New class of bucket fillers?

**Repost** Check out the Lesson Plan Diva's behavior management linky party for more great ideas on how to document behaviors!

Well, I am finally feeling like I can sit down for a minute and update you all on my classroom. We started tuesday, right after labor day, and jumped right into a new year of kindergarten! The kiddos are cute but very young (a lot of later 2006 birthdays!) and I always seem to forget how little they are when they come. I've got a really sweet group of kids who have been doing such a good job at learning how to be successful in school (maybe this is due in part to 2 of my little girls coming from my mother in laws amazing preschool?!) I love them and and am so excited to get expectations and behaviors down so we can begin our typical daily schedule!
Right now we are going over a lot of positive behavior supports with my "stick" program (Thank you Mrs. Sneaker for this awesome tool!) and it is working wonderfully for most of my class. Each child starts with 3 sticks and they lose a stick if they are not following directions or acting out. Eventually this will be a weekly system where at the end of the week if they have a stick left they earn extra playtime.
 However, the first day of implementing this I had 2 kiddos lose their sticks right away (1 with impulse control issues that are developmental and another whom I think it is his lack of structure in the past) I complained to Mrs. Sneaker that I had no clue how it was going to be an incentive for them if they had already lost their sticks. Mrs. Sneaker said she is doing it as a daily system right now (genius! :) ) and at the end of the day students who have all their sticks get a sticker. I began that today and it is working much better! The first little guy lost all his sticks and had a meltdown, but I was able to talk to him about how it doesn't mean I am mad at him or he is in trouble, it's just a way for us to practice remembering to follow the rules. After school I talked to his dad, who was really receptive and on board with it, and we agreed that we will continue to practice and work on one thing at a time. Tomorrow it will be raising his hand to talk. We'll see how behaviors are tomorrow :)

I had a bit of a frustrating moment today when my class was talking when we were repeating a cleanup transition that hadn't gone well. so of course, I needed to take a deep breath, and made them put their heads down. I just hate doing that and kind of wish I hadn't. but I needed them to know I was serious. After this couple of minutes and explaining how I felt, I scrapped our original art project and instead read "Have you filled a bucket today". I felt like the kids really needed this illustration of how I was feeling when they had to put their heads down, and I love the book so much. The kids were so sweet after reading the book and shared ways to help keep a bucket full. One kid said he could reach inside his brain and fill his own bucket. haha. A little reminder that we only fill our bucket by being kind and helping others or when people do the same for us was needed. :) Such a sweet little guy though!

Then, after my kids left, I was talking to Mrs. Sneaker and our other team member who told us about a clear bucket she found at michaels and used as an illustration for her own bucket in class. every time the class or a child does something to fill her bucket she puts in a cube. Well of course, I had to copy her (haha) and ran right to Michaels when I left to buy the bucket. I can't wait to share this with the class tomorrow! :)

my new bucket! :)

What do you think?

Oh ya, and then I went to weight watchers and weighed in for the first time in almost a month. Down 1 lb. That filled my bucket :) hahahaha

How is your start going? Any behavior issues? What are you doing??

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