Breaking Bad Habits

Every now and then I like to take a look at articles which cover potential questions a teacher may encounter during a job interview. It gives me an opportunity to think about where I am at right now and how I might begin to formulate the answers to certain common questions as I move along in my education.
One of the questions that often show up in the articles is variations of the question “What is your behavior management plan?” I’ve mentioned, probably several times, that I often think about, stress, and otherwise try to prepare myself for managing a classroom full of children. I’ve picked up lots of good ideas as I’ve read more and more about this topic but I have also learned that there is no one size fits all approach to managing the classroom and child behavior.
This combined with my impending child and educational psychology classes has had me thinking about how to create a strong classroom community. I have decided that at this point, I am starting to build a foundation for my teaching philosophy which also happens to be the base layer for how I plan on managing my classroom someday. This most basic level is building an accepting, functional, tight knit classroom community. I really want my classroom to be a place where students enjoy coming to. I want it to be a place where each person feels that they contribute something valuable and that they feel respected and valued. I have been a member of a classroom community where I did not feel safe and comfortable before and it has stuck with me for many years. I never want any one of my students to feel out of place or afraid. I don’t have an complete behavior management plan yet, as it is much too early, but I know for sure that the first step in avoiding problems that require behavior intervention is to achieve an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable.
That being said, I have been reading about the psychological effect of our words and how the way in which we phrase something can have a strong impact psychologically. This is something I have learned about before but it is also one of those things that I often don’t think about on a daily basis. At some point we fall into habits which are hard to break.
As part of preparing myself for the responsibility of working with impressionable children, and also as a bit of a New Years resolution for myself, I have decided to really make a habit of thinking about how I phrase things. Some important points I need to remember are:

1. Stating the positive side, rather than the negative of a statement. Instead of saying “I don’t want…” I would state what I do want. Instead of saying what I don’t like, I should say what I do like. My hope is that it will turn into a habit to always state the positive angle of my point. As a teacher I think it will help to make my guidance appear as a new way of doing something or a different approach rather than a critique of what a student has done or a statement of wrong doing.

2. Spend more time complimenting good qualities rather than pointing out undesirable ones. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s a lot easier to voice one’s opinion about something that upsets us than to randomly compliment something we like about another person. It’s really not a good way to go through life, but another one of those habits we pick up. I think that as a teacher, this is a good behavior to model so that students will learn the positive effects of boosting another’s self esteem by focusing on their best qualities.

Paper Work is Easy, Kids are...Complex

My next few semesters consist of some child psychology and education philosophy courses. I’m really looking forward to the child psychology, I think I need to spend some time focusing on behavioral cues of children and how to warrant their respect and attention.
I have probably mentioned before that I really don’t get to spend a lot of time around children. This is a large source of anxiety to me considering that every day is going to be spent managing a large group of children, by myself, in less than two years!
The holidays are a time when I get to practice on my all of my cousins’ kids. I observe, try to engage them in conversation about what they are learning and think of creative ways to get involved in their activities. But who am I kidding really- they probably think I am a major dork. They are on vacation and there are presents and cookies involved so the last thing they want to do is talk to some “old woman” about school stuff. I’m afraid I just don’t have one of those “everything comes natural” personalities around kids. Is this something that will develop with experience? I’m kinda hoping so.
Teaching, I realize, involves quick wits and thinking on your feet. I think that it's in large part important to dealing with the unpredictable nature of children as much as it is a part of the profession in general. It’s strange that the top complaints of most teachers are the administration and the loads of paperwork- but that doesn’t scare me (probably because I have spent the last 12 years in the corporate world- politics and paperwork are, unfortunately, part of my daily life.) What scares me is the thought of a bunch of little people discovering my weakness and then walking all over me. Please, someone, validate this as normal pre-teacher anxiety!
Since I am a very cerebral type of person, I hope that studying child psychology will inevitable help me gain some confidence in this area, although I think my senior year of immersion in the field will be my best chance at developing a sense of comfort with this.
Does anyone have any great tips to share on how to earn the respect and attentiveness of a class? Some of the good pieces of advice people have already offered me are:
1. When trying to get a child to follow your lead- offer two options so that the child will feel like he/she has control over a situation, yet still the comfort of structure.
2. Show respect by not embarrassing a child in front of his/her peers
3. Allow children to talk about their emotions and explain their reasons before determining an appropriate punishment.
4. Show humility- admit that you make mistakes and be willing to laugh about them.
I have held these pieces of insight in the back of my mind because I think they make a lot of sense and will be valuable things to use when I am faced with challenging situations in the classroom.
What do you do when you have a child that just refuses to listen? I have a friend whose daughter is like that. She is completely strong willed and I sometimes wonder if she ignores adults because she is testing them or if she just completely tunes us out and is in her own zone. There have been some occasions where I was able to get her attention by casually saying that we wouldn’t be doing something she was looking forward to that day if she didn’t listen now. I really don’t like using this technique because to me it feels like blackmail, but psychologists and other experts say that the system of reward/ punishment is not blackmail and is a completely appropriate technique to use with children. During my observation hours I witnessed the use of this technique a lot and I often hear or read about teachers using this. I have to say, with my friend’s daughter it worked. It seems to me that if you begin to rely too much on something like this, the rewards/ punishments will have more control over the classroom than the teacher does. There has to be a more empowering way than the fear of losing or the hope of gain that works just as well. I hope to find answers to these questions in my class…

