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Teaching Children to Care; by Ruth Sidney Charney

What were the key points of your assigned readings?
These can be listed in bulleted format under each chapter.
Identify/Explain/Plan 1 idea from EACH chapter that you will look for
or try during your RED 414 Clinical.

List any questions or discussion

topics you would like discussed
in class.

Section I Building a Learning Community

Chapter 1 Intentions

The classroom needs to be an equal balance between discipline and classroom

management.
The students learn by doing, so dazzling models arent going to help unless the
students are going to get to do it later on.
Students look forward to routine, keep it or steadily changing it will be best for them.
Learning when to let students partner up themselves or do individual work will take
time. But also learning when you need to stop the class and remind them of the rules
for work time.
Having the students create self-control will allow for the classroom to advance to
higher levels then what they would have been able to without it.
When creating a community, students working together as a class are the best option
for them to get the most out of it and make decisions as a class.
Look for or try
I want to look for the class trying to form a community while I am there. I know it is the
beginning of the year and they might not have meet each other yet, but I hope that by
the time that I have to leave it has started to happen a bit.

Ways on creating community

in the classroom.
How to juggle school
schedules with the need to
also fit in other activities.

Chapter 2 I See You, I See Everything

Setting up your classroom in a way that allows you to see everything, but also not
overwhelm the students in the room. They need to be introduced to the materials and
given the items when they are in need of them.
Knowing when to remind students on expectations and how to possible reword to get
the message across for them.

How many attention getters

should you teach your class?

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Modeling to students about what is expected of them before expecting them to be

able to do the task.
Prepping the room and the schedule will allow for materials/ academic learning to be
brought on slowly when you will be able to fully teach the lesson without stopping for
reminders.
Practicing what signal will be used in the classroom and what to do when you hear the
signal.
Morning meetings can be used to start to show different areas of the room and also
be a bridge into learning about other materials that the students will have the option to
use during the year.
The stages of the school year are there to help give a guideline about what students
should be doing, but it doesnt mean that they shouldnt have more options than that.
Group work and independent work are the main focus of the school year stages.
Look for or try
o Getting the students to try and work on their own for a ten minute period and
seeing if they are able to move stations without having to fully explain the
activities over again. They would be developing stamina and expanding their
education.

Chapter 3 Making the Rules with Children

Involving students in rule making will allow them to decide what is most important for
the classroom.
Students look to adults when they are following rules, but also know when to help out
classmates because it is also the most important.
Allow the class to see the visually side of the rules is also needed. But a statement to
follow the rules also allows them to understand what it means.
Using the rules of the classroom as a writing exercise depending on the classroom
grade would be a way to create the rules.
Having the students record their hopes and dreams is going to help all year long.
The Golden Rule is able to be put into many different situations that allow students to
fully remember the rules.
Pairing students up at the beginning of the year would allow the students to mix and
not run to their friends to partner up. It might take some reminders during the activity
to work with their assigned partners, but it will work in the end.

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Look for or try

o Have the students comes up with a list of rules that they would like to have for
the year and can be posted in a place that they would be in an easy place to
see. It would allow them to have some guidance during the days in
kindergarten.

Chapter 4 Teaching the Rules

Students can know the rules, but if you want them to truly know them, then modeling

them in some way would be better.

Role playing can be good if there is a problem that is constantly occurring. Students
can see the problem and what could be done the next time a situation like this would
happen.
Having discussions about common problems and how they can relate to the school or
even classroom. You will be able to get the students input on it and how they view it.
Look for or try
o I would like to try and have the students role play different situations that
happen in the classroom that are common. See what the students can take
away from it and also what can be done for future times.

Chapter 5 The Critical Contract: A Students Individual

Goals for the Year
Students shouldnt just work on goals that focus on one thing, but could be a variety of

things.
Parents should also have input on a goal for their student to work on.

Depending on the age of the students, would depend on how teachers would go about
in creating the goals that students have for themselves.
Be careful how the question is phrased to the student; it isnt directed in one way or
another.
Look for or try
o Help the students come up with a goal for their first year of school. And if
possible, have the parents write down goals for their students for the year.

Section II Making the Community Work

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Chapter 6 Using Logical Consequences When Rules are

Broken

There are appropriate times when students should have consequences, but determine
when it will happen are part of the key.
Student will have problems and finding consequences the fit what happen will be
crucial in allow the children to grow.
The story shared a key point in students in the higher grades taking control of their
work and coming up with a plan to fully get it done and keep going in a class that they
love.
Sometime students will feel the consequences without a teacher having to get
involved. Teachers and parents will jump in to help them not fully make the mistake,
but students need to make the mistakes to learn and avoid remaking them in the
future.
Look for or try
o Finding nonverbal cues to redirect students in the classroom. Then there will be
less interruptions and more time for teaching.

