BES Administration and Teachers attend 4 days of Responsive Classroom Training!

12 members of the BES Faculty & Administration attend a four-day workshop in Responsive Class in Concord, NH August 1-4

BES Faculty and Administration have embarked on a new way to foster community and safety in the school and classrooms. The 12 members above attended a four-day training in Concord, NH (August 1-4); Shown left to right in the photo are Kendyl Smith (K-4 Guidance); Stephanie Hurley (Grade 3); Anabelle Boyle (Title I Math); Allison Jone (Grade 4); Allyson Hobby (Kindergarten); Jeni Laliberte (Assistant Principal); Patti hamilton (Grade 1); Tammy Rackliff (Behaviorist); Christine Bergeron (Grade 3); Ondrea Hastings (Grade 3); Tim Rice (Principal); and Phil Giunta (Grade 1). Missing are Emily Reese (Director of Student Services); Annie Bourque (Grade 6); Karen McGee (Grade 6); and Kristen Brooks (Grade 8).

We will be working with a consultant this year to make this a school-wide implementation and slowly be phasing out of PBIS for student behavior management. Effective and respectful management and discipline strategies enable educators to create environments where students feel safe enough to take the risks necessary for great learning. There are important social and emotional competencies that students need to develop to be successful in school and beyond. And yet, too often in schools, these skills are demanded but not taught (“Cooperate in your group work today!”) or taught in isolation, separate from academic work (February is Empathy month!). Through this work, teachers will learn to identify the social and emotional skills their students need to be successful and develop a repertoire of practical strategies for teaching them as a part of the regular instructional day.

One disruptive student can bring all teaching and learning to a halt, and in many classrooms, there are several (or more!) students with such challenges. Teachers who are already under incredible pressure to deliver an unrealistic amount of content in too little time feel overwhelmed with students who melt down, refuse to do work, and disrupt others. Teachers need practical strategies and supports. To be clear, this work isn’t about quick-fixes or silver-bullet cures. It’s about building teachers’ and students’ skills sets to set everyone up for long-term growth.

So this is where we are headed, and this group, along with our consultant, Mike Anderson will lead us in our new Social and Emotional Learning journey!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *