Be Proactive

We're learning to be proactive!  We've been discussing how to be responsible for our actions, how to help others, and how we can choose our attitudes, moods, and actions.

First we read The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.  We talked about how the clown in the story keep his attitude positive when it seemed like no train would help the toys and he kept asking for help.  Additionally we noticed how the little engine tried something new and didn't give up until he accomplished the task.  That's what being proactive is all about!

We made a chart to list some of the things we can do.  I bet each child can make his own chart longer than the one we made in class.  We can do so many things!  Additionally, we learned what the word independently means.

We have been reading other books to show how to behave at school, too.  We learned that "no" means "no" with Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems, even when you ask nicely.  We learned that begging, pouting, and throwing a fit when we hear the word "no" doesn't work either. We learned that there can be consequences when making poor choices with No, David! by David Shannon.  And we learned that we're going to like ourselves with the book I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell.

Yesterday and today we've worked to show being proactive in the classroom.  I'm so pleased to see so many students taking responsibility for their own work and offering to help others.  Way to go!

We'll learn more about being proactive throughout the year.  Next week I'll introduce another good habit:  begin with the end in mind.