Going into the 2016-2017 school year, I was
excited and enthusiastic about using a behavior binder. Though I really haven’t had any major
behavior problems in recent years, I always do struggle with the typical chattiness
of students. In theory, this was a
fantastic idea.
Here
are some of the positives…
A-
It’s instant documentation of the
behavior incident.
B-
It ensures that the student reflects
on this behavior.
C-
After every entry is a teacher/student
conference.
D-
I miraculously remember to speak with
students after they go into the binder.
And while all of these positives still hold true,
the behavior binder did not feel like a success this year.
So
what went wrong?
A-
I felt that the same two students were
the only repeat offenders and that they would have kept going in the binder
over and over if I didn’t eventually give up on it.
B-
It seemed ominous to the students in
September, but lost its scare tactics by Christmas.
C-
It didn’t have a plan to coincide with
our school consequences.
D-
Even though it’s supposed to be
student run (and it was) it felt like extra work for me. Somehow…it just didn’t
mesh.
What are some possibilities for behavior issues for next year?
A-
Holding my own personal after school
detentions (kids have to come in and write a letter of apology/clean for me)
B-
Keep the behavior binder BUT make sure
that if a student records an entry in
the behavior binder, then it will be sent as an incident to our school
report where the student loses school achievement points
C-
Have students JUST sign a sheet in the
binder (instead of description and reflection) and then go forward with same
consequence as in B
D-
Simply use school-wide
consequences/forget any classroom log
I would love to hear from anyone who has any
relating tips/tricks! I’ll be thinking
about it a bit more this summer before I decide. By the way- I think this would work MUCH more
easily and successfully if I had a self-contained elementary class. Middle school tends to complicate all those
cutesy ideas! But I still love and
wouldn’t trade my grade and classes! <3
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