This Week at LPHS, November 26 - 30

Welcome back! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are rested and prepared for the next few weeks until Winter Break!  Please see below for the schedule of the week:

Monday:

Mindfulness Monday Lesson:

Welcome back! We are heading into the holidays. For some, the holidays can be very hectic and stressful.   Let's practice something you can do to find calmness in the middle of the chaos.  This is called "4 7 8 Breathing." It works for anxiety and stress.  Let's try it!

* Happy Birthday, Scott Sitek.   

Tuesday: 

* Early Release Day

* Meeting to start in the media center at 1:55.  We will be in the Media Center for the first half hour and then you will have department/co-teaching time.  During this time, I would like co-teaching partnerships to work on Specially Designed Instruction and working this in to your lesson plans.  If you do not have a co-teacher, I would like you to review accommodations logs to make sure that they are up do date for any special ed student in your classrooms.  If both of those are completed, you can work within your department.  Our meeting time is until 3:45.  Please make sure you sign in.  

Thursday: 

* Student Success Team Meeting at 1:00.  As a reminder, if you have students that you are struggling with behaviorally or that you have noticed a significant change in recently, you can refer them to their AP or to a social worker to be reviewed by this team.   

Trauma Informed Tip of the Week:

Why public shaming is an ineffective behavior tool

By James Bowen

If you've ever been called out in front of a group of peers, you'll know how acutely embarrassing it feels to be in that situation. It doesn't matter whether you're at the pub or in a staff meeting, being publicly chastised is an awful feeling.

It doesn't really matter if the criticism was justified or not, when you're about to lose face, all rationality tends to go out the window. It’s a rare person who, in this situation, thinks, "Thank you for pointing out the error of my ways, I really must try to do better next time."

Instead, our reptilian brain kicks in – along with our flight, fight or freeze response. Whichever of these we choose (or more accurately, automatically default to), it rarely results in a happy ending.

What we sometimes fail to realize is that the situation is no different for the students we teach. A telling-off in front of the whole class, however justified, seldom results in a positive outcome.

I'm not talking about the relatively unobtrusive reminder or the often-effective teacher look here, I'm referring to that extended dialogue about a student's behavior that we can sometimes get drawn in to.

In such situations, there are some students who will subconsciously, or even consciously, prioritize saving face in front of their peers over quiet acceptance of a teacher's instruction, however reasonable.

The student who answers back or attempts to draw you into a long conversation often does so not so much for your benefit, but for those around them and also so they are able to preserve their own sense of self image. Their reptilian brain has perceived a threat to their self-esteem and the "fight" response has been activated.

If you're not careful, these exchanges can escalate, with ultimatums being issued. Suddenly, you find yourself in a verbal stand-off in front of a watching class.

So how can this be avoided?

My advice would be to, wherever possible, try to address the behavior causing concern on a 1:1 basis. This may mean going over to a student's desk for a quiet, but clear, conversation, or asking them to privately to speak with you after class.

By removing the audience, you have lowered the stakes for the student and allowed them the time and space to comply with your requests without losing face.

In the long-run, it will also help you to build trust with the student as they realize you have chosen not to single them out in front of their peers. Crucially, the other students will also notice how you have chosen to handle the situation.

The quiet conversation should not be confused with being a soft touch. It is important that you use this opportunity to state why the behavior is unacceptable, what you need to see instead and, if necessary, the consequences of them failing to respond to you.

When it comes to managing behavior, there is no one approach or technique that works every time without fail, but reducing the stakes for both you and the student you are working with will usually pay dividends.

Sources: tes.com

This Week at LPHS, November 19-23

We have a short week this week, but a long day on Tuesday.  Please take a look below and let me know if you have any questions.

Monday: 

For our Mindfulness Monday at the beginning of 2nd. hour:

1.  Please start your Mindfulness Monday by showing this short video clip:

2.  Once the video has finished, please pass out 1 post-it note to each student and as them to write down 1 thing for which they are thankful.

Don't forget! You're part of this, too! Don't forget to write down one of your own!

These post-its can be anonymous.   It's up to you and each student whether or not they want to include their name. 

