Ask Polly: Cussing In Elementary School

Date: December 31st, 2022

Polly answers the question: “I have a student who cusses like you wouldn’t believe! I spend all day kicking him out and sending him down to the office only so he can return and say, “Well that was fun, the office sucks, too!” How should I respond and what’s the best consequence to stop this?”

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Ask Polly: Badly Behaved Kindergarteners

Date: December 3rd, 2022

Polly answers the question: “The kids I teach don’t behave at all. I mean, they can’t sit still, they can’t work independently, they whine, they argue with each other, and they don’t play nice no matter what I say! I want it to stop! What can I do?”

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Kids Learn Empathy from YOU!

Date: November 16th, 2022

How do kids learn empathy? By watching us! When they see how we, as adults, interact with each other, they learn how to interact with others.

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Ask Polly: Social Media Drama!

Date: October 29th, 2022

Polly answers the question: “Social media brings so much drama into my 8th grade classroom but it seems like banning cell phones is too difficult! What can I do?”

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Ask Polly: Shocking Speech

Date: October 23rd, 2022

Polly answers the question: “OMG! I have a 1st grade student who says things that are so not OK! Things I’m sure he’s seen on TV or in video games, fly out of his mouth, and it’s shocking! How do I deal with him?”

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Don’t Be So Quick To Run Interference!

Date: October 19th, 2022

“Those kids won’t let me play with them!” When a kid says that to us, often our response is to run interference. But is that always the best thing to do? Here’s what I suggest we do instead.

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Ask Polly: Heads Buried in Phones?

Date: October 16th, 2022

Polly answers the question: “Our high school students go from class to class with their heads buried in their phones! How do we get them to engage with us and each other if they don’t even look up?”

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The Adults ARE the School Culture!

Date: October 12th, 2022

How we contribute to our school’s culture will have a huge impact on students, for good or bad!

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Ask Polly: Mean Elementary Kids

Date: October 2nd, 2022

Polly answers the question: “The kids in my 2nd grade class are so disrespectful to one another. They’re really mean! We talk all the time about how to treat others the way we’d want to be treated but they don’t care. How do I get them to be kinder?”

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What’s Behind a Kid’s ANGER?

Date: September 28th, 2022

We have a lot of angry kids. When we are able to figure out what is causing their anger, we’re better able to help them deal with it.

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