The right consequences for

the lower grades when they
are just learning the school
routine and all that goes into
it.
How do you repeatedly give
consequences to a student
who is making the same
mistake and isnt getting
anything from the
consequences that have
been assigned?

Chapter 7 Time-Out: Establishing Boundaries and

Promoting Self-Control
Time-out needs to be specific and understood by all of the students and teachers in

the room.
Discussion should happen before or after, but not during. Checking in with the student
to make sure that both sides know why the time-out was used.
All students might not have time-out working for them; other ideas will need to be
thought of.
All students should be held to the rules and should have time-outs equally. Even if it is
a student who isnt necessarily a rule breaker.
Students shouldnt negotiate when they are told to go to time-out.

Giving students a choice between following the rules or going to time-out allows them
to decide what they want to do for the day.
Look for or try

Other ideas besides time-outs

when it doesnt work for the
student.

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o Giving students nonverbal cues of what should be happening. Asking my

teacher what she uses for students who arent following the rules.

Chapter 8 The Five Percent

If students are having troubles paying attention, coming up with a contract about what

will happen and what is expected would be an option.

Parents and teachers have to be on the same page when this is happening so the
child knows that it will remain the same.
Look for or try
o If the students are having problems, looking for ways to help them calm down
and come back to the task.

Chapter 9 Working Together to Support the Rules

Teachers working together to remove the child when necessary can allow both the
child and teacher to cool down after having to remove the students.
But the primary teacher has to be involved in the decisions that are being made due to
being the primary interactor with the student.
Parents should help brainstorm ideas of what can be done to help keep the student in
the classroom and learning when plans have to be made.
If higher level students arent cooperating, switching schools is an option to make sure
that they are receiving the tools needed.
Students switching classrooms is an option if other options have been tried and
unsuccessful.
Look for or try
o Different ways that the teachers on my team work together to help with
students who arent interacting or following the rules that are needed.

Section III The Voices of Teaching

Chapter 10 Empowering Language: Say What You Mean and
Mean What You Say
Students begin to realize that teachers are going to give them the same reminders
and eventually the reminders will stop and the teacher will have the rest of the class
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wait. The student will pick up on this and then come to the next activity when they are
ready to. The rest of the class will wait and have to deal with what is next.
Saying what you want in a way that isnt pointing out students will be helpful and not
single anyone out in the class. Generally saying a rule will allow all students a chance
to check themselves to see if they are following the rules.
Make sure what is being said is short and direct and is able to be non-negotiable for
students. They know what needs to be done and wont be able to argue with the
teacher.
Look for or try
o Stating things in non-negotiable ways so that students know what is expected.

Chapter 11 Stress the Deed, Not the Doer

Looking at how we are phrasing different things.
Phrasing things so that the other side has a part to react and recover, just so we arent
assuming different things and are able to get the whole side of the story.
Teaching students to use different ways to relay messages.

The I statements that fully tell what they are feeling, why, and what they would like
the person to do.
But also showing the teacher that they are trying to do things differently by the way
that they are speaking.
Having a class activity that allows the students to observe others and catch them
making the right choices or changing the problems that were talked about in the room.
If students have the chance to catch a classmate doing something positive, it can start
to get all of them to work on that and being the best that they can be.
Playing the pretzel activity would allow students to share openly and also let the class
bond together to learn more about others. And then at the point when they are open to
others, the second part of the activity could be brought in to help the class notice the
items that could be changed for the better of the class.
Look for or try

Getting the students to use I statements when they need to tell a friend how they are
feeling from an accident. Looking at how we are phrasing different things.

Game to play to help

encourage positive
behavior.
What awards should
be given in certain
grade and how can
they be personalized?
o Pretzel game

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Phrasing things so that the other side has a part to react and recover, just so we arent
assuming different things and are able to get the whole side of the story.
Teaching students to use different ways to relay messages.

The I statements that fully tell what they are feeling, why, and what they would like
the person to do.
But also showing the teacher that they are trying to do things differently by the way
that they are speaking.
Having a class activity that allows the students to observe others and catch them
making the right choices or changing the problems that were talked about in the room.
If students have the chance to catch a classmate doing something positive, it can start
to get all of them to work on that and being the best that they can be.
Playing the pretzel activity would allow students to share openly and also let the class
bond together to learn more about others. And then at the point when they are open to
others, the second part of the activity could be brought in to help the class notice the
items that could be changed for the better of the class.
Look for or try
o Getting the students to use I statements when they need to tell a friend how
they are feeling from an accident.

