AllStudentsLearn.com
Resources for Bilingual and ESOL Teachers
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Classroom
    • My Classroom Library >
      • Setting Up
      • Using the Library
      • Buy Now!
  • Character Education
    • Skits
    • Songs
  • I Speak English

Owning 100 Percent

5/1/2013

0 Comments

 
Inspiration comes at odd times and from surprising places.  Sometimes it sneaks upon you and other times it hits like a ton of bricks.  For me it all started after spring break....April was a busy month.  Testing has been in full-swing and the pressure is on to get everything done before the end of the school year.  Unfortunately, to add to my stress, my students have not been behaving in a respectful way.  I tried being nice, then I tried being mean--and finally...just when I felt myself ready to snap, I read a passage from The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy that changed my thinking entirely.

In his book, Hardy writes that even small changes to your routine or your thinking can have a huge impact on the future outcomes.  In chapter 2 of his book, where he writes about choices, he says:
          If I always took 100 percent responsibility for everything I experienced-- 
          completely owning all of my choices and all the ways I responded to whatever 
          happened to me--I held the power.  Everything was up to me.  I was 
          responsible for everything I did, didn't do, or how I responded to what was 
          done to me.

This was what I needed to hear to snap me out of my funk!  I was playing the victim. 
I was frustrated with my class and was blaming them for their poor behavior....and yet, deep down, I knew that I was at least partly to blame--Had I been consistent?  Had I followed through with consequences?  Was I being a good model of positive behavior?

I decided right then that I was going to change the way I responded to my class.  I would give them 100% even if they gave me nothing in return.  As I reflected on the past month, I realized that I had been focusing on their negative behaviors instead of the positive.  I had been telling the kids everything they were doing wrong and I was forgetting to tell them what they were doing right!!

So yesterday I walked into my classroom with a new jump in my step.  I bought a roll of blue tickets (and called them Caught-ya Cards) and some small prizes for my new prize drawers. For the whole day I was going to catch my students doing the right thing!  

When students walked in the door, I shared my plan with them.  I apologized for finding all their faults; I intrigued them with my prize drawers; I complimented them on their wonderful behavior.  And do you know what happened?

We had the BEST day!!  Kids and Teacher were happy!  We worked together in a way that I knew we could but hadn't seen in a while.  The power of taking responsibility for my own actions and using positive reinforcement to engage my students changed the energy in my classroom almost instantly.  

Today will be another new day.  I look forward to seeing my students this morning and continuing what we started yesterday.  Although April seemed to be the month that would never end, May looks bright and sunny.  I will give 100%!



--Thank you for following my blog.  I apologize for the inconsistent postings.  As I get better at blogging and creating a schedule for myself, I hope to improve the consistency of my writing!  Thanks for hanging with me!!
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Stephanie Griffith 
    3rd-4th grade
    Oregon  


    This is a blog about teaching, education and life. Come join me in the conversation! 

    Archives

    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Camp Stepping Stones
    Change Is Good
    Classdojo A Gogo
    Classroom Funnies
    Clean House
    Dead Cat
    Dream Teams
    Fifth Grade Drama
    Goal Setting Challenge
    Good Mornings
    Happiness Project
    Homework Museum
    Homework Plan
    Homework Plan 2
    Life In Perspective
    Outer Order Inner Calm
    Owning 100 Percent
    Pioneer Hats
    Rows For The Lady
    Sing With Me
    Spring Conferences
    State Testing
    Sticky Note Lists
    Summer Wrap Up
    Thank The Presidents
    The Adventure Begins
    Time Change
    Valentine Paint
    We All Need Air
    Website Updates
    Weekend Warrior
    Welcome Back

    RSS Feed

AllStudentsLearn.com                                  Contact me by Email

Home
About Me
Store
Blog
Classroom
My Library

Character Education
I Speak English


Submit