Tools for Managing Attention Disorders

A while back I saw a news story about teachers who are using balance balls in class for students with ADD and ADHD, autism and other attention related problems. My initial thought was that it's a great idea in theory, but I wondered how distracting it would be for other students. I imagined the children fighting over who would get a turn on the giant inflatable ball and the jealously and outbursts that might occur over having this in the classroom. I also considered the potential liability, after all rolling off one of those onto a hard floor or against a desk leg could pose a problem- you know, broken noses, limbs, cracked teeth, ect.
I use a similar therapy tool for my back problems. Its a balance disk, which can be used as a seat cushion with the same benefits of the larger ball, and is much more discreet and transportable. While searching online for a picture to show a friend what I was using for my back problem I found several reviews by teachers who said they use these disks in class for students with attention problems, instead of the balance ball, for all the reasons I described above.
The teachers writing the reviews say that the balance disk help students stay on task and are much less distracting to other students. From all I have read, this seems to be a valuable tool to keep in the classroom.
I am intrigued by some of the creative ideas that are used by teachers to solve difficult problems in the classroom. Despite all my training in massage therapy, I don't know that I would have ever made the connection to utilize this therapy tool in the classroom, but it completely makes sense!
Have any of you used the balance disk, ball or a similar item to help students with attention problems? Have you found that it helps students focus or that it just becomes another distraction? What other suggestions do you have for working with attention problems?

A Place in the Tribe

I am currently in a literature course which is a study of various pieces of literature by or about Native Americans. I have always had a deep curiosity in the cultures of Native American people, and I think that most elementary age children also find learning about those cultures interesting.
While reading some of the material for the class, I started to really focus on the traditional/ historical descriptions of the tribe community. I think there is a lot that can be learned from it, such as the idea of having a purpose, or responsibility within the community. An example is evident in the following quote from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes

“Crazy Heart was a shirt-wearer, which was a great honor. He wore a yellow-and-blue shirt fringed with locks of human hair. He was listened to in our councils and the people sought his advice on all matters of importance. Good Fox, too, was respected for his wisdom.”

In our own society, respect is dictated by things such as wealth, status and power. In modern day, these forms of respect beget each other. Think about teachers, for instance, who work tirelessly to support children in the learning process so that they may grow up and have opportunity in the world; yet do this for little pay, and little respect within the society in general. I don’t know how many times I have heard people refer to teaching as "easy work", and complain that teachers make "too much money for what they do." Yet someone who is nearly criminal in their business life will make multiple millions of dollars and have unwavering respect.
In historical accounts of Native American tribe cultures, a job was dictated by your natural talents and skills, not your level of education. Respect was always given for your contribution to the community, regardless of job. Status was not about what position you held or what you owned, it came from sharing your wisdom.
Imagine if our own society treated people in this manner, if everyone had an opportunity to contribute based on their abilities and be respected for their contribution. Imagine how uplifting it would be to be honored and respected for the wisdom you could offer, even if that wisdom came from street smarts rather than an Ivy League education, or higher education.
We may not be able to change the way the world operates, but at least teachers have the opportunity to create a more welcoming community within their own classroom. This reminds me that every child has something to contribute to the classroom community and I think it’s important to find the good aspects of behavior and build its strength, rather than focusing on the negative end and treating it as a problem- this could be an approach to behavior management. For instance, if there is a child who is constantly disrupting class by talking or passing notes, this child could be recognized as a natural communicator (something that may be a disruption at times in school, but is actually a great attribute in the "real world") and given the job of reading class announcements, writing things on the board, delivering messages, or other things that utilize the skill of communication. There might be other students who would shy away from some of those classroom jobs because their talents lie elsewhere.
Since I don’t have any practical experience to apply this to yet, this is just an example off the top of my head. But I would like to remember what I learned from Native American tribe communities- to seek to find a role for everyone based on their strengths and to honor and respect all strengths (even when they appear at first as negative qualities) and help to guide them in a positive direction within the community.

