Ask Polly Bath: Kids Plugging Toilets on Purpose?
Date: October 29th, 2023
Ask Polly Bath: What’s My Role as a Para?
Date: October 22nd, 2023
Polly answers the question: “I am a paraprofessional and lately it’s getting harder to get the kids to do their work. I feel like I’m jumping through hoops and enticing them and even nagging them! What’s my role here?”
Ask Polly Bath: Calming Techniques and Disregulation
Date: October 15th, 2023
Polly answers the question: “I use yoga and mindfulness techniques in my classroom regularly but when the kids get upset they don’t use these techniques in the moment! How can I get the good stuff to kick in?”
Ask Polly Bath: Is All-School Community Possible?
Date: October 7th, 2023
Polly answers the question: “Our school is very spread out with grade levels in their own hallways. How can we create an ‘all-school community’ when our paths rarely cross?”
Ask Polly Bath: Call the Office for Behavior?
Date: October 1st, 2023
Polly answers the question: “I was lining up my middle school kids and one kid kept ignoring my directions and stepping out of line. I told him to go to the office, which he refused to do, but he did get back in line. I called the office and an administrator came down but didn’t do anything because the kid wasn’t refusing at that moment. I felt unsupported. Could I have handled it differently?”
Ask Polly Bath: Other Kids Interrupting One-on-One Time?
Date: September 23rd, 2023
Polly answers the question: “I often have to work with kids one-on-one at my table. But every time I do that, a line forms and we’re constantly interrupted! How do I stop this behavior?”
Ask Polly Bath: Off Topic Questions During Class?
Date: September 17th, 2023
Polly answers the question: “In the middle of class one of my 4th graders will raise his hand and ask a totally unrelated, off topic, distracting, and sometimes alarming question. How should I respond to this?”
Ask Polly Bath: Out of Control Behavior?
Date: September 10th, 2023
Polly answers the question: “When a kid gets so upset that they smash a window, are they aware of how out of control they are? And what’s a logical consequence?”
Ask Polly Bath: Cell Phones and Power Struggles?
Date: September 3rd, 2023
Polly answers the question: “I have a high school kid who will not turn over her cell phone when I ask for it! It’s my policy and all the kids know it. I know her life is not that positive, and there isn’t a lot of room for learning in her brain right now, but I feel like I need to hold her accountable. It’s always a huge power struggle that results in administrative referral. How can I chip away at her refusal without it costing me our relationship?”
Ask Polly Bath: Behavior and Learning Disabilities?
Date: August 27th, 2023
Polly answers the question: “Can you talk about how to move away from diagnoses we’ve been using to explain learning and behavior challenges, like ADHD or Autism, and more towards accepting and working with neurodiversity?”
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