MYD Conference
Arizona
Sep 15-16, 2006
Interested in
attending the
Make Your Day
conference
in
Arizona?
Regional MYD
Trainings (Registration will open March 1)
Designed for staff that work at MYD Schools and have not
received the training or for staff who would like a review. Parents and students are also welcome to attend.
Phoenix, AZ
August 3-4
Kennewick, WA
August 17-18
Tacoma, WA
August 21-22
Everett, WA
August 24-25
|
|
|
Earl's Corner
The Parent Piece
As we are short-term custodians of our students, it is incumbent upon us to involve every potential resource that
would offer them the greatest benefit. Our parent community represents one of the greatest resources for understanding what might motivate and
reinforce both positive behaviors and academic performance. Listening to parents' questions may give us great insight. We may be doing it
wrong or our communication to the parents is inadequate. It isn't always that parent's agenda. The most effective response is,
"That's a good question. Let's explore it." Don't placate parents.
To get constructive feedback from our parent community, some
schools have found a variety of very effective approaches. Just as we have sought ownership for MYD from our kids, it would be most beneficial
to offer our parent community a similar opportunity. Although opening this door can be cumbersome and dangerous, there are enough members of
our parent community that are truly seeking to do what's best for all of our students. "School-wide" should mean "community-wide."
Here
are some examples that have been effective:
*Invite parents to trainings and conferences.
*Invite parents to serve on the MYD
committee.
*Identify key parents to be a liaison for the community.
Perhaps, the most important responsibility that we have to the parent
community is to offer continuous information and education about MYD through a newsletter and/or website.
*Include basic information in the
newsletter/website that gives clarity to the philosophy and procedures of MYD.
*Include a column in the monthly newsletter/website that addresses
current issues about MYD. Don't avoid the controversial aspects of the program IE Step 4, the time it takes to do Points, Concerns,
etc.
|
Use the media. Examples:
*Get to the
newspapers, television and radio before they get to you. The media seeks a feel-good story. You are a group of educators committed to
making it better for kids. It is rare to find a complete staff that all seek the same end.
*Create a video that showcases your program.
It is important to involve students and parents in the creation of this video.
*Take advantage of any opportunity that your district offers to
present at school board meetings. It is most effective when students present the program.
Most of all, it is important to maintain an
opendoor policy. Invite your parents to observe the process. As you know, a picture is worth a thousand words. Presenting MYD to
your parent community should not be a monologue. Without listening to our parents, we are not only potentially creating enemies, but we
are overlooking one of our greatest resources.
Don't forget that we've created a website for parents. If all else fails send them to
makeyourdayparents.com.
If your school has created something uniquely effective that has helped bridge MYD with your parent
community, please contact us as we would like to make that available to other schools. Thank you.
In March, I'll discuss how to
make the last few months of the school year the payoff months.
|
|
Cheryl's Two Cents
Meet and Greet from an
Observer's Point of View
One of my greatest pleasures is the
opportunity to visit schools and watch master educators in action and see the positive effect they have on their students.
I've seen many wonderful strategies that encourage and uplift students. Sometimes what appears to be the most simple - a smile directed at
a student - brings the greatest results. On a school-wide level, the effect of a smile is magical.
When we have the opportunity to
visit schools at which every student is met and greeted by an adult we are able to see the before and after.
Before: Students drag
in, sleepy-eyed. Some arrive at school with a serious weight-of-the-world look about them. An educator greets them with a
smile, along with an individualized comment or question.
After: Students' faces light up, their step quickens, they square up their
shoulders and they look forward to their school day. It's an instant change in demeanor.
I would encourage your school to develop a plan
that allows every staff member the opportunity to greet students as they enter the campus. It will have as much of a positive effect on your day
as it does the students' day.
|
Sharon Aune of Olivia Park Elementary School in Mukilteo School District developed the following
script for her students to use during Concerns, which is based on Glasser's Classroom Theory.
- "Gerri, I have a concern for you that it interfered with my learning/safety/well-being when (state reason) and
I asked you to stop."
- Response. If student with concern doesn't accept response.
- "What would be helpful is if you could (state alternate or replacement behavior). Can you do that?
- Response, which is the ownership piece for the student who is the object of the Concern.
|
|
sss
What
About
This
sss
Student Questions
|
Why do you have to take a slip home if you are responsible for your actions?
Excellent question. As a student you do choose and are responsible for your actions; however, your parents are
responsible for helping you grow into a mature, responsible person. The slip that you take home allows them to help you work on and/or solve
any small problems that happen during the school day. Many students show their parents the slip and say something like "Here are some things I
did that kept me from being as successful as I want to be in school. This is what I plan to do about it: ______. If your parents
understand MYD, they will offer you help and not punish you. If that isn't the case, let your teacher know. |
|
