All Things CLASS

Hi! I'm a new CLASS mentor/coach for Head Start. I'm having trouble with one class that I mentor. I was in there all morning and the children did great. Mainly due to me continuing to engage them with songs and activities during transitions/wait time. Then lunch came. This transition was chaos. There were three of us in there and none of us could get the children settled to eat. About 5 boys were running around the carpet, some occassionally starting to fight. When I got one settled and went back for another then that first child would get up and start running again. I finally took 3 of them out of the room for a walk to the bathroom (they were still running down the halls but I at least helped them calm their body) and the teachers were at least able to get most of the children started eating, though not without yelling I'm sure :( They have been really working on using positive redirection so it's frustrating when it gets like this and they feel hopeless and yell. This has started when a new student came into the room. They were making strides on routines but the routines weren't strong enough yet to support this child. I would like advice on how to help her when the room gets in chaos. as well as how to prevent. Thanks for any tips!

https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2019/02/12/i-have-one-new-student-so-why.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB&sfns=mo


Food for thought.

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Susan Hinman Waldman
Practice Based Coach
Communities United Inc.
Watertown, MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 12:39
From: Heather Wallace
Subject: behavior management

Hi! I'm a new CLASS mentor/coach for Head Start. I'm having trouble with one class that I mentor. I was in there all morning and the children did great. Mainly due to me continuing to engage them with songs and activities during transitions/wait time. Then lunch came. This transition was chaos. There were three of us in there and none of us could get the children settled to eat. About 5 boys were running around the carpet, some occassionally starting to fight. When I got one settled and went back for another then that first child would get up and start running again. I finally took 3 of them out of the room for a walk to the bathroom (they were still running down the halls but I at least helped them calm their body) and the teachers were at least able to get most of the children started eating, though not without yelling I'm sure :( They have been really working on using positive redirection so it's frustrating when it gets like this and they feel hopeless and yell. This has started when a new student came into the room. They were making strides on routines but the routines weren't strong enough yet to support this child. I would like advice on how to help her when the room gets in chaos. as well as how to prevent. Thanks for any tips!

Thanks for Sharing this information. I am always looking for behavioral management strategies.
 Thank you
Tressa Teeter

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Tressa Teeter
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 13:27
From: Susan Waldman
Subject: behavior management

https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2019/02/12/i-have-one-new-student-so-why.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB&sfns=mo


Food for thought.

------------------------------
Susan Hinman Waldman
Practice Based Coach
Communities United Inc.
Watertown, MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 12:39
From: Heather Wallace
Subject: behavior management

Hi! I'm a new CLASS mentor/coach for Head Start. I'm having trouble with one class that I mentor. I was in there all morning and the children did great. Mainly due to me continuing to engage them with songs and activities during transitions/wait time. Then lunch came. This transition was chaos. There were three of us in there and none of us could get the children settled to eat. About 5 boys were running around the carpet, some occassionally starting to fight. When I got one settled and went back for another then that first child would get up and start running again. I finally took 3 of them out of the room for a walk to the bathroom (they were still running down the halls but I at least helped them calm their body) and the teachers were at least able to get most of the children started eating, though not without yelling I'm sure :( They have been really working on using positive redirection so it's frustrating when it gets like this and they feel hopeless and yell. This has started when a new student came into the room. They were making strides on routines but the routines weren't strong enough yet to support this child. I would like advice on how to help her when the room gets in chaos. as well as how to prevent. Thanks for any tips!

Original Message------

Thanks for Sharing this information. I am always looking for behavioral management strategies.
 Thank you
Tressa Teeter

------------------------------
Tressa Teeter
------------------------------

Dear Susan Waldman,

Thank you for sharing that link to the article. The article reminded me of my time in the classroom. I reminisced about having a harmonious classroom that ran off the track.     
Like the article said, go back to the beginning; just when we think children are grounded in the practice and routines we have established for them things can fall apart because of a new student or  something else. We, teachers need to remember that the classroom routines and students are working in harmony because we are intentionally making sure every part of the day is going smoothly. When we get comfortable and drop our guard the children sense that change. As the article says, we need to go back to the beginning.  We need to reestablish our intentionality and reflect on what are the needs of the children at that point in time. Returning to community norms of the classroom, routines, self and parallel talk and especially acknowledgement and affirmations are classroom basics. Children love attention. They crave attention. They just want to be seen even when we think they've "got it" . It is the teachers role to highlight the positive social behavior to keep the train on the track.

