Do you ever get in a moment that difficult child is just about to do something that makes you proud and then it doesn't happen?
As a math project combined with a way to discipline, difficult child's teacher gives each child 5 pieces of small plastic fruit each day. They stay in a little container in front of each student on their table. For each fruit they have at the end of the day, they get "$1.00". On Friday, they record a deposit of the weeks earnings in a checkbook. They use their money to purchase items at a "store" at the end of the month and will need to write out a check for their purchase. That is the math part. The discipline part is that each time you do something you are not suppose to, like talk out of turn in class, you get one fruit taken from you.
Yesterday, difficult child lost a fruit for talking. He told me about it and said that another boy was also talking but did not loose a fruit. I told him that his voice carries and the teacher probably did not hear the other boy. I suggested that if the other student expects him to talk when he is not suppose to, he can just point to the fruit and turn his attention back to the lesson. Maybe that will help keep the other boy out of trouble also.
Today, difficult child told me, "Mom, I am glad I lost a fruit yesterday." O.K., this is where I foolishly set myself up for a proud moment. Surely he was going to say something to the effect of, "That will help remind me not to talk anymore." It just has to be that, right?
Wrong, "When the teacher put the fruit back in our containers for today, I got an orange. I wanted an orange. Maybe if I get in trouble again, I can get more oranges."
I couldn't help but giggle at that one followed with, "Oh, difficult child, don't you dare!"
As a math project combined with a way to discipline, difficult child's teacher gives each child 5 pieces of small plastic fruit each day. They stay in a little container in front of each student on their table. For each fruit they have at the end of the day, they get "$1.00". On Friday, they record a deposit of the weeks earnings in a checkbook. They use their money to purchase items at a "store" at the end of the month and will need to write out a check for their purchase. That is the math part. The discipline part is that each time you do something you are not suppose to, like talk out of turn in class, you get one fruit taken from you.
Yesterday, difficult child lost a fruit for talking. He told me about it and said that another boy was also talking but did not loose a fruit. I told him that his voice carries and the teacher probably did not hear the other boy. I suggested that if the other student expects him to talk when he is not suppose to, he can just point to the fruit and turn his attention back to the lesson. Maybe that will help keep the other boy out of trouble also.
Today, difficult child told me, "Mom, I am glad I lost a fruit yesterday." O.K., this is where I foolishly set myself up for a proud moment. Surely he was going to say something to the effect of, "That will help remind me not to talk anymore." It just has to be that, right?
Wrong, "When the teacher put the fruit back in our containers for today, I got an orange. I wanted an orange. Maybe if I get in trouble again, I can get more oranges."
I couldn't help but giggle at that one followed with, "Oh, difficult child, don't you dare!"