Help for Billy- The Meat

Love, love, love.

Sounds so simple. Surely all teachers have a loving heart- especially toward children. The book Help for Billy has a reigning theme of love as the single biggest factor in what will transform Billy from an explosive child who makes poor choices and who cannot regulate his emotions or reactions to a more calm, rational child who learns and grows. Love, understanding and support. And a great deal of it.
A strong traditional classroom management plan that uses rewards and consequences does not work to change Billy's explosive behavior, poor choices and work avoidance. Love will. As well as connection and support. Remember, Billy was not cared for properly when he was an infant and toddler. He lives in survival mode only caring about the next 15 seconds at a time. Consequences and right from wrong are not part of his 'in the moment' thought process. But you can help him and guide him to feel safe and begin choosing more appropriate responses to the things that brings Billy stress. Accept and understand Billy, love him, and move him forward starting from square one. You can make a difference. Do know it is not going to be easy. Help for Billy says it can take 6 to 8 months in your loving care. Read on to hear about a super cute, different, relationship based classroom management plan great for lower elementary. I LOVED this idea!
In Help for Billy, author Forbes details a classroom teacher who changed her system from the red light, yellow light green light, clip moving system (pretty common) to a relationship based system of support. This is brilliant. She had a chart with a pocket for each student with their name on it. She called it the 'safe pocket'. Each child had a kangaroo in the safe pocket to start the day. When a child made a bad choice, rather than deliver the consequence of moving off of the green light to yellow, the child moved his/her kangaroo from the safe pocket to the teacher's safe pocket to show this child needed help with behavior and the teacher would have his/her back for a while. The child was not delivered a punishment but rather loving guidance and a closer, watchful eye. What does this mean? Perhaps keep the child in close proximity with the words, "I will help you make good choices right now. Grab a beanbag chair and sit by me while I finish this group I am with." Or join the table where the student is working and give some explicit instruction on how to take turns and share. "'Billy, when someone needs the glue you can say, 'I will be done in a second and I will give it to you.'"  Even walk the hall next to the student and say, "I am sure you don't want to always hold my hand. I will teach you how to walk safely in the middle of the line." Loving guidance. Not punishments. Just might work. :0)