Helping Kids Navigate their World
The pandemic changed our kids’ world. We were fortunate to have kids out of the building only for a few short months in 2020. However, it has been documented that there was disruption in social development of all children. Furthermore, we know that families are different and kids’ experiences were and are not all the same.
Here is how we are trying to help kids:
- Increased time for our guidance counselor, Mrs. Ocker, to three days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
- Time for helping individuals
- Guidance classes for students once a week focused on:
- Conflict management
- Identifying feelings of self and others
- Acceptable and unacceptable behaviors
- Staff adopting a common language to talk to kids about behavior:
- Grades 4K, 5K, 1: Students begin to learn that “red” and “green” choices are tied into accepted and unaccepted behaviors. A green choice is a positive behavior and a red choice is a negative behavior.
- Staff avoids using “good” or “bad” because we have experienced kids internalizing these words, thinking they themselves are bad. Staff communicates “red” and “green” to focus on the behavior, not the child.
- Grades 2-3-4: Students expand on learning about red and green choices and also to identify different feelings. Staff begins to transition into “above the line” and “below the line” with 4th grade.
- Grades 5-6-7-8: Students continue to learn about behavior and identifying feelings. Staff uses “above the line” and “below the line” when addressing behaviors.
- Grades 4K, 5K, 1: Students begin to learn that “red” and “green” choices are tied into accepted and unaccepted behaviors. A green choice is a positive behavior and a red choice is a negative behavior.
Staff continues to learn and improve their practice in helping kids identify their feelings and how to communicate with others. Teachers meet each month to learn more about how to help kids. It is a “work in progress” for staff as much as it is for kids.