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We
Can Prevent Most
Secondary School Dropouts,
Prevent Most School Failures.
But we must begin no later than K-1-2-3-4-5, before
"The Days of Decision"*,
before students are "programmed" for failure.
Big Bonus:
GRADES GO UP,
behavior gets
very, very good.
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School leaders have said:
“Nothing I can do
would have more effect on their lives than teaching R&R. I’m seeing kids
behaving responsibly who I never DREAMED would be responsible. This is the
best thing to happen to schools since I’ve been in education.” Doug Waltz,
Principal (Bloomington IN)
“We’ve
seen huge improvements in behavior. In September and October, before
we started teaching R&R, I was having to deal with ten to twelve students
every day. By the first of the year, I was seeing only one or two—some days
none. And the attitude change was remarkable.” William Heffler, Vice
Principal (inner city school with 220 students, Indianapolis.) |
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To Do
So, We Must, and We
Can:
Stop the Teasing,
Putdowns and Bullying
Redirect the Bully
Before He Becomes Hardwired
Identify Six Key
Emotions and Role Play Productive Responses
Teach
an Understanding of Universal Human Needs and How to Meet Those Needs in
Productive Ways
Lead
Students to Discover and Develop Their Strengths and Talents, Reducing Their
Risk of Drop-Out and Illegal Activities
Reverse the Evolution of At-Risk Factors.
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Mid-way
through the second semester using R&R, a school counselor reported: “Since
we introduced the lessons and the Messages
from the Principal, the change has been incredible. I used to deal with
dozens and dozens and dozens of kids. There was a steady stream all day.
They used up my day. This semester has been wonderful. I have had to work
with only one discipline case so far! ONE! Now I have time to work
with the kids who have serious problems.” Counselor, Sandy Purvis, (700+
students, a mix of working/middle class and four, rural, low income trailer
parks. Indianapolis Suburban) |
We Must Do the Whole School at Once to Create
a Culture of Consideration and Respect that Is Reinforcing
With good leadership
and willing staff, even inner city schools will show enormous
behavior improvements in only months.**
The Basis for this
approach: Maslow’s Concept of Human Needs: that we spend our lives working
to fill our “needs”.
Sometimes we discover
constructive ways to fill them. Without gentle, adult guidance, we
frequently find destructive ways—but the drive to fill them is so
powerful, we keep doing whatever helps us feel “a little better” at the
time, even though these actions put us at risk of social failure, job
failure, life
failure or even loss of life.
(See “The Rationale” for
more more complete discussion.)
*“Before children
are eight years old, they develop a concept about their own worth. They also
formulate ideas about the worth of others”. Dr. Eric Berne, Principles of
Group Treatment, NY: Oxford University Press, 1964
**In Indianapolis an elementary school reported a 80% reduction in
discipline referrals is 5 months. Those students still being referred had
developed a complete turn around in attitude, and were working on improving
their behavioral and emotional responses. |
Teachers have said:
The pilot: A first
grade teacher whose end of year test scores jumped ten points above the next
best first grade (total seven first grade rooms) credited the high scores
to: "a. fewer interruptions and student fusses which led to more actual
teaching time, b. greater acceptance of children’s differences with
virtually no put-downs (unlike previous years with taunting and humiliation
of the slower learners), c. greater kindnesses and encouragement from
student to student". Sharon Lipford, first grade teacher, Lawrence Township
(Indianapolis area)
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We Call this R&R,
Teaching Respect and Responsibility. What it does, among other things, is
develop a conscience, a sense of doing what is right, what is fair. |
Better Grades, Best Behaviors