Today was the type of day that makes me love what I do.
I have one student, Rickie, who has a history of behavior problems. Pretty severe problems. He's broken people's bones, smashed TVs and computers, and wreaked all sorts of havoc. This was all years and years ago, but he still has his moments. I've had him in my classroom for over three years, and he is exiting my school this year.
One of the things I've been working on for the last three years is to deal with his frustration and difficulties in a healthier way, and I've been teaching him strategies to calm himself when he feels like he is out of control. I've been trying to get him to tell me when he is upset by using his words, and asking for a walk and a drink of water. Those are all things that really work, but we have always had to initiate them, he won't do it himself.
So this morning, he was asking to talk to me. I actually couldn't talk at that moment, so I brushed him off twice, but did finally come over to him. He looked at me so seriously and said, "Bella Mundi (he calls me by first and last name), I need to take a walk." I could tell right away that he was doing something extraordinary, so I let him go. When he got back, I took him aside and we had a chat. Turns out he was upset over something that happened on the bus, and he initiated a walk and a talk with me to calm himself down!! YES! Three years of work, and he FINALLY did it!
I felt like a million bucks, and told him how proud and happy I was. He grinned at me, his bad mood suddenly gone, and said, "Nini will be proud?"
"Yes, Nini will be so proud."
Nini is his dead grandmother. He still talks about her.
Of course I called his mother today, and left her a message about how proud I am of him and his progress.
But that wasn't the only good thing. My student Caleb has been having a very hard time participating in any group activities. He sits on the floor and won't budge. This has been going on since about April. My staff and I have been trying and trying to find ways to get him motivated. Finally, I think we hit on a series of things that are improving the participation trend.
And today, he did every single activity on the schedule! I can't even tell you the last time that happened! So his mother also got a phone call today, and she was thrilled.
We also completed a never-before done reading comprehension activity that they did very well on, tried to do some relaxation (also new), and had a very successful outing to the bowling alley. Every ball ended up in the lane, and the kids were moving faster than usual and recognizing when it was their turn.
All in all, a pretty damn good day.
I have one student, Rickie, who has a history of behavior problems. Pretty severe problems. He's broken people's bones, smashed TVs and computers, and wreaked all sorts of havoc. This was all years and years ago, but he still has his moments. I've had him in my classroom for over three years, and he is exiting my school this year.
One of the things I've been working on for the last three years is to deal with his frustration and difficulties in a healthier way, and I've been teaching him strategies to calm himself when he feels like he is out of control. I've been trying to get him to tell me when he is upset by using his words, and asking for a walk and a drink of water. Those are all things that really work, but we have always had to initiate them, he won't do it himself.
So this morning, he was asking to talk to me. I actually couldn't talk at that moment, so I brushed him off twice, but did finally come over to him. He looked at me so seriously and said, "Bella Mundi (he calls me by first and last name), I need to take a walk." I could tell right away that he was doing something extraordinary, so I let him go. When he got back, I took him aside and we had a chat. Turns out he was upset over something that happened on the bus, and he initiated a walk and a talk with me to calm himself down!! YES! Three years of work, and he FINALLY did it!
I felt like a million bucks, and told him how proud and happy I was. He grinned at me, his bad mood suddenly gone, and said, "Nini will be proud?"
"Yes, Nini will be so proud."
Nini is his dead grandmother. He still talks about her.
Of course I called his mother today, and left her a message about how proud I am of him and his progress.
But that wasn't the only good thing. My student Caleb has been having a very hard time participating in any group activities. He sits on the floor and won't budge. This has been going on since about April. My staff and I have been trying and trying to find ways to get him motivated. Finally, I think we hit on a series of things that are improving the participation trend.
And today, he did every single activity on the schedule! I can't even tell you the last time that happened! So his mother also got a phone call today, and she was thrilled.
We also completed a never-before done reading comprehension activity that they did very well on, tried to do some relaxation (also new), and had a very successful outing to the bowling alley. Every ball ended up in the lane, and the kids were moving faster than usual and recognizing when it was their turn.
All in all, a pretty damn good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment