[Purple*Lotus]

One of my coworker's twin boys just moved in to my classroom. They are pretty darn identical, but after a few days, I finally am able to tell them apart <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/joy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="joy"> I was pretty proud of myself <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> I mean, I have only known them for a year and a half <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/hide.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="hide"><br><br>
We use the much hated colored card system in our class. Don't flame me, believe me, it is NOT my idea or my choice. We do what we are told from the powers that be. I don't have to use it very much because I am the queen of redirection <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> But today, I had to tell one of them to change his card.<br><br>
He changed his brother's instead <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngtongue.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Stick Out Tongue"> So I said "Um, M, I hope you know I can tell you apart from your brother!" He just grinned and quickly fixed it <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> They are going to keep me on my toes, for sure!!

 

[MadiMamacita]

that is funny!<br><br>
If we used the card system, we'd be changing those dang cards all day long! are your kids having a hard time these days? Mine can't even sit through a story to the end! I think its spring fever.. we are amping up the group projects, trying to keep their interest!<br><br>
I had twins once. It was SO hard at first! And it didn't help that one, S, didn't talk. J told us that HE was S. So when his mom would come get him and we'd talk about their day, she would be like, weird, that sounds like something J would do! it was a while before we figured out that they had switched identities on us!

 

[Purple*Lotus]

Nah my kids are generally all on green most of the time. We are way over ratio though so there is not much free time to get in trouble there <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[Freedom~Mama]

What is the card system?!

 

[Purple*Lotus]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/hide.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="hide">:<br><br>
I hesitate to mention it on MDC. But again, out of my control so please no one hate me! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> I am pretty vocal about my dislike of a lot of mainstream ideas <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment"><br><br>
You start off on green. You get so many redirections and warnings until finally you move to yellow. Then to orange then finally to red. Seriously, red at the end of the day would be one of those super rare things. Not common at all. In fact, mostly we are on green. However, we move them back up a level at naptime. So the kids all know that if they are on yellow at lunch, they can totally move back up to green and it is all gravy again. If they are quiet they go back up. So red goes to orange, and so forth.<br><br>
I don't like it, but it is very popular in the public school system. In fact most of them here use that method, or the sticks method where they get three stick at the beginning of the day and if they get in trouble they have to pull a stick. And also, for what it's worth, no parent, to my knowledge, has ever complained about it. Which is sad to me, but common here.<br><br>
Do you still love me, BL? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[Freedom~Mama]

Lol of course I still love you! Lol. I have just never ever heard of that system. I am from Idaho though and we don't do that here (not that I have ever seen anyway). It is def. an interesting concept. I am not sure what I think about it. At my DDs school they don't use any type of discipline except redirection and that seems to be pretty effective.

 

[Purple*Lotus]

It has been amazing for one kid in particular. For the other kids it's like, eh. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> And the parent's are also like, eh, about it. Once in a while the kids go haywire and a couple will end up on orange, but it isn't a huge deal to the parents or to us. But if it is a chronic problem then we brainstorm to come up with something to help the child. So it is useful in that way.<br><br>
One kid I teased his Dad saying that the day his child was on red card, was the day I retired! Then it happened and they teased me about it <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[Purple*Lotus]

Allow me to hop up on my soapbox <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/loveeyes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Loveeyes"><br><br>
I think that if the cards look bad for more than one day in a row, then it really says something about my classroom management skills. I mean, it looked rough a couple of times when coteacher was off on vacation, because less teachers means less people available to redirect the kids, etc. When she comes back, we have that extra coverage and it should be totally green until the next one of us has to go somewhere <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> I think too many places rely on it to manage the kids, but really, the set up should manage the kids. You talk to the kids- who knew? You can talk to a 4 year old? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> You have a handful of common sense rules that are routine to them, you have enough stations out to keep them entertained, you teach them how to use their words *my STBX never learned this one <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/wink1.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="wink1">* and it is a done deal.

 

[MadiMamacita]

We don't use the card system.<br><br>
But I can see how it would help for SOME kids. Two kids in my class in particular. They are visual kids. You can talk to them until you are blue in the face but a visual warning like that would honestly probably work for them.<br><br>
The problem with it that I could see is if you have a kid with known behavoiur issues and you're telling the parents every day "He's on red again!". I would probably not tell the parents that he was on red every day. They know how he is! they don't need yet another person telling them that their kid is "bad"!<br><br>
BF- sorry you have to use a system you don't like! That must be frustrating!<br>
We are being urged to follow a new system that I don't like- but for me its too far in the other direction. Its very permissive and when you see a behavoiour that you don't like you're just supposed to say "Oh, sorry friend! I don't like it when you do that!" and there are no consequences what so ever. I don't think that effectively sets kids up for the real world! I'm not saying that there should be harsh punishments.. In my class we have kids lose privledges. Like if they have been reminded 5 times at lunch not to rock back on their chair, then they lose their privledge to have a chair. They can stand to finish their lunch and tomorrow they can try again. They will continue to lose their chair until they can sit in it safely. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but a cracked open skull is pretty harsh, too!<br><br>
(sorry for misspelled words! my spell checker doesn't seem to be working and I'm doing several things at once!)

 

[Purple*Lotus]

I believe in structure. I don't raise my voice and I don't believe in crazy punishments like I have seen done in other places. I also don't believe that the parents should have a consequence at home for something that happened at school. I have already handled it, it is not fair to double up on the kid. I am fair, I have been known to change a card back after being presented with a good argument <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> And I never, ever ask the kids to do anything I am not willing to myself. Which gets me in to trouble during exercise time when they insist that I run with them <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> I don't treat the kids like they are stupid. I talk to them like they are people, not like they are animals <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> I hate that! I know people who do that and it makes me crazy! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked"> I respect them. I give cuddles when needed and I encourage them to be more independent when needed. It is a balancing act, but when it is done right, it is wonderful! You get kids who feel great about themselves when they can do more things, yet they still feel safe enough to cry to you when they are hurt or just having a bad day. Oh, and when I am wrong, I say I am wrong. If I think that I have changed a card unfairly, I say that I have thought it over, I feel like I was wrong, and I change it back. I don't care for the power trip some teachers have. The whole "I am bigger than you so you must do what I say" crap doesn't fly in my room!<br><br>
Gosh I could talk shop all day <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">