Celebrations
This coming Wednesday we will have a Writing Celebration! Students have been working hard to finish publishing their Small Moment Personal Narratives. Families are welcome to come in to read our stories on Wednesday morning from 7:55-8:15 (we have music at 8:20).
Yesterday, we had a class celebration to honor filling our class bucket. We put drops in the bucket each time we work together, show respect and caring for one another, listen to each other and follow our agreed upon expectations for how to be a community that adheres to our school slogan. This can be a difficult endeavor at any age so I am grateful when I come across articles that resonate for me as an educator. Recently, I read an article by the great Alfie Cohen (Beyond Discipline). In the article, he talks about the long road to teaching and learning behavior and group norms. There were many good reminders for me about avoiding shortcuts in the hard work of social and emotional teaching and learning.
"Working with people to help them do a job better, learn more effectively, or acquire good values takes time, thought, effort and courage. Doing things to people, such as offering them a reward, is relatively undemanding for the rewarder, which may help to explain why carrots and sticks remain stubbornly popular despite decades of research demonstrating their failure."
Our celebration was not intended as a carrot to convince students to care for one another. It was a time to honor the hard work we do to include and support each other. We worked on our neighborhood wall map, had choice time, and watched some Planet Earth.
Building community "takes time, thought, effort and courage" but in this day and age, it seems like one of the most important endeavors we engage in.
