Submitted by Rita Burke, Columbus, Ohio
Idea posted May 24, 2004
On the first day of school every year we begin with learning one word, RESPECT! (You guessed it, Aretha Franklin.) If you are being respectful then you are making good choices.
Next we discuss the blues. (I cut out tons of blue eighth notes.) I explain that first there is a warning. If a child chooses to make a poor choice, they will get a blue note on their desk. (No confrontation has to take place. I walk by, lay the note down, and continue teaching.) Receiving a blue note is an automatic loss of recess. (If you lose recess, you will be mighty BLUE wishing you were outside instead of inside with me.) The recess time is spent discussing what happened and how we can correct it. If a child continues, they receive two blue notes and a call home which they have to make. Now all I have to do is pull out the blue notes and hold them when things get rough. I hear, "Oh no! The blue notes!" and then SILENCE!
For positive behavior, I have a huge bulletin board, and I award BRAVO certificates to one student per class. The whole class can be awesome, and then I award the classroom teacher the BRAVO. The class with the most BRAVOS will be awarded a party of some sort. Each time a teacher gets a BRAVO, the class gets to end music class with their favorite song. (At my school it is "The Cha Cha Slide.")
The student who receives a BRAVO gets a miniature BRAVO put on the bulletin board. Once the kids start getting singled out for good behavior and participation, they can receive another BRAVO. Most of the time this works. Usually I only have to say, "Looking for music BRAVO" or pull out a blue note. It is amazing the students who do work harder with that reminder.
As for negative voice explosions from children, each time a child says or gestures a negative towards someone, they have to say or write five positive things about that person.