Finally - Behavior Charts!!

Hello!

How very sad that this blog has been abandoned. There have been so many wonderful things that have gone on over the past few years. But some of the most wonderful things have happened within the past week.

First, we have struggled to get our teachers to use behavior charts for the past few years. Every year we buy the materials to make them, explain how they work, and they get partially made by some and not really utilized. We had one first grade teacher who used hers perfectly, but she did not study Education in the university and so we knew when she graduated, she would seek work elsewhere.

This year, volunteer Reagan Sneed made a chart for each classroom during teacher workshops. She tacked on a few names in each classroom as at that point, we couldn't be sure who would be attending once the school year opened. The roster isn't really complete until late October at our school, unfortunately, with many late registrations. However, it was obvious that teachers were not really using their charts.
So we had a teacher meeting last Friday. We read about behaviorism - Watson, Skinner, and Pavlov. We talked about using stimuli to elecit responses and modify behavior. They each received a table with a key explaining how many points each color is worth. They were asked to write down the number of points each student earns each day for the next three weeks. They would then turn in the tables and we would use the totals to decide who gets to go on the field trip to the educational farm/volunteer house in December, and how many prizes each student gets in the little Christmas store. This exact system was created by Kristine Olson from Dixie State University in 2016.

We normally base points for the Christmas store on attendance, but have always wanted to have a system to incorporate behavior. This is it! We also talked made a schedule at the meeting for parent teacher meetings that would take place individually per classroom during the following week.

Beginning on Monday, everyone got their names up on their behavior charts. By Wednesday, parent-teacher meetings started. At the meetings, teachers explained the system to parents and asked them to reinforce the behavior charts by asking their children what color they ended up on each day. Parents were interested to see which color their child's name was on that same day.

Discussion broke out such as, "In Haiti they whip children which is why they learn better". We spoke about how may children are whipped into paying attention, but is that best for them long term? What are negative effects of using such physical punishment? Do kids who are used to be hit listen well when spoken to in a reasonable tone? They all agreed that kids who get used to getting hit do not listen when spoken to, but take you seriously when you hit them. Therefore, they are desensitized. They often become violent as well.

We talked about the system we are utilizing and how it motivates kids to do well out of a desire to receive a reward, rather than out of fear of a painful punishment. Teachers have often had kids kneel on the ground, used a stick on occasion to hit or threaten, or even kicked them out of class as punishment. We have forbidden all such punishments. Students who get to the red need to visit the principal's office, who will make a decision to call the student's parents, and perhaps give detention on a first offense. We explain the punishment of detention as it is not common in this country or Haiti.

This week we held parent-teacher meetings from pre-school up to 5th grade. Next week we will finish up with 5th through 8th grade. Some parents have surprised us with their willingness to collaborate and pitch in. At these meetings we are forming a parents' committee for each classroom, as the Ministry of Education requires. One father who has students in three different classes, has been very vocal in each meeting that the parents need to work together to support the school in anything it needs. The school benefits their children and they need to give back.

As a group at the teacher meeting on Friday, we prayed for Haiti who is once again in a fragile state. This came up in the parent meetings as well. This same father recently returned from Haiti and said in all his life he has never seen it as unruly as it is now. We have discussed how our efforts for a better future can create positive change in this dark situation and we need to work together to work toward the best future possible.

Thank you for your interest in and/or support of the school. We have many students who still need to be sponsored for this school year. You can read more here. God bless.