What about REWARDS???

Last year, I read this truly remarkable book. Naoki Higashida, who wrote it at age thirteen, explained his thinking and feelings around behaviors that were native and natural for him, but might be hard for people that don't have autistic brains to understand. I read it at a time when I was truly changing a lot of what I believed to be true about working in a classroom. There have actually been two very significant shifts that have deeply impacted my practice, and I will briefly outline them both in this piece because they, like many things involving growing minds, are deeply intertwined.

ONE: I can't help a student with a challenging behavior to become their best learner if I don't know what needs underlie that behavior.

First, imagine how being treated differently in an adult work environment would feel. Visualize your boss heaping praise and extra privileges on your coworkers which might cause you to wonder things like, "This is so unfair. Am I doing something wrong?", or "Why don't they like me?" You might even speak up for ourself out of anger or jealousy. Either way, it would be difficult for you to do your best work in those situations, right?

We use the words "know your students" all the time in K-12 education, but often, whether spoken aloud or not, we put the things students do in the classroom into one of two containers: good behavior or bad behavior. This binary sets many children up for failure.

Now, think for a moment about those children that do everything our classroom lists of expectations say to do every day without being asked. You know...our FAVORITE students!!! I don't need to tell you which container their work is in....! The fact is...kids who struggle to learn for whatever reason know that they are struggling. They also know that they are being treated differently because they can see how our interactions with the students at the top of this paragraph differ from how they are received. Guess what? This can cause anxiety, anger, and you guessed it, behaviors that can be a challenge to deal with in a room full of youngsters we're charged with helping learn.

I can fix all of this with classroom rewards, right? Well...not always. Sometimes, a reward just means that a child is able to mask their needs long enough to receive it. Unfortunately, masking is hard work, and the mental energy that's sometimes needed to sit on a chair without moving around (as an example) is so great that it interferes with or prevents learning. And, if the child does all this work only to be passed over for the reward...there could be significant (and understandable) frustration and anger to deal with. It is a short-term solution in some cases to "managing" behaviors, but may not be allowing us to meet our root goal of helping all students to be successful learners because their prevailing needs aren't being met.

TWO: I need to ask different questions.

Don't misunderstand. Incentives and rewards aren't "bad" or without value. I would encourage educators who want to use use them to ask themselves: "Can I build a safer reward?" Rewards that have more built-in flexibility and/or are given a longer time frame for assessment may help students that struggle to meet success more often. "Do I have a Peace Corner or other break space?" "Are students free to self-select a learning posture in my classroom?" "What behaviors can I learn over time to let go of (check out last week's snack in case you missed it!)?" Last week at my school, the entire student body (Grades K-8) was invited to perform acts of service in the spirit of Martin Luther King Day. They had the four school days following the holiday to earn an "out-of-uniform" pass for an act of service that was noticed by a staff member. I loved that the incentive that was (a) self-directed; and (b) not dependent on the stereotypical binary we often default to regarding classroom behaviors. It was a beautiful celebration of what Dr. King stood for in life.

I'm working toward seeing a child who for whatever reason has done something that doesn't align with our classroom expectations and making my first words, "What do you need?" or "How can I help?" instead of "Why did you do that?" This is, of course, easier said than done. Often, while in class, there are several things that need our attention at once.  Sometimes, consciously or not, our minds go to "Why is this child doing this to my carefully-crafted lesson?"At that point, our own emotions have started to escalate, and the resulting frustration can make it difficult to deal with what's happening outside of our own heads. Before long, we're overwhelmed and have started yelling to "regain control". When unexpected and difficult things crop up in our classroom, I've started trying to focus on my inner script when it starts to speak negatively about students who are struggling and I'm training it to ask, "What do they need right now?" They may not be able to tell you in the moment, but students act differently over time when their behaviors aren't simply tossed into the "bad" bucket.

The biggest takeaway here is: Student behaviors are about their needs. Even though it can look like behaviors are being "done" to us (which is understandable when many teachers have been physically injured and/or have had classroom materials destroyed by students, including myself) unmet needs are at the root in almost every case. Many of our students come to class every day with unresolved, complex trauma that guides their thinking and actions. Still others have brains that need words and instructions given in ways we haven't been fully taught how to provide.  Finally, asking a child, "What happened?" after things have had time to settle down and listening with respect and nonjudgment is becoming a go-to strategy for "knowing my students" so that I can help them be their best learning selves.

THREE (BONUS!): How am I meeting my own needs? How can we get to and stay in a place of dealing calmly whenever unexpected things happen? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall (or, America's Got Talent, or whatever!) Practice man, practice! I have some other ideas, but...more about that next week. Until then, take deep breaths, and

Happy snacking!

Charles

Head chef

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