Take 5 Calming Breathing Technique

A technique that I often use with students when they are upset and need assistance with calming down is the Take 5 Calming Breathing Technique.  Here is an a example of this technique: Take 5 Calming Breathing Technique.

It's important to teach this technique and to practice it with students while they are calm so that it will become second nature for them and easier to do when they are anxious or experiencing loss of control.

Recently I've worked with two students who like to draw.  I combined the Take 5 Calming Breathing Technique with drawing and created a book for them to use when they are agitated or upset to help them calm down.

In this example, the student is reminded to "Take 5" and draw a picture and then, if calm, to try to return to learning.  If they aren't calm enough, they can repeat this process.

Check-In and Movement Break Schedule Templates

Here are a few templates I made on the fly when working with students who needed some structured check-ins, break times, and strategies to use instead of acting out physically.  Feel free to use them or tweak them to meet your needs.

This one is for students who need to check-in with a particular staff member throughout the day. Click this link for the template: Check-In Schedule 

It has a spot to put the name of the person the student is going to check-in with, the time they will check-in and the time they will return to class as well as what the student needs to do once they return.  It's important to have return time so that the student can have their check-in and then return for instruction.

It can be changed to have one single check-in or multiple based on what your student's needs are.

Example:

You may check-in with Mrs. Smith at 10:30 AM until 10:45 AM and then return to Mr. Jone's class to do your ratio activity numbers 1-4.

This one is for a movement break BEFORE an assigned activity.  It tells the student the time they may have a break, the time the break is over and the activity that they will be doing after the break.  

A mistake I see often is that students don't end up getting their breaks because they didn't earn them.  Some students NEED a break and to move in order to be able to complete a task or activity.  This template gives the break and sets the parameters for what the student needs to do once the break is over.  Click this link for the template:  Movement Break Before Assigned Activity

Example:
At 10:30 AM you may take a lap around the bottom floor until 10:40 AM and then complete your writers journal.

 

This one is for a movement break AFTER an assigned activity.  It tells the student the activity they need to complete, what they will be able to do and the time they may engage in the break activity.  Click this link for the template:

Movement Break After Assigned Activity

Example:

After you complete your ELA google form you may go out to the courtyard with Mrs. Jones at 11:15 AM until 12:00 PM.

Let me know if you use any of these templates and if they work for you.  Contact me on Twitter @kristavenza.

A Place of Joy or A Place of Dread?: Is Your Classroom A Haven For Risk Taking And Growth Or A Place Where Kids Can't Wait To Leave?

Here are some thoughts I had after reading Patty McGee's @pmgmcgee guest author post 

HomeBlog Humane Teaching: Reclaiming the Dignity of Our Profession on Evan Robb's @ERobbPrincipal blog, The Robb Review.

I had a math teacher in 9th grade who would put the tests in order highest to lowest and pass them out while announcing, “That was the last A... Here is the first D...” I remember feeling so anxious waiting for my test. Even when mine ended up falling in the A or B range I felt embarrassed and sad for my friends and classmates as they sat with their eyes staring at the floor waiting for the humiliation of their test to finally be placed in front of them publicly.

It has haunted me ever since that I wasn’t brave enough to speak up about this injustice on behalf of myself and my classmates. I often wonder what my teacher’s motivation was. Was she trying to motive us? Teach us a lesson for not studying hard enough? Didn’t she know there were some kids who no matter how hard they tried would never have the opportunity for their test to fall in the "A/B" range of the stack?  Why didn’t she understand that a private conversation with intention to help, reteach, or teach in a different way would have motivated much more than announcing, “This is the last test,” as she slapped it down on the desk in front of a mortified red-faced student?

This classroom was definitely not a place of joy or a haven where students felt comfortable to take risks. It was a place of dread where kids hated going and couldn’t wait to leave.

No kid wakes up in the morning and decides they want to struggle in school. They don’t come in thinking, “How can I disappoint everyone and make my teacher’s day miserable?” There is always a reason behind the actions (or lack there of). It’s our responsibility to search for that reason, explicitly teach what we want students to do, try strategies and keep trying until it works or we find the right strategy or motivation.

Our students hang on our every word and watch our every move. We have the perfect opportunity with such a captive audience to model compassion, kindness, respect, taking initiative, working hard, and always giving it our best. We should never squander this opportunity - sarcasm, insults, and shaming have no place in our classrooms.

There truly is no better profession. Each day we are afforded the privilege to help guide and mold the type of people who live in and will eventually lead our communities.  Being an educator is pretty darn awesome. 💙💛

Behaviors Have Stories Behind Them - Ones That Throwing Discipline At Won't Fix

This morning I came across this post I wrote about a situation I had with some students a few years ago. It reminded me how important it is to connect with our kids and that most behaviors have a story behind them - ones that throwing discipline at won't fix.

On Friday I took a situation with a few students that could have easily been "handled" by a quick stern lecture, assign a string of lunch detentions, and move on with my extremely busy day... but instead I sat with them while they ate lunch and explained why their actions frustrated, upset, and disappointed us so much. I gave them insight into our perspective as the adults in charge and how their actions impacted us, the other students, and reflected on themselves. I gave them examples of how they can be leaders in our school and how they could positively impact our school community.

By the end of our discussion I learned about issues at home, a mother struggling with health problems, concerns about grades, feelings of inadequacy... and they were showing compassion, remorse and had a sense of purpose toward moving forward in a more positive way.

I didn't have to "assign" lunch detentions... They asked if we could meet and eat lunch together on a regular basis and I'm pretty sure I will have four more PEACE Crew members at our next meeting.

Time will tell if our time together turns things around or not...but at least now, like described in the BAM Radio article by Jon Harper @JonHarper70bd below, I have a connection, a shared moment to refer back to with these students if anything ever comes up again. But...maybe, just maybe we now have four more ambassadors of kindness walking around our halls.

And That Is Enough