In my classroom, we make a habit of talking out the negative things that happen. We come up with alternate ways that a person could react to a situation. We help each other get along. We apologize when we've hurt someone. We write a pledge together and recite it every day. In it we promise to work as a team and follow the Golden Rule. We learn about the Pillars of Character. You get the drift.
Here's a list of some things I've heard from my students this year. We wrote them on the board. Then we talked about how a person could respond to these words. Here's what we came up with. If these are posters that you can use, please download them from Teachers Pay Teachers. Use them with my blessing! And have a wonderful year. (Click on any picture to download. They come in two versions: paint splatters and black and white.)
- "He made me do it."
- "She did it first!"
- "I wouldn't have kicked him if he hadn't hit me."
- "My dog peed on it and I had to throw it away." (Checked with mom. She said, "We don't have a dog.")
- "Nobody gave me my homework."
- "Why do I have to? It's not fair!"
- "I had to erase her name and put mine. You didn't give me one."
- "I didn't do it." (Oh, yes, you really did.)
- "I don't like purple. I want the black ones."
I hope that you do not need these as much as I do this year! The good news is, I think they're already helping. =)
