Paws Laws Shuffle
Students Have Fun Learning Behavioral Expectations at Schiesher School
Last week Schiesher students were back from summer break, shuffling through the halls in more ways than one. They shuffled in on Monday with backpacks filled to the brim with school supplies to be organized, labeled and placed in just the right spot. Their eyes were shining with the excitement of meeting new teachers and seeing old friends.
But then on Wednesday throughout the day, the students shuffled through the halls with a different goal in mind. We call it the Schiesher “Paws Laws Shuffle.” It is a very specific behavioral procedure where all students in the school are taught to Be Respectful, Be Ready and Be Responsible throughout the building.
Students shuffle from station to station being directly taught about behavioral expectations in every space in the building. It makes sense, really. In the classroom teachers spend a majority of the first week of school teaching the kids about classroom expectations, how to work together cooperatively, what we expect in classroom discussions, and precisely what to do in many situations. However, in the past students have been sent in the hallways, to the bathrooms, out to recess and lunch without these specific directions and expectations about what is acceptable behavior in those places and what is not!
That is not the case anymore. Schiesher support teachers and staff put together a schedule where every class shuffled from the bathroom, to the hallway, out to recess, lunch and to the building entrances. In each setting, students learned and then discussed the 3 B’s: how to be respectful, responsible and ready in that specific environment. You’d be surprised how many hands flew up to answer Mrs. Neustadt’s question about how to be responsible in the bathroom! “Don’t lock the doors to the stall and then climb out underneath.” “Go in, and then come right back out quickly.” “Don’t peek over the stall to look at someone else.” “Don’t swing on the stall doors.” The expectations were made clear, “Enter the bathroom, do your business, wash your hands with one pump of soap, and then head back to class immediately.”
Research shows that teaching children expectations in a very direct and specific manner helps improve behavior across all school settings. Time will tell for Schiesher students, but one thing is for sure! The students working in their classes were much less distracted by students walking by in the halls this week, as they were clearly maintaining a “Volume 0” in the hallway; no talking at all. And less distractions, equals more learning. Let’s keep up the great work!
