EDL 711-Prompt 1

Rachel Chihil
EDL 711
Prompt 1
Wright State University

Prompt 1: Key Understandings

As a teacher leader, what are three key understandings you learned from the Payne text that you would deem appropriate for sharing with a colleague, administrator, and/or parent? Describe why these understandings were selected

Currently I work at a charter school in Dayton where most students live in poverty. 95% of our students receive free lunch and uniforms when they attend. This is my fourth year working at this particular school, and I have already read Ruby Payne’s book in the past. When reading it for a second time, I chose three points of key understanding which I feel are the most important from my experience working with students of poverty.

1.) The typical pattern in poverty for discipline is to verbally chastise the child, or physically beat the child, then forgive and feed him/her. . . Punishment is not about change, it’s about penance and forgiveness (p. 37).

I chose this point because I learned this the difficult way in my first year of teaching. When my students misbehaved or exhibited behaviors which were inappropriate for school I would address the behavior and take away many of their privileges. There was no way they could earn back recess, talk time in class, or choosing their own partners during group work. When these privileges were taken away for their inappropriate behavior they would behave and improve for about fifteen minutes and then it seemed student behaviors escalated to a level above what they had previously lost privileges for.

My second year, I decided to take a different approach. After privileges were taken away and students had improved their behavior for those 15 minutes I would address the class and tell them specifically what I liked about their behavior for those past 15 minutes. I would then let them know that those who continued that behavior would earn back the privileges lost. I saw a dramatic improvement in student behavior and eventually got to a point where I did not even have to take those privileges away.

2.) Require daily goal-setting and procedural self-talk would move many of these students light years ahead. In the beginning, goal-setting would focus on what a student wants to accomplish by the end of each day and by the end of the week. Goals would be in writing. At the end of the day, five minutes would be taken with the class to see if the goals were met or not. Procedural self-talk would begin in the written form; most students likely would need assistance. Procedural self-talk has value only when tied to a specific task. Procedures vary with task (p 96).

Each week the students in my homeroom set academic and behavior goals for themselves. They write them on note cards and then I tape them on my door each Monday as a constant reminder to them. “I will be good,” and “I won’t be bad” are not acceptable because the terms “good” and “bad” are very vague. I require the students to be very specific in what they write. They put their initials on the back and they receive five participation points each week. On Friday in our morning meeting we discuss those goals again and students are able to share how well they feel they worked towards achieving them. In the beginning of each year students are timid, but as the year progresses students are very willing to share because they work towards those goals and enjoy the praise for their accomplishments.

We also set goals at the beginning of each quarter. Students write down their academic and behavior goals and how they will achieve those. During conferences, I bring out their goals and we discuss how they feel they did in meeting their own expectations and what improvements need to be made for the following quarter.

Many of the students I teach do not think in the future. They react without weighing the consequences in their head because they live entirely in the moment. I always explain to them that everyone has goals for themselves, and they extend from ones they want to achieve daily to ones they hope to achieve many years down the road. In teaching them how to work towards these we start with weekly goals, and move towards monthly, quarterly and yearly goals.

3.) Many of the behaviors that students bring to school are necessary to help them survive outside of school (p. 100).

One of the greatest obstacles I struggled with my first year of teaching was students who were so quick to fly off the handle and fight each other. I still have a difficult time with this because I was raised that fighting was ignorant and there are other manners in which a person could handle a situation.

This issue of fighting is discussed in our morning meeting every year, multiple times throughout the year. Most students are told that if someone hits them they are to hit them back because their parents have given them permission. One of the first points I make is that they are in school and not on the streets. If that is how they are raised then you can do that outside of the building, however when they are here they need to tell a teacher and the teacher will handle the situation from there. We are their support system and those behaviors of not keeping your hands to yourself will NOT be tolerated.

Student’s are also very self conscious about being called a wimp, punk, etc. When someone calls them one of those terms, it’s like a fuse is lit and they need to prove they are not. From here I always ask them which is easier:

1.) When someone calls you a name, pokes you, etc. to hit them immediately

2.) Walking away and ignoring them.

To this they all answer walking away and ignoring them. So I tell them then I see the person who is able to do the second not the punk and stronger person because of their self-control. I have not had a fight in my room since my first year of teaching. Ruby Payne’s book greatly helped me in developing the classroom I have today.

Reference

Payne, R. (2005). A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Highlands, TX: aha!Process, Inc.