2 MIN READ
In this five-part series focused on the Whole Child, we have illuminated common student struggles and provided practical, easy-to-implement strategies for your school and classroom.
The previous blog highlighted the FAST Method, a strategy to help understand student behavior and eliminate misbehavior.
The 2 x 10 strategy was used to build positive relationships with students. We’re ending the Whole Child Series with a strategy that turns students who are disruptive into school or classroom leaders. Think about the students who give any teacher, veteran or not, a run for their money at every turn. The students that drain every ounce of discretionary energy from you or touch the last nerve that is keeping you upright. They are also the students who, through their force field, get other kids to go along with their shenanigans.
Young minds grow when we challenge and support them. Unlocking hidden talents and delegating responsibility to our students gives them a chance to learn and grow. All while building trust and a positive school culture.
“The more youth begin to recognize that they have a voice, the more change is possible.” Usher
It is possible to get these students to use their powers for good. How is this accomplished? A favorite strategy is the Youth Leadership Menu. In a nutshell, a youth leadership menu is a classroom and school’s way to improve and encourage student leadership.
For example, structured, school-wide student leadership opportunities might include:
Youth PBIS/Climate Team
Student Co-Teacher
School Project Leader - Students Malia Sandborn and Lane Mathews along with Superintendent Randy Russell tell us what it’s like when student voice is used to ensure students feel welcomed, safe and a part of building a great school culture. Outliers in Education podcast Season 2-Episode 1.
Community Service Coordinator
Youth Advisory Council - Superintendent Michelle Whitney describes in Outliers in Education podcast Episode 21, how 30 High School students along with several board members meet with her 6 times per year. “This has become one of the most important Advisory and action groups that I meet with.”
Peer Mentoring
Team Captain/Leader (sport or club)
Disruptive or unmanageable student leaders can lead a school community to miraculous change, where students positively connect with each other and their teachers. Award-winning filmmaker Erahm Christopher argues in Outliers in Education podcast Episode 19 that the more carefully we listen to students and to one another, the better our chances of transforming education into a more compassionate, productive and effective institution. You can learn about Christopher’s films including LISTEN, PHILADELPHIA PROJECT and the TEEN TRUTH FILM SERIES at ec-films.com.
Principal Ron Hartley from Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma, WA shares on the Outliers in Education podcast Episode 2 how a student walkout turned into a trust-building event that changed the school’s culture and the way students managed their behavior for the good.
The FAST Method, featured in the fourth blog in this series, helps us see misbehavior through the lens of our students. Not all misbehavior will disappear, but new strategies can help. Having a menu of positive replacement behavior and providing children some choice in picking their preferred solution, will have a positive impact on school culture.
You are now equipped you with new low-touch high-impact strategies for your professional toolkit. Let us know what has worked or what has been challenging if you've already implemented them. Transformation takes place one action at a time. We all learn from each other, our students and our school communities.
We hope this this blog series and the Whole Educator Series helps you in your quest to become the best manager of behavior you can be and as, if not more importantly, empower our children with the skills to become better self-managers.
If you like what you are reading, share this series with your peers and colleagues. Join us for our next 5-part Principal Leadership series with John Iverson. He is the founder of the Resilient Principal Facebook group and coaches leaders who are ready to transform from an old story of overwhelm and stress to a new story of calm and intentionality. We’ll be talking about improving working conditions for all educators.
The Whole Educator Series is a comprehensive online training for more high-impact strategies. https://learn.effectiveness.org
Erich Bolz erich@effectiveness.org, VP for Research and District Engagement with CEE, has worked in all levels of education for the past 30 years.
Dr. Greg Benner, Helen and Pat O’Sullivan Professor of Special Education, Implementation Science, University of Alabama
RETURN TO BLOG HOMELearn more about CEE consulting