Fruitful Mistakes

March 31, 2011 Categories: Positive Language / Teacher Language
Recently I left my coat in a classroom in northern California, lost the cover for my Blackberry somewhere between California and Greenfield, Massachusetts, and made a pot of soup for dinner that was inedible. There was a time in my life when mistakes like these would have left me undone. I would have felt mortified and chastised myself for days. One of the blessings of aging is that I'm learning to be easier on myself when I make mistakes.
Continue Reading
NOV
12
2010

Letting Go of “But”

Have you ever had a friend (or relative) who couldn't seem to give a full compliment? I have one (she shall go unnamed) who can't help but qualify every kind thing she…
Continue Reading
FEB
25
2010

What I Learned from Sammy and His Behavior Problems

I am so excited about the release of Caltha Crowe’s new book, Sammy and His Behavior Problems: Stories and Strategies from a Teacher’s Year! When I got my advance copy, it was…
Continue Reading
NOV
30
2009

Use Reinforcing Language to Keep the Learning Going

Often, when I talk with teachers who have started trying out Responsive Classroom practices such as interactive modeling, they reflect, “Interactive modeling worked great for a while. My students did really well…
Continue Reading
NOV
06
2009

What Students Hear

We all have funny stories about things children say as they try to make sense of what they're learning in school, such as this one a teacher shared with me recently:The teacher…
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2009

The Power of Teacher Language

As the children come back from lunch, they are slow to quiet down. Calmly, the teacher rings a chime, a well-rehearsed signal for attention. She waits a moment until the last child…
Continue Reading
OCT
02
2009

How I got over my “I notice . . .” blues

Years ago, as a beginning Responsive Classroom practitioner, I became determined to stop using the phrase, "I like the way . . ." to control children's behavior. For example, I'd been saying,…
Continue Reading
AUG
01
2009

Knowing All Our Students: An Interview with Caltha Crowe

In your book Solving Thorny Behavior Problems, you write about teachers getting to know their students. Why is this so important, especially for children with behavior and learning challenges? Children vary enormously…
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2008

Gremlins

Miguel hunched over a blank page in his notebook, scowling and biting his lip. I approached him and whispered, "I see you're having a hard time getting started. Is your writing gremlin…
Continue Reading
APR
01
2008

Recognizing Students’ Accomplishments All Year Long

Publicly recognizing children’s accomplishments can benefit their learning and the overall school climate. But how do you do it without setting up a competition among students? This is a question that many…
Continue Reading
FEB
01
2008

Getting Past “I Can’t”

When I taught fourth grade, I introduced two-digit multiplication around the middle of each year. This would always stump a number of students who had breezed through math up until that point.…
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2007

Re-energize Yourself When Fatigue Sets In

A: When I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the things I could do, should do, need to do, and want to do, I make a “Capture List”—a sheet of paper on which I…
Continue Reading
APR
01
2007

What Teaching Matthew Taught Me

"Matthew! Get away. You're not sitting with us!" Libby hissed the words, her voice oozing with contempt as she stuck her leg out to keep Matthew from joining the small group gathered…
Continue Reading
FEB
01
2007

Open-Ended Questions

Language is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. We can use language to stretch children’s curiosity, reasoning ability, creativity, and independence. One effective way to do this is by…
Continue Reading
FEB
01
2007

Words That Encourage Positive Behavior

Question: What's one way you use language to encourage positive behavior?
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2006

Beyond Coping

When Corey joined my fourth grade class, he already had a history of school struggles and had spent part of third grade in a self-contained room for children with behavior problems. When…
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2004

Problem-Solving Conferences That Worked

Question: Think of an instance in which you used a teacher-child problem-solving conference. Why did you choose that strategy?  A: Edward often clowned around during work times, keeping everyone from getting work…
Continue Reading
APR
01
2004

Building Empathy for a “Trouble-Maker”

Chris was a student who struggled socially. He was in Sarah Fiarman’s mixed-grade class for two years, first as a fifth grader and then as a sixth. Of all the points working…
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2003

The Power of Language

A teacher's language is a powerful teaching tool. Our language can build children up or tear them down. It can model respectful and caring social interactions or just the opposite. Effective language…
Continue Reading
NOV
01
2003

What Did You Say?

Joey, a second grader, returns from a doctor's appointment in the middle of a math lesson. "Welcome back, Joey," his teacher says with a smile. "We're working together to solve the problem…
Continue Reading
AUG
01
2002

Powerful Words

In 1993, after teaching for twenty years, I still loved my chosen profession, but I often felt frustrated. It seemed as though I spent an inordinate amount of time on classroom management…
Continue Reading
APR
01
2002

Teaching Children to Care

Editor’s note: Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Sidney Charney, first published in 1991, has transformed many teachers’ practices. This well-loved book has sold over 70,000 copies and is widely used as…
Continue Reading

Current Category

Positive Language

Other Categories

Elementary School

Middle School

Child & Adolescent Development

Families

Energizers & Activities

First Weeks of School

Engaging Academics

Teacher Language

Morning Meeting

Whole School

Positive Community

Classroom Management & Discipline

Building Classroom Community Building Schoolwide Community Bullying Challenging Behaviors Classroom Organization Classroom Rules Conversation Skills Empathy Encouragement Engaging Academics Family Connections Language Arts Misbehavior Movement Professional Community Reinforcing Language Sharing Working with Families