The Behavior Management Post and a FREEBIE!!

Hi guys!

The way I do behavior management.

I must confess. I am a radical. I don’t reward with candy or food. I don’t have a classroom economy system. I don’t have a treasure box. I don’t believe in prizes.

Why?

I firmly believe that children should behave and be responsible because THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I believe in teaching children to be kind and have a purpose in life. I believe in celebrating the little things my little friends do and say each day. I believe in the power of positive words and teaching each child to love him/herself. I believe in heartfelt hugs and sincere high fives. I believe in teaching them to reflect on their own actions and that with each decision there is a consequence. I TRULY believe!

Like many other teachers I have one of these ones:

But I don’t do stickers, or ‘’”bucks”, or anything like that. Instead I have a classroom bucket…not individual buckets. See, we are still bucket fillers… but we fill the classroom bucket {or jar} because I like to think of my students as valuable members of our classroom community. And I work REALLY hard at the meaning behind the word “valuable.” Every time we fill our classroom bucket, we celebrate. And my sweet firsties vote for the celebration of their choice, like eating lunch in the classroom while watching a Magic School Bus clip. So easy, so valuable! And they know that together they have earned every single celebration. So precious.

Yes, my students are 7 years old. But they understand that I LOVE them deeply and that I expect nothing but their personal best. Every. Single. Day

Most {or probably all} of the teachers I work with have some sort of reward system. So it got me thinking…should I change the way I implement behavior management strategies? So, I bought this book:

And I am reading it to see what Mr. Marzano says. So far he has given me tons of input on “hard cases.” But nothing on candy or food. He does speak about tangible rewards, but doesn’t define the word “tangible.” I will keep on reading and make changes according to his research.
I really, really want my classroom to be a “7 Habits” classroom. I also believe in empowering friends!

Click on the picture to get this FREEBIE from my TpT store!!! Recipe for success to start the school year in a yummy way!! This is a great activity to do on the very first day of school!!!