No More Nagging
Life changes lanes when we focus on the good.
“It’s time to gather on the listening rug,” I announced cheerfully to my roomful of 5-year-olds. This resulted in shuffling and movement and every reaction to my request imaginable:
- One student kept coloring as if she were in her own little bubble of a world, totally oblivious to my words.
- Another immediately jumped up, leaving his chair askew, scattering crayons and paper in his wake, sliding onto the rug as if he were stealing home base.
- And still, another, remained at the table carefully returning crayons, methodically, s-l-o-w-l-y one at a time.
And in this myriad of reactions to my words, I sought THE ONE. There’s almost always ONE — demonstrating the example I was looking for.
Janie was IT. She scooped up crayons into her pencil box while clicking it shut and sliding it into the “resting position,” like we’d practiced earlier. She then placed her morning work in her personal table drawer, pushing in her chair and deliberately walking to her assigned spot on the rug.
Bravo!
I ignored all the swing-and-a-miss behaviors and shined a bright light on Janie.
Boys and girls, look at Janie! She is our good example. Look at her neat and tidy…
