Valentines Day and Independence Board

Hello all,

As many of you have noticed I tried to institute a Levels of Independence chart in the room this week to motivate kids to show more responsibility which would lead to more independence with their own learning. A few parents have suggested their concern in this matter especially with the display of where kids are on the chart. "It feels kind of icky." As an open-minded person, I have considered these critiques and my opinion is that if it feels icky it probably is.

The board will not be on display any longer but the levels of independence will continue to be discussed. It is important for our students to understand that at Trillium we have freedom with our learning but that comes with responsibility. I don't believe it is developmentally appropriate for students to not see consequences for their actions. This works both ways. Many times it is of the positive variety. I don't believe it to be fair or aligned with our philosophy at Trillium for me to insist that all students go out for recess if they are inclined to work in the room during that time. At the same time, if certain students are not proving responsible in other areas it is difficult for me to decide on my own who gets to stay and who doesn't. The Levels of Independence provide me with a gauge as to who has earned that right through their actions. It is meant to be a positive reinforcement.

This is why I have decided to take the board down. It's appearance was negative and displayed a negative effect on certain students. That is the last thing I want. We talk in our class about helping everyone succeed and our goal is for everyone to obtain a significant level of independence with their learning.

I may not be clear as I write this, but I have a vision and I encourage any of you to talk to me about the system. We have been struggling with this in class and I felt that action was needed. I hope that I did not offend anyone or harm any student's learning in the process. If I have then I am truly sorry

On a lighter note, Valentines Day is approaching and the one rule we have is no candy at school. Not all of our students can enjoy the pleasure of sugar and we don't want anyone to feel left out. As far as valentines are concerned I don't encourage students to bring any from home, but I also understand that it is an uncontrollable holiday. If your student is insistent on bringing valentines who am I to say no. The only thing I ask is that bring one for everyone so that no one feels left out. We will be creating valentines bags on the day and writing compliments for our friends. I would encourage you to incorporate compliments into your valentine cards in an effort to stay in line with our theme.

We will be having a special heart bagel snack with cream cheese for the day and I will discuss with Nephyr a vegan and wheat free option.

Thanks for your understanding.