You Can't Raise Positive People With Negative Feedback

You Can't Raise Positive People With Negative Feedback
5 Ways to "Flip the Switch" In Your Classroom: How to go from Fuss Fest to Less Stress
Written By: Amie Dean

Student behavior in school classrooms can be difficult. The importance of positive feedback by teachers and educators in their classrooms can lead to better student discipline.

"You can't raise positive people with negative feedback." Boom.

I remember sitting in a conference session as a young teacher with only a few years experience. I was listening to a very experienced gentleman leading the session about classroom discipline. I had just moved to Atlanta and was teaching in what was proving to be a challenging environment for me — and I was failing miserably. I'd always thought of myself as a very positive person, and I thought I was a positive teacher. I smiled and laughed with my students, I truly got to know them, and I gave personal, positive feedback anytime I could. This particular year, I was struggling. I had a very challenging group of 8th graders, all boys, who hated to read, and I was teaching them reading and language arts for 2 hours at the end of their middle school day. Let's just say that a good time was NOT had by all!

Because of the struggles, I asked a supervisor to come in and observe me teaching this particular class to give feedback and hopefully strategies to help. At the end of the observation, she asked me if she could be honest with me. I, of course, said yes, that is why I invited you. She said, "Amie, you didn't smile one time in 2 hours." I looked at her in a very confused way and asked, "Did you see anything to smile about?"

It was such an eye-opening and embarrassing moment for me. A few weeks later, I attended a breakout session focused on classroom discipline by Dr. Terry Alderman, author of Discipline A Total Approach. When Dr. Alderman opened with, "You can't raise positive people with negative feedback," it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Yes, my students' behavior was very difficult, but I had only been seeing or addressing the difficult behaviors. I was not making any attempts to notice when things were going well. I was so focused on what was wrong that I wasn't able to see what was right.

I immediately began to track positive behaviors. My new goal became to have at least two positive comments for every one corrective statement that I made. I put specific strategies in place to make myself accountable — moving paper clips from one pocket to the other, or tearing an index card. I saw a difference in the boys' behavior within days. More importantly, I started to feel better about this particular class as I forced myself to find what was working. I had finally found a way to "Flip the Switch."

5 simple ways to Flip the Switch:

1. Write down your WHY on an index card. Post it in several places around your room. Read it every day — every hour if you must! Hold on to that passion. It will be your fuel when the tank is empty.
2. Make a tangible effort to make at least 2x as many positive comments in your classroom as you do corrective statements. None of us spent years in school to get a degree in nagging. Don't let your day devolve into a fuss fest. Only YOU can control what comes out of your mouth — own it.
3. Take the time to write 2 positive post-it notes to 2 different students each day until every student has received one note. Sign each note with your name. Remember, NO suggestions or corrections on the positive post-it!
4. Ask an administrator, another teacher, or the media center specialist to stop in and share a compliment you gave your students while you were away from them. Sit back and enjoy the smiles.
5. ONE GOOD THING — Place a jar on your desk, and invite students to write one good thing on a slip of paper anytime. Randomly pull 2 or 3 a few times a week and share with the class. You are also coaching your students on how to "Flip the Switch" themselves.

Behind every successful confident student, you will find an adult who believed in them. What is the impact of the words you are choosing to use with your students? Do you need to flip the switch? If yes, you can do this. Your students deserve it.

Amie Dean, M.Ed, NBCT has been a teacher and behavior interventionist for 27 years. She is the founder of Educational Strategies Unlimited Consulting Firm and behaviorqueen.com. Connect with Amie at www.behaviorqueen.com.