Three Rules

Our little community school only has three rules:

1. Make Good Decisions
2. Show Respect
3. Solve the Problem

Even the littlest Pre-K children know them by heart by the end of the first day of school.

These rules work. For everything. They work.

Today Iron Man talked back to his most beloved teacher, Teacher N. She was very upset with him and made him sit on the thinking chair. He had not shown respect. That was not a good decision. And now he has a problem.

Teacher N. is more than just a teacher. She taught Tinker Bell for two years and she's the extended care teacher. My children, because of my wretched and horrible job, must attend extended care. Also, Teacher N. has taken my children into her home during winter and spring breaks, again because I have to work. She is wonderful to us.

Its hard to be upset with Iron Man. He's a cute, gentle, sweet, loving boy. He's also sensitive. But this evening when I learned what he did, I was sad. And he knows it.

We talked at length about the fact that he's put himself in a very bad situation. He owes her an apology to solve this problem. We bought him new shoes yesterday. We made him take them off and give them to us. Tomorrow we'll talk to Teacher N. and the deal is that Iron Man can have his new shoes back when Teacher N. is satisfied that he can behave properly - no thinking chair for at least a week.

Our school also contracts with Soul Shoppe. Its a marvelous system of conflict resolution that teaches children to think about how they feel and to appropriately work through conflict, show empathy, and come to reasonable resolutions.

I really an getting a good deal for my money with our little school. It is a place of many blessings.