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March 2006
In Tribes during the
month of March, students will be discussing
perseverance, organization, patience and
sense of humor.
Are you tired of nagging, yelling, and being
frustrated by some behavior that your child
has made into a habit? Here is a technique
you might try that keeps the angry monster
away. For example, let’s say you have a
child who is in the habit of yelling at
siblings, and another child who won’t do
what he/she is told the first time you ask.
Each child gets a jar with marbles or rocks.
(Letting the kids pick them out gives them
ownership.) Before presenting this to the
kids, talk it over with your spouse to make
sure you are in agreement. This is most
effective if you are working on one or two
behaviors at a time. It is not to be used
for other discipline issues. Put ten marbles
in the jar. Explain to the children that
each time they display the behavior, they
will lose a marble. At the end of the week,
if there are any marbles left, they get to
choose a family activity. Brainstorm a list
of activities that are free
or very little cost. (a picnic, a family
walk, going to the library) Children feel
more secure, and negative behaviors tend to
happen less frequently if they get plenty of
family time. If they run out of marbles,
just say, “I am so sorry you don’t get to
pick an activity for us. I really look
forward to our time together.” Also keep in
mind that this is family time, which means
they still get to do the activity the other
children pick. Once the behavior has
stopped, have a family meeting to address a
different behavior that has surfaced for the
new week, and to think of activities for the
following weekend.
One of my goals for the remainder of the
school year is to focus on the social
interactions going on within the classrooms.
This would include issues with bullying,
teasing, and cruel treatment of other
classmates. Our goal is that students feel
safe and accepted while they are here at
EIS. We will be working on having classroom
environments that are respectful to one
another with no tolerance for “bullish”
behavior. Because our students stay together
for six years, we need to address these
issues with communication and mediation so
that no child feels continually tormented.
If you have concerns about your child,
please call me and
I will do what I can to help solve any
problems they might be having with other
students.
Melanie Heil
Counselor Counselor's Corner
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