The
policies and procedures that have been put in place in our classroom were all
created with one thing in mind - learning. In order for learning to take
place, it is necessary that all students are following the rules and practicing
the procedures that have been taught since the first day of school.
Our behavior policy is based on a color
system that rewards children for making good choices and disciplines those
making not so good choices. All children begin on green, which stands for "ready to learn."
Making good choices can move them up to teal
meaning “good day” then to blue meaning
"great day" or even further to purple
which labels their day as "outstanding." Breaking a rule will move a
child down to yellow, which is their one and
only warning and we instruct them to slow down. Another infraction
results to orange where the child will be
moved to the reflection chair to think about his/her actions. Red is the very bottom of the chart, which will result
in contacting a parent and possibly being sent home. The Academy of Hope
practices a ZERO TOLERANCE policy when it comes to behavior.
Walking
in the hallways is another important procedure that we practice every
day. The students should be walking in a single file line down the right
side of the hall. They should have their hands behind their back and a
"bubble" in their mouth. The "bubble" (puffing out
the cheeks) is a tactic that prevents one from talking.
We
have many classroom incentives for following the rules and making good
choices. If a student ends their day on purple they can choose an
incentive card that they can redeem on a day of their choice such as, learning
with their shoes off, switching seats with a classmate, bringing something for
show & tell, etc.
The
children also sit at a table with three to four other classmates. As we
transition between activities each tables knows what is expected of them as a
group. They must clean up quickly and quietly and be sitting in "star"
position as they wait for the next instruction. "Star" position
is sitting on their bottom, straight up with arms flat on the table and hands
clasped together as though they're making a star. Groups can also get
points by showing good teamwork and working quietly together during activities
and lessons. The first table to reach 10 points receives an incentive
card of their choice.
Our
classroom also has what we refer to as a "compliment chain."
The class receives links to a chain for walking through the halls as expected
and behaving appropriately anywhere on school grounds. When other
teachers or staff members give them a compliment they receive a link to the
chain. When they have received 20 links they will be able to choose
between an ice cream party or a pizza party.
