EC: Our Use of Conscious Discipline

EARLY CHILDHOOD OUR USE OF CONSCIOUS

DISCIPLINE BY BECKY O'HEARN // HEAD OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

The Early Childhood division of Wichita Collegiate School enjoys helping children build foundational skills for life. It is often said that, “It takes a village to raise a child.” For over five decades, parents and teachers have worked together to create a healthy and safe environment for children to grow, creating “a village” for thousands of children. In the past six years, the Early Childhood has strengthened its community of parents and teachers with the principles of Conscious Discipline. Conscious Discipline provides a helpful framework for classroom management, social-emotional learning, and parent education, bringing support and continuity to our school. With ongoing training and experience, our teachers and staff have become highly skilled in supporting each child’s emotional and social development through Conscious Discipline. The family-like relationships formed between teachers and children become the foundation for cooperation and conflict resolution. Children learn to identify and express feelings and to regulate behavior based on care and concern for personal safety and the needs of others. For instance, children learn breathing techniques and positive self-talk to help them calm down when they are upset. Adults learn to support a child’s emotional needs before trying to address the child’s behavior. This focus on socialemotional intelligence has raised the standard for interactions within our school and each child has found connection and support in the process. Our teachers especially appreciate Conscious Discipline’s excellent classroom management structures, which help them create predictable, calm classrooms for their young students. Through CD training, teachers were inspired to use the same language, behavior expectations, tools, and strategies from Kids Club to classrooms, enhancements, and at lunch and recess. For example, each classroom has a written or pictorial daily schedule discussed at their morning meeting. Children find comfort when they know expectations ahead of time, before an event happens. We have known for a long time that children thrive on predictable routines, yet we did not fully realize the positive effect consistency from teacher to teacher and home to school would have on a child. It is remarkable how much more time is spent on positive interactions and learning experiences when the children know what is expected all day long. Another example is the language used in handling conflict. All teachers and staff use the same approach to correct a child’s choices throughout the day. Here is a sample dialogue thread: “I see that you wanted to swing first so you grabbed it from your classmate. You didn’t know what else to do. You may not take something away from a classmate. It is hurtful. When you want a turn on the swing, say, ‘May I have a turn after you.’” In this exchange, the teacher asks the child to practice saying “May I have a turn next?” This simple, consistent dialogue pattern allows the child to understand what type of behavior is expected and how to behave the next time.

In addition, parents have enjoyed learning the strategies of Conscious Discipline to help them at home. Each year, Jennifer Hearne, Beth Reeder, and I lead parent discussion groups and book studies using Dr. Becky Bailey’s Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline parenting book. Through these support groups, parents have found other parents to share the trials and joys of parenting with, making childrearing less overwhelming. It takes a village, and we in the Early Childhood hope Conscious Discipline helps make our village more effective through healthier interactions between children, teachers, and parents.