Like a dribbled basketball the words bounced from Bayard’s
Grade School Principal Matthew McLaughlin’s heart. “Through positive
reinforcement kids feel they belong, which is necessary in our school system
due to the diversity of our students.
“It all began in a staff meeting during which we
brain-stormed ways we could make positive reinforcement be a continuous process
at the grade school. We chose to implement the idea of
‘Caught You Being Good’
tickets.
“Basically, the premise is that we should pay as much
attention to students doing good things as we
do for counter-productive behavior.
We have consequences to discourage negative behavior, so why not have rewards
to promote positive behavior? Things like helping someone pick up books they
dropped, holding a door open for another person, and proper playground
behavior, etc.
McLaughlin talked about the simple process. When someone is
‘caught’ doing something good, a ‘Caught You Being Good’ ticket is hung on a
special wall at the grade school. (See ticket below) Along with their name on
the ticket is the good thing they did, the date, and the person who saw them
doing the good deed.
The person who earns the most tickets during two-week time
frames receives a prize. This year’s initial two week first place prize was
whipped cream pies in the face of the teacher of their choice. McLaughlin didn’t
need me to ask whether the students enjoyed ‘Caught You Being Good.’
Relishing the success of the program he hardly paused, “It’s
caught on to the point the kids look for good things to do, and if we don’t
catch them in the act they don’t hesitate to point it out to us. We believe making
the connection between good behavior and an award will help students feel they
are part of the grade school, and it will help them develop a positive attitude
toward good behavior that may follow them throughout their lives.”
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