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Theodora Ridley
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 13:27
From: Susan Waldman
Subject: behavior management

https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2019/02/12/i-have-one-new-student-so-why.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB&sfns=mo


Food for thought.

------------------------------
Susan Hinman Waldman
Practice Based Coach
Communities United Inc.
Watertown, MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 12:39
From: Heather Wallace
Subject: behavior management

Hi! I'm a new CLASS mentor/coach for Head Start. I'm having trouble with one class that I mentor. I was in there all morning and the children did great. Mainly due to me continuing to engage them with songs and activities during transitions/wait time. Then lunch came. This transition was chaos. There were three of us in there and none of us could get the children settled to eat. About 5 boys were running around the carpet, some occassionally starting to fight. When I got one settled and went back for another then that first child would get up and start running again. I finally took 3 of them out of the room for a walk to the bathroom (they were still running down the halls but I at least helped them calm their body) and the teachers were at least able to get most of the children started eating, though not without yelling I'm sure :( They have been really working on using positive redirection so it's frustrating when it gets like this and they feel hopeless and yell. This has started when a new student came into the room. They were making strides on routines but the routines weren't strong enough yet to support this child. I would like advice on how to help her when the room gets in chaos. as well as how to prevent. Thanks for any tips!

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/teaching-practices/teacher-time-series/change-doesnt-have-be-hard-daily-classroom-transitions-support-children


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/challengingbehavior_5-preschool-transition-activities-tips-activity-6608130907452907520-MPuX


Check out Barb O'Neill and her advice on Challenging Behavior.  Rae Pica, also!

------------------------------
Susan Hinman Waldman
Practice Based Coach
Communities United Inc.
Watertown, MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 12:39
From: Heather Wallace
Subject: behavior management

Hi! I'm a new CLASS mentor/coach for Head Start. I'm having trouble with one class that I mentor. I was in there all morning and the children did great. Mainly due to me continuing to engage them with songs and activities during transitions/wait time. Then lunch came. This transition was chaos. There were three of us in there and none of us could get the children settled to eat. About 5 boys were running around the carpet, some occassionally starting to fight. When I got one settled and went back for another then that first child would get up and start running again. I finally took 3 of them out of the room for a walk to the bathroom (they were still running down the halls but I at least helped them calm their body) and the teachers were at least able to get most of the children started eating, though not without yelling I'm sure :( They have been really working on using positive redirection so it's frustrating when it gets like this and they feel hopeless and yell. This has started when a new student came into the room. They were making strides on routines but the routines weren't strong enough yet to support this child. I would like advice on how to help her when the room gets in chaos. as well as how to prevent. Thanks for any tips!

Hi Heather! Sounds like the children could use some cues for transitions. Do you have visual/audio timer? Children need a couple minutes to transition to another activity. Give them some time and talk through what's about to happen next. Also are you all using transition songs? Wash your hands songs etc. help children know what's about to happen next. A great album is "Transitions" by Shawn Brown. He has songs for most daily transitions. Also using a bell, flickering the lights etc can classroom cues that are used regularly so children know that something else is about to happen. I'd say to just be open and remember to give them time. If lunch is at 11:30. start getting ready for lunch somewhere around 11:15 or so.
Best Wishes!

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Attallah Pamoja
Coach
Decatur GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2020 12:39
From: Heather Wallace
Subject: behavior management

Hi! I'm a new CLASS mentor/coach for Head Start. I'm having trouble with one class that I mentor. I was in there all morning and the children did great. Mainly due to me continuing to engage them with songs and activities during transitions/wait time. Then lunch came. This transition was chaos. There were three of us in there and none of us could get the children settled to eat. About 5 boys were running around the carpet, some occassionally starting to fight. When I got one settled and went back for another then that first child would get up and start running again. I finally took 3 of them out of the room for a walk to the bathroom (they were still running down the halls but I at least helped them calm their body) and the teachers were at least able to get most of the children started eating, though not without yelling I'm sure :( They have been really working on using positive redirection so it's frustrating when it gets like this and they feel hopeless and yell. This has started when a new student came into the room. They were making strides on routines but the routines weren't strong enough yet to support this child. I would like advice on how to help her when the room gets in chaos. as well as how to prevent. Thanks for any tips!