Encouraging Compassion in the Classroom
We can build classrooms that foster respect, compassion and deep listening, resulting in spaces where students feel safe and where healthy social skills can emerge. The word compassion comes from the words to be “with suffering.” It is our ability to step into the shoes of another person, to care for them without judgment. It […]
Self-Regulation to Grow Engaged Learners
As educated adults we know that to lead a healthy life we should eat fewer fatty foods, exercise regularly and get enough rest…but we don’t always do it! That’s because we are all continually developing our self-regulation skills. Your students are the same. They may know what to do, but lack the self-regulation skills to […]
Growing Children Who Can Calm Themselves
Self-regulation is defined as the ability to manage your emotions and behavior in accordance with the demands of a situation. It’s the ability to calm yourself when upset, to resist highly emotional reactions to stressful stimuli, and the ability to handle frustration and adjust to a change in expectation. Children have varying degrees of self-regulation, […]
Routines and Getting Ready for Back to School
In most families, summertime means a relaxation of schedules and routines. But…here comes the school year! It’s time to get back into the swing of routines. More than just getting everyone out the door on time in the morning, routines help young people develop important life skills. Routines provide the external structure that children need […]
Back to School and the Importance of Routines
Routines in the classroom help students feel have a sense of order and stability: they invite a feeling of safety and security. Although setting up routines takes time and energy, once routines are established, you can simply refer to the routine it invites a sense of collaboration from students. “What is next on our schedule?” […]
Classroom Jobs
School is finally out and the start of the new school year is a safe distance away. If you are like most teachers, part of your brain will be thinking about what little things you might improve in your classroom next year and those thoughts will be murmuring at you all summer. One of the […]
Family Work
What have your children done to contribute to your family this week? We aren’t talking about making their own beds or cleaning up their own toys, but helping out with the work that all families need to do: setting the table, walking the dog, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom. True, as a parent, sometimes it is […]
Helping Students Become Their Courageous Selves
If your school is one that actively teaches character traits or values we hope courage is on your list. Yet, talking about courage or even reading stories about courage doesn’t always help students be able to use their own courage. Instead of focusing on heroism or bravery, we suggest framing courage as becoming your best […]
Helping our Children Grow Courage
Examples of courage are all around us. We tend to notice only the big events though: a parent lifts a car off the leg of a child, a stranger who jumps into a river to save a drowning person, a teenager who steers a bus to safety when the busdriver passes out at the wheel. […]
Empowering Students – Growing Citizens
At Sound Discipline we often begin workshops by asking teachers to imagine a student returning to visit as a young adult. We ask them to think of what gifts or qualities they hope that student will have acquired. The list is long. It often includes things like compassion, empathy, confidence, problem solving skills, healthy relationships, […]
