This Week at LPHS, March 18-22

Hello All,

I apologize for the delay in getting this to you.  We have spirit week this week and not much else.  Those days are included below.  I will be out of the building on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a conference.  You are in good hands with our APs, but I can be reached by email or my cell if need be as well.  Please see below for details on the week:

Monday:

* Decades Day

Tuesday: 

* Twin Day
* PSP Meeting, 2:55 in LPHS Media Center (Please bring a device that you can access the blog, your current grades and printed out roster) We will dismiss at 3:45.

Wednesday: 

* MEME Day

Thursday:

* Class Color Day, 9 - Purple, 10 - Yellow, 11 - White, 12 - Red, Staff - Black

* Happy Birthday, Joe Celsi

Friday:

* All Out Orange and Blue Day

Trauma Informed Article of the Week, March 18

10 Common Sayings to Avoid

By Richard Curwin

Teachers should avoid the reflexive language of anger or frustration. Here's a list of these sayings, framed as opportunities to constructively address difficult student behavior.

I've narrowed my list to 10 representative items. Some of these are related to control issues, others to motivation, and still more to management. All reflect frustration and/or anger. Let's start the upcoming school year by wiping these sayings out of our vernacular.

1. "You have potential but don't use it."
Students feel insulted when they hear this, and while some accept it as a challenge to do better, more lose their motivation to care. Instead, say in a caring way, "How can I help you reach your full potential?"

2. "I'm disappointed in you."
Of course we occasionally are disappointed in things that our students do. In addition, the result of openly expressing that disappointment depends as much on the way we say it as the words we use. But students have told me that they hate hearing a teacher say this. The problem with this saying is that it looks to the past. A more helpful approach looks to the future. The alternative might be more like, "What do you think you can do to make a more helpful decision the next time you are in a similar situation?"

3. "What did you say?"
This is the challenge that some teachers might throw down when walking away from a student after a private discussion about behavior and hearing that student whisper something. "What did you say?" is just bait for escalation. Do you really want to know what was whispered? It's better to ignore that unheard comeback and move on. You don't always need to have the last word.

4. "It's against the rules."
Rules are about behavior. Often there are many behaviors from which people can choose in order to solve a problem. Some may be within the rules. Try saying this instead: "Let me see if there's a way to meet your need within the rules."

5. "Your brother/sister was better than you."
Never compare siblings or anyone else in a positive or negative way about anything. Comparisons can only lead to trouble regardless of which side of the coin the student is. My grandchildren always ask me, "Who's your favorite?" What if I actually gave an answer?

6. "You'll never amount to anything."
Not only is this an insult, but it is usually wrong. When I was young, I was told that I would never be a teacher. How many great people have been told this? How many of you have heard it?

7. "Who do you think you are?"
Do you really need to know who they think they are? This question is meant to say, "You are not as important as me!" This communicates sheer arrogance and is asking for a power struggle.

8. "Don't you ever stop talking?"
This is a snide way of asking the student to stop talking. Never start with a question like, "Don't you ever _______?" You can fill in any behavior or attitude: "listen," "do your homework," "try," "care about your work." Avoid the sarcasm and directly say what you are feeling.

9. "The whole class will miss _______ unless someone admits to _______."
Collective punishment is never appropriate. There are many reasons why we should avoid collective punishment, but the most important is that if we want students to learn how to take responsibility for their behavior, they need somewhat predictable outcomes for their choices. When they're punished for something they didn't do, they see the world as an unpredictable place where consequences have nothing to do with choices. This is not what we want children to learn.

10. "What is wrong with you?"
This question implies a defect or an imperfect student. We are all imperfect, so the question is really only intended as an insult. What do you expect the student to answer? "I'm the son of abusive parents who hate me?" I have heard many professionals say that everyone is perfect at being who they are. A better approach is to say something like, "I see you have a problem. Let's work together to find a solution."

If a teacher loses his temper or gets frustrated and says one of these things once or even twice during the year, it's understandable. For most students, a rare mishap makes no difference with a teacher who they respect and like. But if trust hasn't been established, students are less forgiving when they feel insulted or wronged. On the other hand, we can say something nice or neutral that might be heard by a student as an insult. These instances are hard to avoid. What we can avoid is saying things that we know in advance are hurtful.

Source: Edutopia

Trauma Informed Article of the Week, March 11

What To Do When a Student Refuses to Work

What does work refusal look like? Really, it can be different for every student. Some students put their heads down and don’t pick them up, despite encouragement and prompting. Other students will look you straight in the eyes and say, “I’m NOT doing it!” while they are clearly expecting a response from you! Other kids might just ignore your directions completely and continue doing what they want to do. All of these behaviors are work refusals because they are avoiding doing the tasks that the adult is expecting. This can be extremely frustrating for educators, especially when teaching a well-designed lesson that you thought would go so well! Let me say that sometimes our lessons themselves can have little or no impact on whether or not a student refuses to work. There are quite often bigger challenges at play. It’s always important to remember that kids who are refusing are reaching out for help in some way, and you CAN be the one to help them.

