Managing Behaviors

I will use the PAX Good Behavior Game to manage behaviors. PAX is a Latin word that means peaceful, healthy, productive, wellbeing, safety, order, healthy, and happy.  Who doesn’t want to feel PAX?   Pax is a positive reinforcement based behavior plan. 

You will be hearing some new vocabulary such as tootles, spleems, Granny’s Wacky Prize Box, PAX hands and feet, and/or PAX quiet.

            Kids will be asked to share tootles instead of tattles.  A tootle is the opposite of a tattle.  Tootles are written positive notes from classmates.  There is a Tootles Board in the classroom for students to hang their tootles on for all to see.  My plan is to send the home on Fridays in their “school to home” folders.

            If PAX is all the good stuff (tootles) then spleems are all the bad stuff.  Spleem is a completely made up word but is all the things we would rather not see, hear, or feel.  The goals is to decrease spleems and increase tootles.

            Granny’s Wacky Prize Box is another form of awards provided to students or teams who are meeting their PAX goals.  These awards are not ‘things’ that I buy but activities the kids get to do in the classroom that they normally would be allowed to do, such as make funny faces for a period of time, bunny hop around the room, or sit backwards in their chairs, etc. 

            PAX hands and feet are words we use to describe what our hand and feet should be doing.  PAX hands and feet help but never hurt.

            PAX Quiet is showing the speaker you are ready to listen.  This is eyes on the speaker, mouth closed, ears are listening, hands and feet are still and body is facing the speaker.  I will show our PAX Quiet sign which students will also model until all students are ready for learning and listening.

Students and I will constantly compliment each other for positive behaviors we want to see in the classroom as well as write Tootles to be hung on the Tootle Board.  If a student continues to struggle with a particular behavior we will have a private discussion to decide what strategies/tools we can use to help him/her be a successful learner.  I will notify you via email if this happens and what strategy/tool we are going to try.  After the first couple of weeks of school, we will be ready to begin playing the PAX Game.  Teams will be formed and I’ll let the children know when we are about to play the game.  The winner will get to draw an activity from Granny’s Prize Box.  I will also play secret games to let kids know we are always playing/using PAX, not just when it is formally announced. 

As always, please speak with me or email if you have any questions or concerns.