Build a system that helps students regain control of their emotions, gives you time to make a plan, and tracks data for you in times of student crisis. Good for kids. Good for you. Let's go!
Special Education Teachers, you know the drill…
You know the feeling… Amazing teaching is underway. Your kids are engaged. The magic is happening! Then… BAM. Your door flies open. A student needs a break. Of course, it is not just any student. It is one of the students on your caseload with behavior goals who you have an exceptionally good relationship with. Suddenly, the magic vanishes and you are left thinking, “What. Just. Happened?“.
Now you face the Impossible Choice:
1. Stop teaching to attend to your visitor. You know that you can help the student. You know that it will take time, but their day can be turned around. Everything in you wants to help them process through it.
2. Ignore your visitor until you are at a good stopping point potentially leaving the student to manage their emotions all alone at the height of what might be the most difficult part of their day. But the rest of the students have needs too. You could keep teaching, help them get what they need so they don't end up on the same trajectory.
3. You stand frozen wishing you could clone yourself and help everyone at the same time. Also, your water bottle is empty and a bathroom break right about now would be nice.
We have all been there, probably more often than we'd like. This happens in the world of special education.
I needed a way to gain back control in these situations. A system for managing my classroom. A way to meet the needs of my students who were needing breaks. I needed a plan for completing two equally important tasks that required my attention at the same time. This led me to use (and develop my own) behavior think sheet.
The Process
As usual, I started with collaboration. Asking other teachers is almost always the place to start. Then, when I got a feel for what was working well I went to work I adapted it for my students. Here is the system I currently have in place in my classroom:
First, when the student enters my room needing a break, I point to the behavior think sheets. They are stored in large envelopes which are attached at student height on the wall. The envelopes are located in a tiny corner in the back of my room. Away from the sightline of the rest of the class.
The student self-selects a version form that will work for them depending on their age and reading ability. We practice this as a group during calm times so all students understand the process before they are in crisis.
Next, they sit and complete it. The form prompts the student to think about what happened, what emotions were involved, the people who were impacted, and how the mistake can be corrected.
After they fill out the form completely, the student drops it into the turn-in slot and grabs the timer (which is preset to three minutes). Students are also allowed to access a fidget tool during this time provided they use it as a tool and not a toy. We practice this skill ahead of time too.
Finally, they find a comfy spot in the back and sit. The student gets an opportunity to calm down and process in a safe space. I have a chance to finish teaching and get the rest of my students started on an independent task. Most of the time, three minutes is adequate but when it's not, I find the student in the back is usually able to maintain their composure for longer in the back of the room.
When I'm able to, I review the behavior think sheet. As a result, I understand the student’s thinking and their recollection of the triggering event. Then we read it together and I look for gaps in their logic or assumptions. This allows us to talk through what happened, what part the student played in the outcome, and make a plan going forward.
When appropriate, I use community service cards to prompt discussions about accountability. This allows students a way to make up for the actions that lead them to be removed from their classrooms.
Keep them for data sake!
At the end of the day, I store the think sheets in my student’s files (along with their check in check out forms). Over time, I look for patterns across the forms. I identify areas where intervention and skill teaching would be helpful. I always note the last action before the point of removal from the general education classroom. Searching for triggers within these forms is invaluable.
As a bonus, these make great conversation points for IEP meetings. If you find that there is something specific you want to track data for, just adjust the prompts on your form. Some students with behavior goals have custom think sheets that align closely with their IEP goals.
As always, the system is a work in progress but, we are light years ahead of where we started!