Knowing is half the battle

Absolute and total frustration.

I spent one hour and a half looking at the computer screen wondering why I wasn’t getting this week’s assignment. I read the lecture notes, the section in the book, and some of the supplemental information provided. When it came down to searching for and finding a peer reviewed empirical article I just hit a wall. Maybe I didn’t understand. Maybe it wasn’t explained well. Maybe I’m tired from staying up all night with two sick kids and I’m finally losing it. Whatever it was, I vented a little by cursing at the computer screen (as if it was its fault) then left the room for a moment to grab a bottle of water. Moments later I felt better and sat back down in front of the HP. It’s amazing what a little break can do.

            After the break I started up and things began to flow. I found a really interesting study about the relationship between maternal behavior, delayed gratification and school readiness across early childhood. It’s not that this positive early relationship between a mother and child is anything new. It the study of the relationship and the effects it possibly has on school readiness and the child’s ability to delay gratification that was interesting to me.

            If a child is able to be disciplined enough to delay gratification then it would be fair to assume that the child would be able to control impulses appropriately. Much of our social experience is instant which can be of great convenience but at what cost. What is happening when a child has nothing to do? A couple of things. The child is waiting for something to do, looking for something to do and possibly creating something to do. To be patient, imaginative, creative, observant, and looking for opportunity are not bad abilities to poses (as long as we stay on the positive side of things). Just a few thoughts.

            I feel that the tools gained in this class are half the battle. It’s not that researching is a terribly difficult task, although it kind of is if you don’t know where to look, its time consuming but more productive if you know where to look. This class has definitely helped me use my time more productively.

Reaction v. Prevention

This week the research I conducted lead to a deeper understanding of my topic by exposing me to This week the research I conducted lead to a deeper understanding of my topic by exposing me to various different models used to positively impact a schools environment, discipline, and test scores. Although models may vary they have the similar goals and similar practices of obtaining the goal. They focus on positive relationship building and positive reinforcement. The goal it to turn away from reactive discipline and focus on preventative tactics that look to empower the individual and create ownership. People for the most part enjoy predictability and structure. Schools in the past have struggled to maintain a level of order. They are tasked with educating a youth not fully understanding what kind of baggage the students have. Often students act out at school because of issues unrelated to school. Schools are now realizing that in order to effectively teach a student and for the student to effectively learn these issues should be addressed.

Sleep deprivation is a form of torture: Week 3, Assignment 2

This week has been a challenging one. My days usually consist of 17 hours of go time. On top of that lately the nights have been interrupted. My poor boys are sick and feverish. I’m counting on getting to sleep in on Saturday. Okay, now on to the assignment. 

             I settled my sights on the book “A new model of school discipline: engaging students and preventing behavior problems” by David R. Dupper. While scanning through the pages of this book I was encouraged to find support in the models I have learned through working with nonprofit organizations that work with at risk youth and communities. It is really all about building strong positive relationships. I also found growing evidence that supports the ineffectiveness of discipline practices many schools around the nation currently hold as policy.

Research is much simpler of a task when you have an idea where to look. College online library resources are phenomenal and the difference between Google, Google scholar, and Google books are something I wish I knew long ago (not only the difference but the existence as well). 

             As I continue to research I hope to find more information on strategies to use with in your face kids. Building relationships can be fun and challenging but what do you do when you are faced with a kid where there is a personality conflict and the relationship seems unobtainable. I suspect that if the staff on sight is diverse there should be someone available for the student (individual) to connect with. 

It's all about the resources baby

Searching for background information for assignment 1 was a little more challenging than I thought (at first). But then I remembered we were to be general in our search. I didn’t necessarily find a deeper understanding of the topic. What I did find were ways to fulfill the understanding I already had. Knowing that knowledge and application are two entirely different things. I found techniques and practices to support what I knew should happen but didn’t quite know how to make them happen. It’s like knowing you need to get somewhere, you can head in the general direction and likely get to where you want (eventually). Or you can get a map that tells you tried routs that will be effective and save you the burden of figuring it out all by yourself. In addition to giving me tools to use it gave me supporting arguments against common practices that may not be the best choice when trying to create a safe learning environment.

            I also found the results to be more desirable when using Leatherbies library website. I also enjoyed Google Scholar. Google Scholar is a search option I rarely use and the schools online resource is one I have never used. When compared with general searches search options the findings are vastly different when comparing creditability and authority.

            I would like to specifically like to research the gap between expectation and reality. Schools can have rules but if they are not enforced or cannot be enforced then there is a gap that the students will pick up on. This gap is a failure in the structure, chaos is inevitable without structure. I would also like to explore what type of management skills would be beneficial to the schools leadership. This is important because “a divided house will not stand”. This means that everyone that is a part of the day to day functions and interactions of the students should have a clear understanding of expectations the school has for the students. This understanding will only help support the main goal of the school when each staff member is empowered to authoritatively enforce the expectations of the school. All while intentionally building a positive relationship with the students.