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Students at Josephine Chrysler Elementary love to get their name on the principal's “Paw Wall.” The principal Thomas Freeman was looking for a way to reinforce positive student behavior, and since the mascot in this Modesto, California school is the cub he put a giant paw outside his office, covering the whole wall. All the staff, including yard duty and lunch staff, carry around stacks of small blue slips of paper. Whenever a student is “caught” doing something good, that student is given one of these blue slips. The student brings it to the principal's office and his or her name gets put on the “Paw Wall.” The principal and the secretaries all congratulate the student, who gets a piece of candy and a hand stamp. The hand stamp allows that student to be in the front of the lunch line that day.
In the past, students associated a trip the principal's office with something negative. But the prospect can be exciting if it means seeing your name, as a form of praise, on that giant paw. The goal for staff at Chrysler Elementary is to get every student's name on the wall. Freeman encourages them to find every student at least once doing something that deserves recognition. At the end of the year, as a celebration of all this good behavior, there is the Principal’s Paw Barbecue. Freeman barbecues hotdogs and hamburgers. The students eat on the lawn, listen to music, and have ice cream. Something as small as seeing their principal grilling lunch for them is very gratifying to students. This focus on good behavior has decreased discipline problems at Chrysler Elementary and contributed to a positive school culture.
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It is always great to read positive reinforcement in schools. I'm going to share this idea with our leadership team at my school site. It seems we are always dealing with negative behavior approaches; hence it is refreshing to hear ideas on how to reward students modeling noble conduct.
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Gabriela
Orozco, , MUSD Mar 30, 2005 12:10 PM
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