Early Learning Positive Behavior Supports
My Name, My Identity
Launched in 2016 by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in partnership with the National Association for Bilingual Education, the My Name, My Identity campaign encourages children to feel a sense of pride about their name and patiently correct people who mispronounce it. The campaign asks all educators to "Take the Pledge" to respect student names. To assist them with pronunciation, the web site provides a wide variety of resources including this wonderful My Name, My Identity Teacher Toolkit.
Greetings at the Door
Our first interaction with students when they get to school can set the tone for the rest of the day! The routines you set up for the moment our students cross the threshold into our classroom, therefore, are wonderful opportunities to begin your day with a positive, individualized moment of connection.
You may have heard of the acronym TUMS to support setting up a routine for this moment of your day:
T - Touch
U - Use their name
M - Make eye contact
S - Smile
*Not all students may respond well to all these strategies. Some students may have an aversion to touch. Some cultures may discourage eye contact. It is important that you take the time to get to know your students and find a way to welcome them that will make them feel comfortable and valued.
One Page Profile
What better way to get to know your students than by asking their families to tell you more about them! A one-page profile is a simple summary of what is important to a child or young person and how they want to be supported.
Here is an example of a google form that we sent out to our B2K families this summer.
(These have been translated into Spanish and Vietnamese)
Here are some examples from FACT Oregon's website:
The Teaching Pyramid
https://cainclusion.org/teachingpyramid/
The Teaching Pyramid approach provides a systematic framework that promotes social and emotional development, provides support for children"s appropriate behavior, prevents challenging behavior, and addresses problematic behavior. The WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies offers comprehensive professional development packages for infant/toddler, preschool, and early elementary educators. WestEd"s Teaching Pyramid is based on evidence-based practice originally developed by the Center on the Social Emotional Foundations in Early Learning (CSEFEL), authorized by California Department of Education (CDE), and aligned with California"s Early Learning and Development System.
Home-School Connection
Classroom Displays of Photos of Student Families
A great way to build that strong home school connection is to create classroom displays using pictures of your students' families or objects from a student's home.
Ask your student's families to share a picture or snap a picture of your student with the caregiver picking them up/dropping them off at school. Displaying these on classroom walls can provide a great safe space for students to visit when they are missing loved ones and a wonderful way to honor the importance of family connections!
Here is a blog post with different ideas on displaying pictures!