Inspiration is Any Where You Want it to Be

I’ll admit that I am strangely intrigued by ghosts. I watch every supernatural, ghost hunting show I can find. But recently, I found one that has taught me something about teaching- I can and do find educational opportunity in the strangest places!
I was at the library and came across a DVD of a show called Psychic Kids. Basically, the show is about parents who contact a famous psychic/medium and his psychologist associate because their child claims to be seeing ghosts or having some experiences of a paranormal nature that has been affecting every part of their life and their family’s life and they don’t know where else to turn for help.
Each show takes three families who are in a somewhat geographically similar area, and has them meet at a central location, which also happens to be a “paranormally active” location, for a weekend retreat. The psychologist works with the parents and the kids to help sort out their frustrations and fears and the psychic helps the kids learn how to deal with their sixth sense and confront their fears. All the while, the children are encouraged to form a bond so that they can develop relationships with other kids their age who understand them, since bullying is often a problem for these children among their peers.
I used to think that being a parent instanty made you a good teacher, something that concerned me because I am not yet a parent. But when I watch the parents in this show, confused about what their child is experiencing, frustrated about their inability to “make it better” and desperate for any help they can get, I realize that being a parent and being a teacher are two different things. While they may contribute to some areas of the other, they are essentially different entities.
In this show, the psychic (who can be compared to a teacher) has the unique challenge of setting the children free to explore their sixth sense (new knowledge) in an environment which provides them ample opportunity to interact with their psychic ability (the classroom). The children (students) sometimes let their fear and anxieties take over and they become terrified and want to run (refusal to learn, behavior management problems). The psychic (like the teacher) realizes that the parents, being emotionally attached, may comfort the child rather than give them the push they need to confront their fears and anxieties and move past them and that he/she needs to take on a stricter role which empowers the child rather than removes responsibility.
But most important of all is validation. On the show, once the child moves through their fear, the psychic validates that fear but express pride in their ability to move past it and builds their confidence by focusing on their accomplishment of moving past the fear (reward through positive reinforcement). He always does this with the parents present, which makes the child feel more validated and more confident (having the student present for parent-teacher conferences).
So in a nutshell, what I learned is that as a teacher, I need to remain somewhat emotionally detached so that I can do the difficult job of being tough enough to challenge students to move past their fears and discover their potential. After they complete the challenging task, I need to validate the original fear and follow it up with recognition of accomplishment to make the child realize that some things in life will require that we push ourselves further than we think we can go, but that the rewards are lasting and worthwhile.
I also learned a little something about dealing with parents. On one of the episodes, the parent of one of these children held very strong religious beliefs that conflicted with what the psychic does and caused him serious concerns over whether he could help the child the only way he knows how with out disrespecting her mother’s beliefs. It reminded me that I will likely face parents of different belief systems than myself. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to be the more flexible person, the more open minded person. I have to be prepared to work within the comfort zones of those parents whose cultural beliefs may differ from mine, regardless of what my personal feeling is about that, my professional responsibility is to educate myself on their beliefs and teach that child within those beliefs to the best of my ability.
So there you have it! I have turned my guilty pleasure of watching ghost stories into a rich, educational experience. I no longer have to feel bad about indulging in it (when I probably should be working on homework instead!)

