Don’t Force Kids into Social Situations

Date: December 20th, 2023

We can’t force kids to socialize with each other. But we can teach them the needed social skills so they are able to socialize if they want to.

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Ask Polly: High School Apathy

Date: September 4th, 2022

Polly answers the question: “I told a student the other day that her grades were slipping. It didn’t matter to her at all… Is there anything I can do to get them to value their education?”

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Don’t Belong? Harder to Learn.

Date: January 16th, 2022

When kids don’t have a sense of belonging, it makes it difficult for them to learn. And, thanks to the pandemic, many of our students are struggling with feeling like they don’t belong!

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Build Kids’ Confidence When You Take Attendance

Date: July 18th, 2021

Let’s build confidence when we do the daily task of taking attendance! This is a strategy a colleague shared with me.

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Behavior & SEL: Relationship Skills

Date: April 3rd, 2021

Relationship skills play a big part in SEL and behavior. So here are 7 relationship skills I recommend we teach kids.

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Why I Like Middle School House Systems

Date: March 10th, 2021

Here are my ideas on how to give kids a sense of community if they’ve transitioned to middle school while learning virtually. And to keep that going when they are able to come in person!

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in 2020-21

Date: November 8th, 2020

This crazy time of Covid-19 has caused many of us to go back down to BASIC needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy.

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Behavior: I Gotta Belong!

Date: March 4th, 2020

If I don’t feel like I belong, you’re going to get behaviors from me!

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Calling a Kid “Your Kid” or “My Kid” Should Not Be Allowed

Date: December 1st, 2019

A common Tier 1 cultural issue in most schools is saying, “That’s your kid!”

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Relationships Make or Break Behavior

Date: September 7th, 2019

A kid is not going to feel bad about misbehaving for you if they don’t have a relationship with you…

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