3.  When finished,  please collect the post-its and put them in a stack.  Someone will come by to collect them at the beginning of 3rd. hour.

For you, our amazing staff:  Wanna really change how your day goes?  Try this for a week in your personal life and see how your feelings and mindset change as you approach each day!  Not sure how to start?  Here is a template to give you ideas!  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-hf1a7L1L2sM0FSMlIxbTZ4Ym8/view?usp=drivesdk

Tuesday:

* Half day for parent teacher conferences, see the schedule below:

1st  Hour   7:50 –   8:50 am
2nd Hour   8:55 –   9:55 am
3rd Hour  10:00 – 11:00 am

12:00-3:00 Parent Teacher Conferences

5:00-8:00 Parent Teacher Conferences

For the evening conferences there will be a sign in sheet on the counter in the main office.  Everyone must sign in!

Wednesday - Friday: 

* No School, Thanksgiving Break!  Enjoy your time away, get some rest and thank you for all that you do!

Trauma Informed Tip of the Week

Addressing Persistent Defiance
By Nina Parrish

We all have students who test our limits. Most kids can be uncooperative at times, especially if they’re tired, hungry, or feeling overwhelmed. For certain age groups, like 2- to 3-year-olds and teenagers, noncooperative behavior is a normal part of development.

So how does a teacher handle a student who openly defies rules, purposely tries to irritate the teacher, or has a pattern of hostile behavior toward authority? Here are some suggestions to help you avoid problems or to manage them when they arise.

REMAIN CALM
As a new teacher, I quickly determined that showing anger was counterproductive with students who were oppositional. It made the behavior worse as they were often amused or encouraged by upsetting an adult.

Even when you’re upset or frustrated, it’s important not to allow the child to see your emotional response. Keep a positive tone to your voice, and adopt neutral body language by keeping your hands by your sides. Be cautious about approaching the student or entering their personal space as this might escalate the situation.

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY
Learning to use “I statements” helped me immensely in working with students with difficult behavior. When a student is noncompliant, often our first impulse as teachers is to point out the behavior by using a statement that begins with “You” and gives a command. For example, “You never listen and follow directions. Don’t get out of your seat again!”

Rephrasing this as an “I statement” is much more effective. For example, “I would like for all of my students to sit down, listen, and follow directions so that they know what to do next.”

REINFORCE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR
Switch your focus from recognizing negative behavior to seeking out demonstrations of positive behavior. Look for and reward even small steps toward flexibility, compliance, and cooperation.

When a student shows improvement, give it attention. I found positive notes home to be especially effective. I sent postcards to my students who demonstrated improvement in their behavior. A parent once told me that not only was this the first positive note the student had received, but he was so proud of it that he kept it on the refrigerator to look at every day. Don’t underestimate the power of positive words in shaping behavior.

DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE BEHAVIOR
Behaviors help students obtain something desirable or escape something undesirable. Learning to think of behavior as feedback or a form of communication helped me to work more effectively as a teacher with students who display problem behaviors.

Ask yourself:
When does this behavior happen or not happen?
What happens before and after the behavior?
Who is the audience?
Are there factors outside of the student’s control that might be causing or contributing to the behaviors? (For example, has the student experienced trauma? Does he or she come from a household with housing or food instability?)
What alternative behavior would be more acceptable than the one being displayed?

Understanding the cause of the behavior will help in establishing a plan to address the challenges.

MAKE A PLAN
Once a behavior is identified and assessed, a plan may be developed to prevent it from continuing. A BIP outlines steps a teacher will take when a problem behavior occurs.

A BIP should teach the student more productive behaviors and strategies, reward positive and appropriate behaviors, and outline who is responsible for each intervention.

Perhaps changes can be made in the environment, like moving the student’s seat, or instructional methodology changes could be made, like shortening or modifying an assignment to match the student’s capability for independent work. Teachers could also consider altering routines if there are times when the behavior is likely to occur.

We all have the capacity to learn, change, and grow. When given the right tools and environment, students with problematic behavior can learn more productive strategies that will help them have positive and effective interactions with others.

Source: Edutopia