Happy Sunday Parents!
Well we are officially at the half way point in our first nine weeks, and I can hardly believe it! Time is flying in our room. I wanted to talk to you all about Class Dojo today. Last year, I discovered Class Dojo after my original classroom management plan was not working. "Moving your clip" was not cutting it! I scoured the internet for an answer and came upon Class Dojo. It worked wonders in my room last year. It helped students recognize what they were doing well at and what they needed to work on. We then set goals based on their personal reports, and also made goals for our classroom based on class reports. It really worked well because I linked it with our Classroom Currency Program better known as Drobish Dollars. I still continue this practice currently with your child. Each child is given the total amount of Dojo Points earned each week in Drobish Dollars. Every other week, students are permitted to shop in my store for items or coupons and purchase them with their Drobish Dollars. The students love it. Therefore, behavior becomes important to them because the more points they earn, the more dollars they get.
Positive Dojo points are my favorite obviously because it focuses on what the students do that is positive and sets an example for the other students as to what they should be doing. Students can receive Dojo points for not only positive behavior but also for kindness and other positive character traits. I love giving Dojo points out to students for 'being a friend' or 'helping others'. I have a lot of helpers in this room and they deserve to be recognized for their kindness.
Negative Dojo points are also a part of this process of learning and growing. These points are NOT being given as punishment or humiliation. Negative dojo points are given only to help the students become aware of what they are doing and fix it the best way they can. Will it be fixed immediately? No, because it might be something that the student really needs to work on. However, if we do not know we are doing something wrong, how are we to change that behavior? I will even give a positive dojo point for persistence if I see that the child is working toward fixing a problem they need to be working on. Always remember, these are children and they are learning and growing. Notice that is the second time I have used the phrase "we are learning and growing". My students know that that is our class motto along with "wake up and be awesome". When it comes to guiding children and helping them develop, it is my job to nurture them with positive reinforcement but also my job to point out when they are not making the smart choices they need to make. All of our classroom rules are based on Whole Brain Teaching Rules (1: Follow directions quickly, 2: Raise your hand for permission to speak, 3: Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat, 4: Make smart choices, and 5: Make your dear teacher happy). There is a negative dojo point to represent each WBT classroom rule. If you are seeing your child is getting more negative dojos than positive that is a problem, especially at the beginning of the year. I say this because usually I give them one free pass/warning daily. However, once the free pass is given each day, I have to give over the negative dojo. We must remember that these are children and they are here to make mistakes and we are here to guide them through them. I saw something on Facebook in our Class Dojo Mentor Community that resonated well with me and hopefully it will with you tool.
A fellow teacher writes:
1. In my classroom, we value growth over perfection. Children are most proud of themselves when they can see their flaws and work hard to fix them.
2. No child is perfect, and no child is immune from having points taken in class.
3. Points that are taken simply show a child what he or she can work on, rather than shaming a child, which is what we never intend to do.
4. As educators, we are called to help children grow in social skills, focusing and attentive skills, and skills that will help them become a productive member of society, not just reading, writing and math.
5. School is practice for the work force. Think of the teacher as the manager. If the manager constantly gives only positive reinforcement, and never constructive criticisms, the employees can never grow as people, and learn to achieve more. It's the same way with kids.
I feel the same way about all of these comments and do my best each day to practice this in the classroom. Hopefully this year will enable the students to grow through learning both academically and socially. I look forward to continue being your child's teacher and learning and growing right along with them. Again, I have an open door policy. If you ever need to discuss anything, feel free to contact me on Class Dojo. We can set up a meeting to talk if you feel the need or just a quick message back. Whatever you all need I am here for you. Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Drobish
Well we are officially at the half way point in our first nine weeks, and I can hardly believe it! Time is flying in our room. I wanted to talk to you all about Class Dojo today. Last year, I discovered Class Dojo after my original classroom management plan was not working. "Moving your clip" was not cutting it! I scoured the internet for an answer and came upon Class Dojo. It worked wonders in my room last year. It helped students recognize what they were doing well at and what they needed to work on. We then set goals based on their personal reports, and also made goals for our classroom based on class reports. It really worked well because I linked it with our Classroom Currency Program better known as Drobish Dollars. I still continue this practice currently with your child. Each child is given the total amount of Dojo Points earned each week in Drobish Dollars. Every other week, students are permitted to shop in my store for items or coupons and purchase them with their Drobish Dollars. The students love it. Therefore, behavior becomes important to them because the more points they earn, the more dollars they get.
Positive Dojo points are my favorite obviously because it focuses on what the students do that is positive and sets an example for the other students as to what they should be doing. Students can receive Dojo points for not only positive behavior but also for kindness and other positive character traits. I love giving Dojo points out to students for 'being a friend' or 'helping others'. I have a lot of helpers in this room and they deserve to be recognized for their kindness.
Negative Dojo points are also a part of this process of learning and growing. These points are NOT being given as punishment or humiliation. Negative dojo points are given only to help the students become aware of what they are doing and fix it the best way they can. Will it be fixed immediately? No, because it might be something that the student really needs to work on. However, if we do not know we are doing something wrong, how are we to change that behavior? I will even give a positive dojo point for persistence if I see that the child is working toward fixing a problem they need to be working on. Always remember, these are children and they are learning and growing. Notice that is the second time I have used the phrase "we are learning and growing". My students know that that is our class motto along with "wake up and be awesome". When it comes to guiding children and helping them develop, it is my job to nurture them with positive reinforcement but also my job to point out when they are not making the smart choices they need to make. All of our classroom rules are based on Whole Brain Teaching Rules (1: Follow directions quickly, 2: Raise your hand for permission to speak, 3: Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat, 4: Make smart choices, and 5: Make your dear teacher happy). There is a negative dojo point to represent each WBT classroom rule. If you are seeing your child is getting more negative dojos than positive that is a problem, especially at the beginning of the year. I say this because usually I give them one free pass/warning daily. However, once the free pass is given each day, I have to give over the negative dojo. We must remember that these are children and they are here to make mistakes and we are here to guide them through them. I saw something on Facebook in our Class Dojo Mentor Community that resonated well with me and hopefully it will with you tool.
A fellow teacher writes:
1. In my classroom, we value growth over perfection. Children are most proud of themselves when they can see their flaws and work hard to fix them.
2. No child is perfect, and no child is immune from having points taken in class.
3. Points that are taken simply show a child what he or she can work on, rather than shaming a child, which is what we never intend to do.
4. As educators, we are called to help children grow in social skills, focusing and attentive skills, and skills that will help them become a productive member of society, not just reading, writing and math.
5. School is practice for the work force. Think of the teacher as the manager. If the manager constantly gives only positive reinforcement, and never constructive criticisms, the employees can never grow as people, and learn to achieve more. It's the same way with kids.
I feel the same way about all of these comments and do my best each day to practice this in the classroom. Hopefully this year will enable the students to grow through learning both academically and socially. I look forward to continue being your child's teacher and learning and growing right along with them. Again, I have an open door policy. If you ever need to discuss anything, feel free to contact me on Class Dojo. We can set up a meeting to talk if you feel the need or just a quick message back. Whatever you all need I am here for you. Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Drobish
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