Norms: Setting the Stage

Last week we began talking about our goals for the school year.  After sharing our goals, we made a fantastic list of behaviors we will need to remember to follow in order to accomplish our goals.  Here are the behaviors:

• Believe in yourself
• Positive thinking
• Energy
• Stretching
• Playful
• Practicing
• Risk-taking
• Try again, stick with it
• Asking/giving help
• Trust
• Focusing
• Patience

Next we began to develop our norms for the school year.  These norms are a list of commitments we will hold each other to in order to help us reach our goals.  Here are the norms we came up with:

• Believe in yourself and in others. 
• Keep trying, even if something is hard. 
• Take responsibility for your energy level, your emotions and your body to maintain a peaceful school atmosphere. 
• Be willing to take risks and encourage other to do so, too.   
• Help yourself and help other to help themselves. 
• Remember to have fun. 
• Focus on Focusing.

Next the students made signs for the norms. 

The students believed these norms were so important they decided to make three sets of norms--one set for each classroom and a set for the hallway. 

With norms like these, I think we will have a fantastic year!