As a class, one of the major focuses for the school year is to learn how to be a leader. I introduced The 7 Habits of Happy Kids to the class at the beginning of the school year. This book, by Sean Covey, does a great job of describing the qualities of a leader through the use of fun characters and short stories. Below is a list of the habits and a description of each one. Please take some time to review these habits with your child throughout the school year.
Along with using The 7 Habits Of Happy Kids, we have spent a lot of time discussing how leaders are great problem solvers and know how to communicate with others. This can be an extremely difficult concept for first graders to understand and be comfortable doing. But, I'm very impressed with how the children have been willing to try to use their words to create solutions to problems that come up each day here at school. Our problem poster is one strategy that students are using to work through conflicts with their peers. There is real power in teaching students how to work through their problems independently, in a positive manner. As you can imagine, this strategy hasn't resolved every conflict in school. But, given time, I believe each of my students will feel more confident and comfortable in dealing with problems when they arise.
Finally, as a school, we have decided to start using S.O.A.R. tickets as a way to recognize students who are who are following the school goals (Be Safe, Own It, Act Responsibly, and Be Respectful). Students are given these tickets when they are modeling one of the school goals. They put the tickets in our S.O.A.R. ticket box located in the front of our classroom. Once the box is full, the class earns a celebration. Celebrations could be having a PJ Day, Board Game Day, Movie Day, or some other fun event similar to these. Please continue to encourage your child to be a leader, in all aspects of life (school, home, church, sports teams, etc.). Your support and help with this is critical. As a team, we can help your child learn what it takes to be a positive leader.
Along with using The 7 Habits Of Happy Kids, we have spent a lot of time discussing how leaders are great problem solvers and know how to communicate with others. This can be an extremely difficult concept for first graders to understand and be comfortable doing. But, I'm very impressed with how the children have been willing to try to use their words to create solutions to problems that come up each day here at school. Our problem poster is one strategy that students are using to work through conflicts with their peers. There is real power in teaching students how to work through their problems independently, in a positive manner. As you can imagine, this strategy hasn't resolved every conflict in school. But, given time, I believe each of my students will feel more confident and comfortable in dealing with problems when they arise.
Finally, as a school, we have decided to start using S.O.A.R. tickets as a way to recognize students who are who are following the school goals (Be Safe, Own It, Act Responsibly, and Be Respectful). Students are given these tickets when they are modeling one of the school goals. They put the tickets in our S.O.A.R. ticket box located in the front of our classroom. Once the box is full, the class earns a celebration. Celebrations could be having a PJ Day, Board Game Day, Movie Day, or some other fun event similar to these. Please continue to encourage your child to be a leader, in all aspects of life (school, home, church, sports teams, etc.). Your support and help with this is critical. As a team, we can help your child learn what it takes to be a positive leader.