The Value Of Change - Redemption

“Fold your hands and smile.” This is what my students hear me say as they arrive in the art room. I believe students cannot learn without the learning environment being orderly, safe, and nurturing. Order, encouragement, and fun provide the basis to my management strategy. A happy child is a child that is ready to learn and getting a child in the right mode starts with their countenance. I treat them firmly, respectfully, and pleasantly. I expect the same in return. Children need to positively respond to the firm kindness demonstrated to them, even in difficult situations. I establish contact with parents and have conferences with parents with students present. Working with parents creates a positive environment and provides me with the leverage needed to motivate the unmotivated, more involved child.
Children know exactly what to do and are rewarded for their quality behavior and their quality work. Rewards such as lace (lanyard), stamps, and even one or two little Skittles provide enough incentive/motivation for a child to obey and perform. If their table numbers and letters (my art tables have numbers and letters on them for seating chart identification) is written on the board for not following the rules, they are given an opportunity to change and have their numbers erased from the board. I ask them to let me know when their numbers can be erased. They must determine when they are ready. It really works. I love children to see the value of change and the pleasant results that come with it. Hopefully it will translate to other areas of their lives.
Early on in my teaching career I had to address the fast working child who was not caring about the quality of his work. “Slowly, carefully and thoughtfully” has been my mantra for many years. Getting a child to discover his potential is always a challenge for an educator. Giving them an opportunity for success and training them how to use their perceived mistakes for their own betterment is a lesson they can use for the rest of their lives. Discovering and harnessing their talents is a self-esteem builder. Teachers who assist children in their discovery development hand children their future.
An example of this is a boy named Elijah, a fifth grader that couldn’t read. He wanted to be on the school’s morning show. He could run the camera, PowerPoint, and teleprompter, yet his reading skills were far below grade level. His homeroom teacher, the media specialist, and I worked with him and by the end of the year he was able to read the announcements off the teleprompter. He comes by to visit from time to time, keeping us informed of his achievements. His photo is on our “Wall of Fame.”