Parenting Views

My views on education, mutilingual parenting and other parenting topics
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April 10, 2009

Motivating Kids in the Classroom

Dominique Parenting Views Classroom, Kids and Teens

Since returning to the classroom I have met a wide variety of kids from various social and economic background. There are 42 students in my form class ( a big class with lots of kids to handle). Each one of them has their own unique character and quirks. Every single day handling their misbehaviour and challenges is really very exhausting. It is really a challenge to be able to give adequate attention to each and every student PLUS complete the syllabus within the given 10 weeks time frame per term.

What I observe these few months is a lot of the kids in my class lack motivation. I have tried out a few techniques and am fine tuning the ones that work in my class.

Here is a list of what I have implemented to motivate them.

Ice-Cream Groups
(Fostering team spirit)Every kid has a soft spot for ice-cream. Naming the group by the yummy flavours – Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Mango etc is more refreshing then referring to the normal colour groups.An additional bonus is that the groups can accumulate stars for good behaviour, positive work attitude etc. Groups with the most number of stars will be treated to a pint or two of Ben & Jerry ice- cream at the end of the semester. [This is something that the kids are eagerly anticipating]
Red Rewards System ( individually tailored)
To motivate my classroom kids to aim for academic excellence. I have set aside these prizes for the following kids.

Position Prizes

1^st in both English & Science Up to $30

2^nd in English Up to $20

2^nd in Science Up to $10

Most improved student Up to $10

The prizes purchased for the winners will be based on his/her preference after results are released at the end of the semester. This is to give the kid a say in deciding the prize that he would like to receive.

How are your children’s teachers motivating them in the classroom?

March 12, 2009

Educating Your Child- Building Up EQ (Part 2)

Dominique Parenting Views Emotional Health and Wellbeing, psychology

In the last post I gave an introduction to EQ. Today, I will be showing you how easy it is to build up your child’s EQ.

: Image by tokyofortwo via Flickr

Emotions can be both good and bad. We need to understand ours and other peoples emotions to be able to communicate and relate to them.

Human beings by nature are emotional creatures and to undermine your emotions would mean that you are just letting yourself to feel unhappy and other negative feelings.

I wouldn’t want my boys to turn out to be impulsive, hostile men who are insensitive to others. It is definitely not my wish for them to become selfish, backbiting, negatively judgemental and inept to cope with the relationships which they may be involve in the future.

To be known as a “Mr Nice Guy” or ” The Devil Personified” doesn’t happen overnight. This example maybe a bit extreme but it simplifies how people with High E.Q. /Low E.Q. are viewed.

How then can one build up your child’s EQ?

Showing respect and acknowledging your child’s feelings.It is important to validate your child’s feelings regardless of how difficult they are to deal with. They need to know that it is “normal” for them to have such feelings and learn from you how to identify and cope with the different feelings that they are experiencing.It would help to label your child’s feelings and share with them how you deal with your feelings when you encounter a similar situation.
Deal with negative emotions tactfully.
Do not shout and rant or become abusive with your child when you are angry with them. They are more then likely to act the same when they too are angry as they have picked up all these negative behaviour from you.Do let your child know that it is okay to have these different feelings but it is NOT okay to be on bad behaviour because of the way they are feeling. Destroying items and showing violence is unacceptable.

Let him know how to act out his feelings in a safe way without injuring himself and the people around him. Ie: You can write about how you feel and what you wish to do at the moment in your journal instead of bashing your toy on the wall.
Let your child work out his own feelings. Do not rush to help him out at first instance you feel that he is not coping well.
He needs to build up emotional resilience to be able to cope with any emotional challenges he may face in the future.It is important for him to learn how to balance his feelings with reason, logic, and reality and not be dominated by negative emotions.