Chapter 12 The Voices of Authority

Different types of voices or reasonings are used depending on the circumstances.
The golden rule is good to go by, students know it and can understand it with almost

any situation.
Students can see how rumors can hurt someone by learning how they, themselves,
would feel if a rumor was about them. Then applying the golden rule and taking action
about it.
School rules or game rules arent ones that are overall or personal, but ones that the
students must follow in order to be safe.
Personal rules are ones that every person has and asks others to follow. Some might
not understand why, but it is important to the person who is asking.
Students have rights to express themselves, but that can sometimes cross into a

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teacher/classmates thoughts and new ideas can be brought up. We have to be open
to having students express themselves, or showing different sides of themselves.
Look for or try
o Helping students to remember how we should be treating students.

Section IV Further Strategies for Difficult Classroom

Behaviors
Chapter 13 Problem-solving Class Meetings
Students have hard days just like teachers, but it is harder when the students dont
have an outlet to bring up issues that are going on in the room.
Meetings should happen to allow students chances to talk about different events and
alternative solutions to the problems.
Students need to make mistakes to keep learning, but sometimes we dont have time
to allow for that.
And that may be one of the greatest failures of our schools- the lack of time we give
children to learn from necessary mistakes. Page 280
Setting up rules for a meeting will help with the tone and outcomes, also talking about
using I statements so students are being specific about how they are feeling.
Meeting should also have an agenda that will invite everyone to join in and put in their
input.
Steps can be taken to make sure the problems that are arising are being taken care of
and that the information is being gathered, brainstorming has happened, choose a
solution, progress is tracked and the meeting is over with.
Look for or try
o Talking to students to try and solve problems that arise in the room and find
solutions to the problems

Chapter 14 Teachers as Mirrors: Using Social Conferences

Students dont always know the why to what is going on, but asking the question in a
different way, would help students to answer the questions that are asked.
Teachers see students daily and notice the changes that are happening.

Students notice the changes in themselves just like the teachers

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do, but they might need help to actually talk about it and decide
on a plan of action.
Teachers can notice things not working in the classroom, but
stating what you notice versus saying it because of a reason,
can lead students to not be willing to talk about it.
Talk to the student to see if they can solve the problem on their
own, or if they would like help to solve it. Then take the steps
that would be needed to help solve the problems.
Understanding the problems could take longer than the teachers
might think. The students dont know why the problem is
happening, but might just continue to have the problem.
Talking to students about different alternatives for them to do
while still completing the desired activity and getting the same
outcome as others will allow them to be creative and stay with
the class.
Both the students and the teacher have to have an
understanding that the action of agreement needs to be tried
before another option is put into place.

Look for or try

o Having students try and use words when we are talking and finding out a way
to communicate on what is going on.

Chapter 15 Individual Contracts

Creating contracts with students individual can allow students to work on certain
things, but not have the whole class knowing what is going on.
Allows you to also see what is going on with students that the teachers might need to
know, but allows growth throughout the year for students.
Students and parents need to agree to the contract as well and all of the agreements
that are in it.
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After the contract is over, students should still strive to continue on with the behaviors
or conditions that were laid out in the contract.
A celebration can happen once the outcome is meet.

Daily check INS, meetings and reminders can be made.

Special teachers can also make contracts with students.
When the contract is broken, the students should have consequences; those would be
set in the contract during the making of it.
Look for or try
o Setting up conferences with students you need it, to help with learning and the
classroom environment.

Section V Clear Positives

Chapter 16 Teaching by Clear Positives: Revisiting Ideals
Schools can teach non-violence or have policies in place, but students need to have

alternative ways when it comes to this.

Students can voice their opinions about what they dont like or what is going on, but
will need help going from there.
Students can also talk among themselves and see how they can change to make
things easier for themselves and others.
Getting a change to happen in the classroom will only happen when the whole class
or almost the whole class is on board with it.
Have students try something new to break out of their shells.

Students are able to identify who is who in the class and their strengths and

weaknesses. We have to find ways for everyone to show what they are good at and
have others be open to asking them for helps.
Look for or try
o Have students find out what they would be good at and have others ask them
for help when they might not have strength in that particular area.

Chapter 17 Clear Positives in Action

The whys of activities in the room for students arent going to be known, but they will
have to be discussed and made sure that everyone is on the same page.

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Talking about a field trip before it happens allows the students to prepare and think

about any questions that they might have.

Asking why we do something or what students know about certain things allow them
to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of each other, but also get their work done.
If a class is having troubles, talking about it and allowing everyone to share what they
are thinking using the I statement will allow them to move on to the next step and go
from there.
Students know how to take care of things, but might need reminders of what needs to
happen.
Giving friendly reminders about topics that a class is having a hard time doing will
encourage the students to keep on the right track and follow the steps.
Planning, organization and thinking for yourself.

Look for or try

Students who are self-motivated and complete their work versus those students who
choose to talk and wander.

Be sure to save your reflections on your computer, as this could be an artifact for your Standards of Effective Practice electronic
portfolio.