At Edmond Early Childhood Center we use the tenants from the Conscious Discipline program developed by Dr. Becky Bailey, to guide the social-emotional development of our students. This program is rooted in current brain research. Its focus is relationship-based teaching while building a classroom community. The ultimate goal is developing connections and creating a safe and caring environment for learning and growing.
Discipline
A Key point to remember for home and school:
Connections on the outside wire the brain for willingness and impulse control.
There are seven basic skills of discipline:
Composure: Self control in action
Encouragement: We are all in this together and have something to contribute
Assertiveness: Learning to stand up for our self in an appropriate way
Choices: Building self-esteem and willpower
Positive Intent: Seeing the best in others
Empathy: Acknowledging others feelings without taking on those feelings
Consequences: Using mistakes as opportunities to learn
Conscious Discipline Structures which are in our classrooms:
School Family: In our classrooms we create a “School Family.” We connect each morning with a greeting, such as a hug, high five, or handshake. We also “wish each other well” when a child is absent. We give each child a special cheer when they return to our classroom to let them know they have been missed. We establish consistent rules and routines which are reinforced daily. The teacher’s job in the classroom is to “keep it safe.” Your child’s job is to “help keep it safe.”
Classroom Jobs: Each child has a job which is an important responsibility as part of our school family. These jobs change weekly so that everyone has the opportunity to do every job.
What you focus on you get more of: The focus in our classroom is on concern and caring for ourselves and others. We focus on the behavior we want. (For example, “Hands and feet to yourself” versus “Don’t hit.”) We show and tell what the correct behavior should be.
Classroom commitments: Our school family also makes a “commitment” each day to focus on an area that we may be having difficulty. We might say together, “I commit to use helpful words today.”
Celebrations: We celebrate our accomplishments! We do not reward good behavior. The reward is intrinsic, a sense of accomplishment for a job well done as a contributing member of our school family. "You did it!"
Safe Place: Instead of a time out area, we have an area known as the “Safe Place.” This is an area where a child can go to relax and calm down if he/she is upset. We learn different breathing techniques to calm down our bodies so we can better handle a situation. (This is a great tool for adults to learn also!)