What to do for Mandela Day (18/06/2014)

So Mandela day is approaching, and we have all heard about the 67 minutes of doing something good in our communities, or for those who are less fortunate. Many of our kids are currently on holiday, but that is not a reason to let them stay at home and not get them involved. And for those teachers who are working, get your class involved. 

Lets create responsible citizens who give back to their society or community. But, what should we get them to do?

Teachers:

• Start a blanket/food drive for those who have no blankets or food - particularly in this cold weather. When you have collected a certain amount, get the kids to hand over the items.
• Collect food for the local animal shelter, or blankets. They are always appreciative of any donations.
• Run a soup kitchen from your school for the day - approach a local supermarket and ask them for donations, let the kids make the soup and hand it out. Get the parents involved for this one.
• Ask the kids to collect books, and donate them to a poorer school - you could also get the kids to read a story.
• Go pick up litter outside of the school grounds.
• Take the children to an old age home or an orphanage and let them read to the elderly or abandoned. 

Moms and Dads

• Get your kids to sort through their toys and clothes and donate them.
• Spend a day at an animal shelter and offer to take the dogs for a walk, or play with the cats. If you're feeling brave, help clean out the enclosures.
• Go pick up litter around your neighbourhood.
• Take some flowers, or bake something nice to take to an old age home or an orphanage. 

I'm sure there are many more things to do, these are just a few suggestions. And as long as we keep giving back and helping others, we will be living up to the expectation of Nelson Mandela, and hopefully contributing somewhat to the legacy he left behind.

For more information go have a look at, http://www.mandeladay.com/

Why I no longer use time-out in the classroom

As teachers we have all heard how important it is to establish discipline in your classroom. And it is! However, it is also just as important to know HOW to establish a culture of discipline in your classroom.

Too much, and you will crush personalities, too little and your learners will run riot in their  classroom. So, how do we establish a balance of just enough and what types of discipline should we be using.

There are various points about discipline that we are always taught use, one of these being consistency. But, does this mean consistency for the whole class? One punishment for one crime? I disagree.

Children are unique individuals, just as adults. We all have our own belief systems and our own morals, and so do children. We want to help these children develop their personalities, and develop their morals and belief systems, and in order to achieve this we need to give them the tools to help them achieve. And, so I no longer use time-out in my classroom.

Why? Well, when you think about it, what is time-out actually achieving in a work environment? Nothing. You are allowing that child to get out of the work they are supposed to be completing, you are almost rewarding them, and saying to them, don’t worry, you can come back to this later. Some children, may purposefully look for ways to get themselves into a time out. It prolongs task completion, and the child ends up resenting you, as they still have to do the work later on.

Yet, what other methods should we be using? Well, how do you get yourself to complete a task you do not want to do? We use rewards, if I finish this task, I will let myself read some more of my book, if I quit smoking, I can save up some money to buy that really expensive gadget I want.

And now, I would like to challenge you all to use this in your classroom. When you have a child who does not want to complete a task, put a positive spin on it. If you complete your maths work, you may have 5 extra minutes of playtime, if playtime is what they enjoy. If you have a child who enjoys reading, give them extra reading time. Reward them for good and stop punishing them for the bad behaviour.

I also just want to say, that time out does have its place. In the playground and at home, but let us stop using negative punishment in the classroom and start rewarding, and providing an environment in which to reward.