Back in the game/Timeout/ Any suggestions?

[TillmanGreen]

It's been four years since I have been in a classroom. I decided to go back into the scene. I start Monday and am a little nervous because I will be very rusty. ( I'm co lead, pre school, 3's) I have 4 years expiernece but again, I'm nervous. With that said, there are somethings I would like to work on. one of them is when it comes to "Time out" though we are not sposta call it that. Not sure why, maybe because it will hurt the kids feelings? Silly. What is happening to discipline? Anyways, in orentation, if a child is acting rude and such to where he has to be put in a "Time out" (omg! I said it!) then they are to go somewhere quiet and read or I give them something to play with in said spot. How can I prevent the inevitable which is a child will figure out this pattern and he/she will act out just to be alone and get to read or whatever? I thought of, as a punishment, giving them a very boring book so it's not fun for them but I'm willing to take suggestions. At my old centers kids sat at a table for a little moment with nothing then the adult would follow up on the child's actions. I thought that was a classic way to approach something like this. This new thing of giving them something to play with strikes me odd but hey, I could be wrong and maybe it does work. Any Ideas? Thanks.

[Cat Herder]

The only legal discipline I am allowed is 1.) planning transition activities and a mix of active and quiet play periods, 2.)watching for escalation patterns to disrupt, 3.) modeling wanted behaviors, 4.) redirection and 5.) allowing individual time to self-soothe in soft seating/library, 6.) Parent Conference/Behavior Plan, 7.) Documentation and finally, if necessary, 8.) termination.

Punishment is for parents, only.

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by TillmanGreen

It's been four years since I have been in a classroom. I decided to go back into the scene. I start Monday and am a little nervous because I will be very rusty. ( I'm co lead, pre school, 3's) I have 4 years expiernece but again, I'm nervous. With that said, there are somethings I would like to work on. one of them is when it comes to "Time out" though we are not sposta call it that. Not sure why, maybe because it will hurt the kids feelings? Silly. What is happening to discipline? Anyways, in orentation, if a child is acting rude and such to where he has to be put in a "Time out" (omg! I said it!) then they are to go somewhere quiet and read or I give them something to play with in said spot. How can I prevent the inevitable which is a child will figure out this pattern and he/she will act out just to be alone and get to read or whatever? I thought of, as a punishment, giving them a very boring book so it's not fun for them but I'm willing to take suggestions. At my old centers kids sat at a table for a little moment with nothing then the adult would follow up on the child's actions. I thought that was a classic way to approach something like this. This new thing of giving them something to play with strikes me odd but hey, I could be wrong and maybe it does work. Any Ideas? Thanks.

Those are all things the classroom should have in writing.
All centers in my area have written guidance plans that covers "thinking spots/cool off zones" and/or "time out"

I would refer to the Director as to how to manage these things when they occur.

[CalCare]

Its not about hurt feelings. No "time out" is because it is believed that there are better ways to help children learn to self regulate. That may or may not be true- you may or may not agree. But, it sounds like in your orientation, they told you not to "call it time out" which, to me, sounds like they want to keep up appearances of "no time outs" for parents even if they do actually do time outs.
In your position, I wouldn't try to give them a boring book to make it a punishment. To really come around to what your center is trying to do, you have to completely change your perspective. They are saying, no punishment, not just no time out.
I feel like they gave you half the info you need. They told you no time out. But they didn't really tell you what to do instead. Yes, they said give the child time away, to de-escalate. But there's more to it than that. I would say, a pot of observation of the other staff will help you get used to what this center expects. Because there are sooo many things, socially between preschoolers, that could lead to a traditional time out, so you need to see how each of those situations are handled. There's kids taking from other kids, there's pushing, there's saying "mean" things, there's excluding, there's breaking rules, there's perceived disrespectful behavior, there's general inability to self regulate. All of that may have been met with "one more chance and then a time out" or just a straight to the time out, in the past. Now, in this center, these are all handled more individually, more specifically. If Jane takes a toy from Ann (again), it's not time out. Maybe it's "Hmm. You both want that doll. What can we do?" And problem solve. I say those words several, several times a day and they always work it out! If it's physical stuff, they need separation for safety, no one can be physically hurting anyone. It doesn't have to be time out. Separation just means you play at another area because it's my job to keep everyone safe.
Does any of this help?

[CalCare]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

Those are all things the classroom should have in writing.
All centers in my area have written guidance plans that covers "thinking spots/cool off zones" and/or "time out"

I would refer to the Director as to how to manage these things when they occur.

As I was writing a novel, you said it succinctly. The school/ director needs to give instructions on what to actually do. Not just what not to do!

[DaveA]

Something like this is pretty site specific. Every center I have worked in had their own policy. If you're not onsite yet email your director and ask if you can have a copy so you can be up to speed on it when you hit the ground running.

Good Luck

[Snowmom]

Yes, asking what your director wants you to do should be the first step in how you'll proceed.

Personally, I only use the term "time out" for pretty extreme situations and ones that warrant parent intervention (aka part of an action plan for repeated, problem behavior). Time outs rarely curb the behavior anyway. But, it depends on the child and individual situation too.

When something happens during the day that needs to be addressed, I tell the child to "sit"... right then and there, right where they are in my firm voice. Then I say "maybe we need a break here." Then address what's going on. It typically takes less than a minute.

To me, there's a big difference in a "break" and a "time out".
They sit to stop the behavior immediately, then if they can, we talk about what they did, what they could do instead or given options on what will happen next.

[TillmanGreen]

Awesome. These are som good tips. Thanks guys!