Positive Discipline Teacher's Tool Cards by Jane Nelsen and Kelly Gfroerer and Positive Discipline Parenting Tool Cards by Jane Nelsen and Adrian Garsia, each offer 52 Positive Discipline tools that are available to help with many teaching and parenting challenges. Agreements is the highlighted tool in this blog post.
After trying out this tool with the children in your life, please share a story of success, or struggle, you've had with it. Thank you! The more you apply the Positive Discipline teaching and parenting tools, the more they will become a part of your own lifestyle. Practice makes better!
Teachers
Story - Some 6th graders, from Mr. Hanley's class, weren't returning the playground equipment after the recess bell rang. The teacher brought this problem to Mr. Hanley's attention and shared the names of the students involved. Apparently, when the bell rang, the students would drop the ball they were playing with, and run back to class. Even though, the yard duty teacher had talked with the boys about this before, they continued to not return the equipment borrowed.
During circle time the next day, Mr. Hanley wrote the word "Problem" on the white board, with the words, "Not returning playground equipment" after it. He asked the class what kind of agreements they could make as a class, that would help solve this problem. They brainstormed several and chose three. Then Mr. Hanley asked, "What should happen if these agreements aren't kept?" Surprisingly, one of the boys previously at fault, suggested whoever breaks the agreement, needs to be reminded, and then they have to go back and return the equipment during class. Then the next recess, they have to help out at the end of recess to make sure other students return the equipment. The class agreed this was fair and doable.
Parents
Story - Emptying the dishwasher before breakfast on the weekends. Sounds simple, right? Not so, in the Anderson household. Seems like 10-year-old Joe Anderson would rather watch T.V. than do this weekend chore. His mother, Kate, is tired of nagging him to do it, but this has become the regular pattern - Joe plants himself on couch watching T.V., Kate makes breakfast, Joe doesn't move, Kate gets angry at him after her reminder to him gets pushback.
Before the next weekend, Kate decides to do something differently. On Friday night, she sits down with Joe and mentions the need to come up with an agreement plan with him about his dishwasher chore. They brainstorm some ideas and decide on one that works for both - Joe will empty the dishwasher first before he watches T.V. on the weekends. They also decide that if Joe doesn't follow-through with his part of the agreement, he will have to turn the T.V. off until the dishwasher is unloaded. This ends up working well for both of them because Joe loves T.V. and somehow, since making the agreement, hasn't forgotten to unload the dishwasher.
Where can you purchase these tool card decks? The card decks are available at www.positivediscipline.com (Select products, then select tool cards) and there are versions available for iPhone and Android in the App stores on the phones.