Yesterday, an angry child ripped down many of the signs written by our children as part of our "Change the World" writing. These were taped up in the hallways of Chamberlin. We talked about it and decided that we couldn't really change what anyone else did, but that we COULD put up more signs. Many children used their Explore time (play time) yesterday at the end of the day to make more signs.
This morning they were heading out with Naomi's mom to put up the new signs when an older student came to our classroom to apologize. He said he was sorry if he damaged any of their signs. He explained that he was really mad and is working on doing a better job with his anger. He later told his teacher and classmates that it was VERY hard to come down here and talk to our class. I am sure that took a lot of guts.
Since the kids were headed out to post new signs, he went with them as part of "restorative justice" (fixing what you broke), spent time with them, talked to them, helped them fix what he broke yesterday. While they were out, Yifei made a card for this student that said, "I Love You".
I KNOW this was a powerful experience for our kids, but the rest of the story with this child is really the very best part. He talked with his teacher and classmates about what happened and they all learned that even if you make mistakes, you can fix them. AND.... at the end of the day, someone asked him if he had had a good day. He said, "I had a good day. No, I had a GREAT day. Look at what Ms. Murphy's class made for me." He was holding the "I Love You" card, and I am certain he will be holding on to that for quite some time.
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| Be Nice in the Hall. Don't Be Mean. |
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| No Ripping Please |
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| No running in the hall. Walk in the hall. |
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| Do Not Destroy Artwork |
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