THE KINDERGARTEN CONTRACT:
1. The Golden Rule - Treat others the way you want to be treated.
2. Respect your classmates, teachers, and classroom materials.
3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
4. Have fun!
We brainstormed all four "rules" of the kindergarten contract as a class. Then we wrote them down, and every member of our classroom community signed the contract.
We have been reviewing our classroom rules and learning the consequences that we will receive if we don’t follow the rules. In Kindergarten we follow the logical consequences technique. It is a way of responding to misbehavior that is respectful of children and helps them take responsibility for their actions. The primary goal of logical consequences is to help children develop inner control by looking closely at their own behavior and learning from their own mistakes. The consequences of a child’s misbehavior flow logically from what the child did. For example, cleaning crayon off of a wall is a “logical consequence” for the child who drew on the wall; having time off of recess is not.
There are three criteria, knows as the "three R’s" that ensure that a response is truly a logical consequence rather than a punishment. Logical consequences are:
RELATED - The consequence is directly related to the child's behavior. Leaving the group is directly related to being disruptive to the group; missing recess is not.
RESPECTFUL - Logical consequences are respectful of the student and the classroom. Being respectful entails giving students input into possible consequences and including some choices about the specifics of a consequence. Logical consequences are not intended to humiliate or hurt a child. The same consequence could be respectful in one situation and demeaning in another. For example, mopping the floor during recess is a respectful consequence for the child who chooses to have a water fight at the water fountain, but not for the child who fails to complete his work.
REASONABLE - Logical consequences should help children fix their mistakes and know what to do next time, not make them feel bad. A reasonable consequence for a child who knocks over a classmate's building would be to help that child rebuild it, not be banned from the block center.
Most logical consequences will fall into one of three categories:
1. Making Reparations: "You break it - you fix it." Reparations give children the opportunity to face and fix their mistakes. If a child spills a drink, the child cleans up the mess. The child who accidentally tears another child's drawing helps that child to tape it back together.
2. Mishandling Responsibility - more limits set. When students show that they aren't ready to handle the level of responsibility a situation demands, it is a logical consequence that we restructure the situation at least temporarily, taking back more control, until it is time for the children to try again. For example, the child who leaves caps off of markers is temporarily only allowed to use markers under the supervision of an adult.
3. Time - out: Time away from the group is used when a child is not able to cooperate and is being disruptive to the group. The teachers separates the child from the activity temporarily until the child is ready to participate in a positive way. In our classroom, there is a red chair where children can go for a brief time to regain their self control. Time outs must be used in a matter-of-fact and respectful manner. The teachers tone and intent is a critical factor in this distinction.
1. The Golden Rule - Treat others the way you want to be treated.
2. Respect your classmates, teachers, and classroom materials.
3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
4. Have fun!
We brainstormed all four "rules" of the kindergarten contract as a class. Then we wrote them down, and every member of our classroom community signed the contract.
We have been reviewing our classroom rules and learning the consequences that we will receive if we don’t follow the rules. In Kindergarten we follow the logical consequences technique. It is a way of responding to misbehavior that is respectful of children and helps them take responsibility for their actions. The primary goal of logical consequences is to help children develop inner control by looking closely at their own behavior and learning from their own mistakes. The consequences of a child’s misbehavior flow logically from what the child did. For example, cleaning crayon off of a wall is a “logical consequence” for the child who drew on the wall; having time off of recess is not.
There are three criteria, knows as the "three R’s" that ensure that a response is truly a logical consequence rather than a punishment. Logical consequences are:
RELATED - The consequence is directly related to the child's behavior. Leaving the group is directly related to being disruptive to the group; missing recess is not.
RESPECTFUL - Logical consequences are respectful of the student and the classroom. Being respectful entails giving students input into possible consequences and including some choices about the specifics of a consequence. Logical consequences are not intended to humiliate or hurt a child. The same consequence could be respectful in one situation and demeaning in another. For example, mopping the floor during recess is a respectful consequence for the child who chooses to have a water fight at the water fountain, but not for the child who fails to complete his work.
REASONABLE - Logical consequences should help children fix their mistakes and know what to do next time, not make them feel bad. A reasonable consequence for a child who knocks over a classmate's building would be to help that child rebuild it, not be banned from the block center.
Most logical consequences will fall into one of three categories:
1. Making Reparations: "You break it - you fix it." Reparations give children the opportunity to face and fix their mistakes. If a child spills a drink, the child cleans up the mess. The child who accidentally tears another child's drawing helps that child to tape it back together.
2. Mishandling Responsibility - more limits set. When students show that they aren't ready to handle the level of responsibility a situation demands, it is a logical consequence that we restructure the situation at least temporarily, taking back more control, until it is time for the children to try again. For example, the child who leaves caps off of markers is temporarily only allowed to use markers under the supervision of an adult.
3. Time - out: Time away from the group is used when a child is not able to cooperate and is being disruptive to the group. The teachers separates the child from the activity temporarily until the child is ready to participate in a positive way. In our classroom, there is a red chair where children can go for a brief time to regain their self control. Time outs must be used in a matter-of-fact and respectful manner. The teachers tone and intent is a critical factor in this distinction.