Holistic Element 4: The Art of Mood Manipulation Through Sound

I have been thinking a lot about sounds in the classroom because I have been exposed to mixed views about it. In several books I’ve read, and some blogs, teachers talk about how they play classical music, or relaxation music, in the background of certain classroom activities. Others use active and uplifting music to wake up an under stimulated group. Both these ideas appealed to me.
I remembered how, back in my therapist days, I would very carefully choose the music I would use depending on what type of therapy I was conducting, and/ or the specific client I was seeing. The rhythm and sounds of certain music had a profound effect on the outcome of the session. Some people needed certain music to achieve a level of comfort and relaxation, such as a soft acoustic guitar, Native American flutes or a harpsichord. Sometimes I needed a certain flow or sequence to carry out a specific therapy and would chose music with appropriate movement and fluctuation to mimic the movements and timing of the technique I was using. Sometimes either my self or the client felt anxious or stressed, and required the steady, rhythmic percussion of tribal drums to center oneself. Choosing the right sound became an art that enhanced the outcome of the therapy.
Now, as I attempt to pull experiences from my former career to see how they might apply in my new one, I wonder if sound can be used in a similar fashion to enhance the learning experience. I myself would probably have a tendency to use the same genre of music that I used during my therapy career since I have studied and experienced how the various sounds and vibrations of the music are supposed to effect the listener. I imagine that understanding this could be a useful tool to have in the ‘teacher’s toolbox” for certain days when you just don’t know what else to do to help calm children and get them to focus; or alternatively, how to get them to wake up and participate!
All relaxation music is made with a specific purpose in mind. For instance, percussion sounds are earthy and grounding. In therapy, they are used to bring the mind and the body back into harmony, as we have a tendency to become too much in our head. Soft percussion in the background might help with daydreaming students who can’t seem to focus on the lesson, or might also be good for activities during logic based subjects such as math and science.
Native American flutes and string instruments have a lulling effect. In therapy they are used to induce reflectivity, and disconnection from problems associated with the physical realm, the idea being to connect the person with the bigger picture of life. On days when kids are wired and wild, this type of music playing softly in the background might help calm them down and stimulate intellectual thinking. Also, it might be good music to have playing at the very beginning of the day as children enter the classroom, get situated and start working on their beginning activities- as a method of helping them release any problems that they could be bringing with them from home that morning.
There are also many complex scores of music in this genre that consist of many different instruments and sounds, and fluctuate in intensity but maintain a constant flow from song to song. In therapy, this type of music is used to create a sense of unity and cohesion throughout the entire session. It marks a distinct feel of coming full circle, a beginning, middle, and end. In the classroom, this could be useful during a specific activity that can help fuel creativity and provide a constant sensory indicator to help keep the children on task from beginning to end.
Are any of you already using music or sound to enhance learning? If so, I would love to hear how you use it!

Holistic Element 2: Smells That Stimulate Learning

Aromatherapy is a branch of holistic health that studies and practices the effect of smells on our physical and emotional health. This for some reason has been a controversial subject in the healthcare field. I happen to believe that smell does affect mood & functioning for a couple of very practical reasons. 1) Senses tend to trump one another. For example, when I try to read a book and someone has the t.v. abnormally loud, I have a hard time focusing on the visual input of the words from my book because my audio input has taken over control and is dominating all my senses; it makes me very frustrated and irritable. This really can apply to any of the senses- if one is being stimulated at an abnormal level, all of our energy seems focused on that stimulation and it takes conscious effort to neutralize this and direct our focus someplace else. 2) Have you ever eaten something you loved when you were sick, then later, when you are healthy, the smell of that same food makes you feel horribly ill? This is evidence (in my opinion) that smell triggers a memory. For some people, certain smells may be linked psychologically to a traumatic experience, something I experienced with clients as a massage therapist.
With respects to the classroom environment there are a couple applications that I might consider: 1) avoiding scents that may cause distraction or trigger negative response and 2) using subtle smells to trigger a desired response.
Something about smells though that tend to be overlooked is their origin. Most commonly encountered is “fragrance” which is full of man made chemicals. I suppose I would say that I have a tendency to believe that these chemicals are far more harmful that we think. With Autism, ADD and ADHD and learning disabilities on the rise, my thought is that these “fragrances” would fall under the first group of scents mentions, those that may have a negative response or become distracting. This would mean that commercial, scented products should be eliminated from the classroom as much as possible. Imagine the heavy chemicals that are already used to wash the school surfaces! Those we can’t do anything about but we can eliminate any other synthetic scents and even avoid wearing perfumed body products as well.
True Aromatherapy, on the other hand, might be a useful tool for establishing mood. Pure essential aromatherapy oils which are created from a very specific distillation process of plant oils, are subtle (almost undetectible even) and can stimulate certain parts of the brain that increase academic functioning, increase concentration, or calm hyperactivity. For instance lavender can be both calming and refreshing, sandalwood helps with focus, ylang ylang can ease tension and anger and both rosemary and peppermint bring concentration and mental clarity. What I am not sure of is school policies however aromatherapy is quite subtle and there are very safe means of utilizing it, such as a diffuser fan.
The oil is dropped onto an absorbent pad and a small fan gently blows the aroma out. Unconventional, but it could help to set the mood in the room for learning.

