Greetings,
GreenMount Community,
This morning, I would like to
discuss the idea of behavior reflections.
If you consult your Family Handbook, you will find some information
about behavior reflections and our philosophy behind them. But first, let me travel back in time “a bit”
to when I was an elementary school student at P.S. 218, Howard Park Elementary
School.
I was a pretty good student and tried hard not to get
into trouble. But I had some friends who
did not share my value system and eventually they got me in a passel of trouble (yeah, it was their fault!). This resulted in having to visit the
principal’s office.
Now, you must understand that the principal’s office
was located on the third floor, where the ceiling mimicked the roof line. The trek there involved three flights of wide,
creaky wooden steps, and the lighting got darker the farther one ascended. Finally, at the top and having plenty of time
to think about what was going to happen, I arrived in his office. I recall it was a vast room with a curved
dormer window at the back. The
principal’s desk was placed before the dormer and he sat behind it, silhouetted
against the light from the window. He
was a large man without a face, only a shadow against that window. I don’t remember what happened that day other
than the picture I still have in my mind of the dark figure whose mere presence
inspired me to never have to walk those steps again.
In later years, as a principal
myself, I recall some of my colleagues saying that a child should return from
the office trembling with fear, and maybe even crying, thus hedging against
further visits and also being a visual example for others. Those principals must have graduated from the
same school of mental anguish as my elementary school principal. Frankly, I never understood any of that. Perhaps it was because I knew what it was
like to have to make the journey into that dark, foreboding place. So, with the help of my colleagues here at
GreenMount, we created Behavior Reflections.
Yes, the child still has to make the journey to my office. But there are no creaky stairs or a principal
without a face in a dark room. In the
process of my discussions with the students who visit we talk about choices and
responsibility. We discuss the Pillars
and how the choices made reflect on the stated expectations under each. It is my intention that students who leave my
office come away learning something about themselves and with strategies to
help them from making the same mistake in the future. They write about their choices and we discuss
their responses. To date, ten students
have visited me with behavior reflections.
And while this may seem like a lot for just October 15, they represent
the typical mistakes that students make as they get used to the expectations of
individual teachers. Out of the ten who
have visited, nearly all have done an excellent job of reflecting and they
leave the office on that note. “I made a
mistake and I took responsibility for it.
I’m not a bad person, just a normal one.
I will try to make a better choice next time.”
As part of the educational team for your child, I ask
that you take time to talk to your child about taking responsibility for their
choices and for accepting the natural
consequences of them. A student who
cannot refrain from hitting others in gym class may be excluded from the next
one. A student who continually forgets his homework may be asked to use his recess
time to complete it. There are also
natural consequences at home as in school, but none have to be implemented with
malice or in a threatening way. The
consequences are just – natural.
“Acceptance of what has happened is the first
step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” – William James
Cheers,
Steve
