What are the components to creating a classroom environment safe for students and staff when working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders?
I ask myself this question all the time! Students with emotional and behavioral disorders bring something new to the table each day. How does an educator overcome this challenge?
Simply, you don't. As educators it is our job to adapt and be flexible. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes it is easy. We need to remember we are the consistent for many of our students. We are the ones responsible for creating a safe learning environment!
In my last post, I introduce you to two websites aimed at changing our approach in working with students with EBD. From the book Beyond Consequences, we are responsible for keeping our students safe.
What does keeping our students safe mean? It means we are not angry with our students because of their behavior. There is a reason the behavior is being exhibited. Creating a safe environment means we are committing to working with the students through this challenging time.
As I was reading this book, a classroom example was given on managing the safety of students. Each student started the day with their name on a kangaroo. If the child began to exhibit behaviors, their kangaroo was moved to the momma's pouch--indicating the child was safe.
Kangaroos are not really fitting into my theme of Everyday Hero! So, I created a bulletin board featuring our superheroes! There are two sections to my bulletin board: a town and a headquarters. Each day, the superheroes (the kids), find their picture and place them in a town--indicating they are feeling okay. If students are feeling unsafe or if they begin to feel unsafe, the students picture is moved to the headquarters! Headquarters is where the teachers and staff are located and work to ensure the students are safe! Look for a picture to be uploaded soon!!
I am very excited to see this management system being used this year!
No comments:
Post a Comment