Responsive®

Checking In: Helping Students "Catch Themselves"

Jessica Minahan — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:10:00 +0000

Jessica Minahan

Often students struggling with emotional behavioral disabilities are overwhelmed by and over-reactive to daily events that seem mundane to others. They become easily stressed and frustrated, can feel out of control, develop self-doubt, and feel unsure about handling future situations. Empowering them to monitor their own behavior—to check in with themselves—sends students the message that although stressful situations are impossible to avoid, they can learn to cope and eventually remain in control.

Looking Forward!

lora — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:54:00 +0000

Lora Hodges

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Things are really buzzing at Responsive Classroom headquarters these days; that last-weeks-of-school burst of energy you're feeling—we feel it too! We are excitedly looking forward to a busy summer of providing Responsive Classroom training to thousands of teachers across the United States and in Canada.

We're also thinking ahead to our biggest event of the year, the annual Responsive Classroom Leadership Conference, which will be held on November 18 and 19, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency overlooking Boston, Massachusetts.

Bully: The Film

caltha — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:50:52 +0000

Caltha Crowe

Did you see the award-winning documentary Bully when it was out in theaters last year? If you missed it then, you can watch it now on DVD, and I hope you will. It's an eye-opener for educators.

Watching Bully made me think again about how important it is for those of us who work in schools to reflect on and change how we respond to bullying, which is a source of such deep pain for the children who are targeted.

We're In the Finals!

Richard — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:17:15 +0000

Richard Henning

I am delighted to announce that How to Bullyproof Your Classroom by Caltha Crowe has been selected as a finalist for the AEP (Association of Educational Publishers) Dis

How Well Do Your Students Know Each Other?

Margaret — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:24:39 +0000

Margaret Berry Wilson

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Great teachers work on building a sense of community in their classrooms all year long. They understand that helping students build relationships with each other is a key to creating an optimal learning environment.

Stronger bonds mean students will be less likely to be unkind, to exclude others, to call each other names, or to stand idly by in the face of cruelty to a classmate. The safer everyone feels, the more learning challenges they will embrace, and the more collaborative they will be.

How Well Do You Know Your Students?

Margaret — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:18:19 +0000

Margaret Berry Wilson

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I'd like you to try a challenge I used to give myself several times a year when I was a classroom teacher. First, divide a piece of paper into three columns. In the first column, make a list of your students. Try not to use alphabetical order, grade book order, or table groups to help you remember. Just write the names down as they come to mind.

Then, in the middle column, next to each child's name, write one thing you know that child likes to do or cares passionately about.

In the third column, make a star if you're sure the child knows that you know this about her or him.

A Lesson Learned About Prizes

Mrs. R — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:07:55 +0000

Candace Roberts

During my years of teaching, I have used individual written agreements coupled with a simple token system to give children with particularly challenging behavior the extra support they need to improve. Recently, I learned a big lesson about the effective use of these systems through a mistake I made while implementing an agreement with a student named Justin.

Honors for Educators

lora — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:31:39 +0000

Lora Hodges

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I am delighted that Northeast Foundation for Children is an official sponsor of the 2013 Bammy Awards. The Annual Bammy Awards, which are hosted and presented by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences International, aim to elevate the national conversation about education by honoring people from across the field who are making positive contributions to American education.

How Reading About Sammy Healed Me

Mrs. R — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:50:00 +0000

Candace Roberts

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A few years ago, I had a student who broke me. During our very first Morning Meeting, as my brand new class met each other, he slapped another first grader. Hard. As the year progressed, his behavior challenges continued. He pushed over desks, punched children on the playground, and drew threatening pictures of me. I cried almost every day after school and doubted my abilities as a teacher, even though I'd been teaching since 1992. I even considered leaving teaching at year's end.

Challenges Are Fun!

slghosh — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:48:50 +0000

Suzy Ghosh

Recently I've been thinking about how enthusiastically the students in my class take on challenges, and how challenging them has helped us build a more positive community and made learning more fun for all of us.

Will We See You This Summer?

Jen — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:06:19 +0000

Jen Audley

Each summer, Responsive Classroom week-long institutes give thousands of elementary educators the opportunity to immerse themselves in 30 hours of intensive, high-quality professional development. Participants describe the experience using words such as "inspiring," "practical," "empowering," and "totally worthwhile." We love this work and what it does for teachers, students, classrooms, schools, and districts. We hope you will be able to take part this year.

Teaching Students How to Wait

Jessica Minahan — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Jessica Minahan

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If you've ever dined out with children under four years old, you probably brought along a toolkit with games, coloring books, "I Spy" activities, or apps on a mobile device to keep them busy until the food was finally served. As children get older, we assume they no longer need the toolkit because most develop waiting skills naturally.