What are the reasons for work refusal? If a student is outwardly refusing to do work in the classroom, there is always a reason. Quite often, we don’t know the individual reasons. Some students have had a history of trauma. Again, we may or may not know about the potential trauma. Other students might be dealing with social or emotional challenges at home or in their personal life. Sometimes, when the challenges in a child’s life become so difficult for them, they can have a need to control parts of their life that they can control (like doing work in school or not). Regardless of the actual reason, it’s important to take a step back and recognize that the child or young adult is struggling with SOMETHING, whether or not we can see it. Thinking in this way encourages educators to be solution-focused, which is what really matters anyway.

Here are some simple do’s and don’ts for kids who refuse to do work:

DON’T:

Don’t just punish. If a child or young adult is struggling with some social or emotional challenges at the moment, a punishment is only going to push them away further. Your punishment will appear as harsh, mean, and uncaring. 

Don’t send the student out of the room. I can’t stress this enough! As an educator, I know this is sometimes a preferred option because it deals with the situation swiftly. It does not fix the problem, though. In fact, it will most likely make it worse in the long-term. The student might feel anger and resentment towards you. The message you are sending is that you can’t deal with the situation and you need to send the student out to another teacher or the principal.

Don’t get in a power struggle. No one ever wins in a power struggle! So much energy is wasted is wasted and even if the student eventually complies, it will be filled with resentment. 

Don’t just assume the child is lazy. So many times, it is often actually easier for the child to comply and do their work and refuse. So, it’s clear that there is something else in play. Reframe your thinking to remember that the child is struggling and needs your support.

Don’t use threats. You might be tempted to say things like, “If you don’t do your work, I’m going to call your parents,” or “Finish this or you can’t get a drink.” Sometimes, these threats can only make a student dig their heels in deeper and you might regret what you’ve said later on. Instead, be mindful about what you say and make sure your consequences fit the crime.

Don’t embarrass the student. Again, publicly calling the student out might result in a power struggle or escalating the situation. Instead, consider ways to privately support the student to help both of you get what you need.

Do:

Keep teaching. Just because a student doesn’t lift their pencil up, doesn’t mean they’re not listening and learning. Continue teaching, talking, and even involving that student if they want to participate.

Give wait time. When a student refuses work at first, sometimes all they need is a little wait time. It’s okay to let them have their head down or keep their arms crossed. Use planned ignoring and wait to see if they come around within 5 minutes or so.

Be reflective. Consider what you could be doing that might be triggering the student to refuse to work. For example, are you using a harsh tone? Did you embarrass the student by calling them out for something right before? Sometimes, there isn’t anything apparent, but it’s always worth considering first!

Focus on the relationship. For many kids, relationship is everything. Put the work aside for a bit. Spend time with your student during lunch, talk with them after class, and really just get to know them. Once a relationship is built, many times your students will have a much easier time working for you because they know you care. This isn’t a quick process, but it’s always important and worth it. 

Meet with the student privately. It’s important that this is seen as supportive and not punitive. Talk to the student, ask them what’s going on, and problem-solve about how you could help. You might say, “I noticed your morning work isn’t being finished, what is going on with that?” When meeting with a student who is struggling to complete work, the most important thing is to just listen! Try to avoid interjecting your own thoughts about what’s happening or giving your point of view. Let the student talk and sometimes you might be amazed at what you learn. Perhaps the student shares that they hate where they sit because someone keeps talking to them, or that they haven’t been getting any sleep at night due to a crying baby. Be open-minded, listen, and be prepared to problem-solve with the student to help them.

Source: pathwaytosuccess.com

This week at LPHS, March 11-15

This week at LPHS, we will be celebrating Intervention Staff Appreciation Week!  Please make sure that you remind them of how much we appreciate the integral work that they do for us and our students! 

Check out below for information on the rest of the week:

Monday:

* Click here for our Mindfulness Monday activity on Multi-Tasking

* Happy Birthday, Pam Konarski! 

Tuesday:

* Early Release Day, we will begin our meeting in the media center at 1:55.  We will dismiss at 2:45.  An agenda will be provided by the end of the day on Monday.

* Winter Sports Banquet, 5:30, LPHS Cafeteria

Wednesday:

* NHS Induction, 7:00 pm in the LPHS Auditorium

* Happy Birthday, Andrea Kowalski! 

Thursday:

* SST Meeting, 1:00

Friday:

* Happy Birthday, Leslie Daunter! 

Sunday:

* Happy St. Patrick's Day Birthday, Patricia Buck! 

Have a great week!