not the fringes of the argument. Can Pre-K benefit kids? Absolutely, the data is very clear. Should every kid be mandated into a Pre-K program? No. Many families are doing a great job preparing their kids for school and have access to resources where socialization and learning are taking place.
Do you remember your first day of school? It has been nearly 40 years for me, but I still remember my mom walking me to school on my first day of kindergarten in Hobbs, New Mexico. I remember her holding my hand tightly as we crossed the street. I remember her telling me that it was going to be great and that I was going to learn so much. I remember walking across the schoolyard playground where I had spent many afternoons, but somehow it was different today. I remember opening the school door and smelling the remnants of the school breakfast coupled with the smell of cleaners. The hallway floors were brighter that morning than they would be for the next 9 months. I remember mom walking me to my classroom and helping me find my desk.
There aren’t many jobs that can match that of an educator for sheer workload. Whether an administrator, teacher, clinician, or support staff – being an educator means you are going to have an extremely hectic day, and tomorrow it will always start all over again. Educators do not have the luxury of completing a task and then stopping, resting and basking in the glory of a job well done. For an educator, when a task is complete you move directly on to the next one, because there is about to be a room full of students sitting and staring at you– waiting to hear and see what is next.
Classroom behaviors are like a snowball. In the beginning they will likely start off as something small. There will be a student who talks when he shouldn’t. There will be a student who acts mad and defiant when told to do something. Soon there will be a student who argues with his teacher. Next, there will be students arguing with each other. Before you know it, the classroom has descended into a downhill roll and the snowball is gaining steam– getting larger each passing week.
Competency, in its simplest form, means suitability.
In its most aggressive form it means to do something successfully and efficiently. These are important words and even more important distinctions. There is a lot of buzz out there about Social Emotional Learning (SEL). There is equal buzz centered on behavioral programming such as drop-out prevention, school safety, and anti-bullying. While we can all agree that it is certainly suitable for our students to develop social and emotional maturity, to stay in school until graduation, to learn in a safe environment, and to do so free from being harassment– how successful and efficient have we been?
27 years ago my family adopted my youngest sister. She came to us 3 weeks before I left for college. I will never forget the day that mom and dad drove home from picking her up. My whole family was there to greet her. Mema and Papa and all of the aunts and uncles welcomed her into our family just as if she had been born into it. From the first moment I saw her and held her I knew she was my sister, and immediately I forged a bond with her that stands strong to this day. We are both parents now and her little boy stays with me and my family every Saturday night, and he is one of my most beloved family members.
Do you dread the moments after the bell rings and you know you are going to have to calm down a room full of kids? Whether teaching secondary and the kids are coming in from a frantic rush down hormone-laden halls trying to get into the room on time– or teaching elementary where you will have them all day so they are squeezing the last bit of freedom from the day before you make them stop – calming them down is hard.
Why is it harder to calm one student down than to calm down an entire class? Why does it seem there is a butting of heads and a clash of wills more in a one-on-one situation than when telling the entire group to sit down and pay attention?
The day a baby is born is one of the happiest days of most people’s lives. Months of anticipation and hope coupled with hours of fear and pain culminates in the arrival of a precious baby. This tiny human is a Tabula Rasa, clean slate. In this child rests the future for mom and dad. This child is guiltless and unencumbered with pride or envy or anger. This child is wholly dependent on its parents yet it is a living breathing sentient being. This child represents every opportunity and dream that life offers.
When Dorothy was told to “follow the yellow brick road” it was a very intentional set of instructions. Sure it was also a good excuse for another goofy song sung by the munchkins, but it was told to her in order to get her to the wizard. It was also to keep her safe from the dangers of the woods – “lions & tigers & bears – oh my!” That yellow brick road was there to guide her and get her where she needed to be, and to keep her away from the places she shouldn’t be. The yellow brick road that L. Frank Baum prescribed to Dorothy was his metaphor for Dorothy’s instructions for life. It was her second chance, because before she flew over that rainbow she hadn’t done a very good job of staying on the road prescribed by her Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. Remember before the tornado came Dorothy was stealing away with Toto trying to avoid Mrs. Gulch and her vengeful intent on Toto.
Social and emotional skills are common sense skills and common sense isn’t always common. It needs to be taught, both at home and in schools.
There are times when I am working and I need an emotional lift. I need to laugh or smile or just to see or hear something that makes me feel good. Have you ever been there? Sitting at your desk or driving in your car and you just want something or someone to make you smile?
Who are the students in your class that need to be heard? Who is trying not to be noticed but wishes with every fiber of their being they were worthy of being noticed? What child or adolescent or teen is in your life but if they weren’t you wouldn’t really notice? Take a few moments now to notice them.
Poliomyelitis is a disease that held a reign of terror over this nation for many years. An American president was crippled by polio. The original March of Dimes was organized to combat this terrible affliction and to help care for its victims. And if you were born before 1955, you likely recall the fear created by the presence of this horrible disease that crippled thousands of once active, healthy children. Or perhaps you remember the images of children in iron lungs.
One of the real issues facing schools today is the readiness of kids to begin. Are little ones ready for Kindergarten? If not, is Pre-K the answer? What should the focus of Pre-K be? Is it academic readiness or is it social preparation?
Over the last several weeks we have spent a lot of time describing and defining behaviors. After all, our words and appearance and behaviors define us. People cannot see our intent nor can they hear what we are thinking. They can only see the things we do, hear the things we say, and observe the way we act.