A Holistic Approach to Teaching

So much emphasis is placed on method and classroom management that it didn’t occur to me to view teaching from a holistic perspective. What triggered this train of though was something I read in The New Teacher Toolbox : Proven Tips and Strategies for a Great First Year by Scott M. Mandel (which incidentally is an excellent book- well organized, with simple tips and strategies that can easily be integrated into your own personal style of teaching.) It was a section about grading papers using red ink pens and the negative association we have, as a society, for certain colors and symbols. Also, the cultural considerations regarding colors and symbols, which need to be considered as classrooms become more culturally diverse. This information added an entirely new layer of considerations to be made when creating a classroom community.
From a previous career of mine in massage therapy, I have a tendency to consider the many unobvious forces which have an effect on people. Put aside for the moment those we can not alter too much such as the constant bombardment of invisible electrical stimulation from our wireless world, or the toxic fumes that have permeated the air we breath (those things have to have some effect on our physiological functioning, and concentration!) There are those that we can control in the classroom environment though. After a bit of contemplation, I realize that the same considerations I made when manufacturing an environment conducive to physical and emotional healing with massage and bodywork can also be the foundation for creating an environment conducive to learning- the five elements of a holistic classroom:

1. Arrangement of elements in the environment (Feng Shui)
2. Smells (Aromatherapy)
3. Light & Color (Aura)
4. Sound (Vibration)
5. Tone (Emotional Atmosphere)

I think the ultimate goal of most teachers each year is to have a classroom full of engaged students, who are happy to be a part of the community and eager to participate and learn. I hear teachers constantly looking within themselves wondering if they have done all they can to create this environment- “Are the lessons interesting and engaging?, Do I have the necessary materials?, Do I have the appropriate knowledge? Have I planned carefully? Do I model the behaviors I expect? Do the students respect me?” But sometimes there are other elements that are not obvious and not considered that effect the way a person feels. I want to explore this topic a bit more. I already know from previous experience that the application of these elements is more extensive than you would think, so I have decided to write a separate in-depth post about each element- a holistic classroom series.

Getting a Grip

I’ve been thinking a lot about the little ones I worked with for my observation hours. I really miss the time in the classroom. What is sticking with me at the moment, however, are some particular moments with specific children. I guess the reason is because I have been catching up with some reading and one of the blogs I read has some very enlightening stories about a new teacher’s first year on the job. I love it because it really paints a picture of what that first year is like, without sugar coating and without over dramatizing. Plus, the writer offers several lessons learned which are good to take note of.
Since discipline, structure and respect have been on my mind a lot, I keep thinking about a particular incidence that occurred when I was doing my observation. This was between me and one of the children with a behavioral disability. This particular child was set to be moving into a LRE for fall. On the surface he seemed like a great kid, and he is extremely bright, but when something triggered him he was out of control with anger. We had a particular problem with him on the playground, where he would often start fights (particularly with smaller and more vulnerable children), he would run away, throw things, and act out in several different dramatic ways. We managed the playground by each taking a post on one side so that we could keep count of the children in our class, know where each was and keep an eye on what they were up to. This child happened to have a meltdown in my area and I had to deal with the situation.
As a student early in my career, and not trained in dealing with ED, I felt very uncomfortable with the task of confronting this child, but in the moment, I had no choice. Even more uncomfortable was the fact that there were other teachers standing nearby watching my interaction. Talk about pressure to do the right thing! At first the child would not listen to me. I felt as if I was telling a brick wall what to do. Then it finally hit me that asking politely doesn’t work the same way with children as it does with adults, and definitely not with children who have a dysfunction in their processing of emotions. So I told him he has a choice to make, he can either do what I asked him or go inside and not be able to watch the Magic School Bus (which was that day’s reward for positive behavior.) Then I stepped back and said the choice is yours, I hope you make a good choice. He proceeded to do what I ask, but not before he screamed “I hate you” and then ran off in a mad fury, pushing down a small child on his way, at which point I yelled for the TA to catch him when he ran by. I felt like I took one step forward, then two giant steps back. His behavior problems escalated that day, and the days surrounding that one were just as bad. He had been showing up to school in a certain form and getting worse as the day went on. We finally figured that something must be going on at home that triggered him before he even got to school. None the less, I felt like a failure. I didn't know how to handle the situation myself.
Lately though, I wonder how much of this problem is the ED, or how much of it is typical problems that I will encounter with kids. It’s easy to think that this boy was different, but maybe he isn’t as different as I think. Just because he had the ED label placed upon him doesn’t mean there aren’t other kids just like that who don’t have that label but do have the problems addressing their emotional needs the same way he does. Plus, when I consider that this child was being moved into an inclusive classroom, I realize that he has now become part of the mainstream and those problems will not be dealt with by someone with specialized training in behavioral disorders, but are now the responsibility of the general education teacher.
The big question hangs in my mind, how does one prepare themselves for dealing with difficult children? I don’t think positive re-enforcement is enough for this child. I’m not sure what will be most effective. I kind of wish I could observe him for a while longer and see how he reacts to his new environment. I wonder if it will be better for him or if it will be a trigger? There are so many questions floating in my head as I think about his journey into the second grade. I really wish I could be there to learn some more from him. I can’t even express the lasting impression all those children have had on me.