Event #2

For my second event I attended a lecture at the Warwick showcase cinemas called speaking of kids. This particular lecture pertained to dealing with children with difficult behavior.  This was extremely informative and useful for me because it reaffirmed a lot of what I was using as disciplinary tactics with the kids at the Y, as well as a couple new tools that can be used in the future.  One such important aspect is the ability to disciplining children without singling them out.  We have issues often times at my work where children will act out or behave in a way that is clearly meant to catch the attention of the staff.  When confronted with the situation you have to take into account how much attention should be given without making the behavior desirable.  The discussion discussed how if the behavior isn't a detriment to the class then ignoring can be effective, but often times it needs to be confronted.  In that case it is best to confront the entire group about the issue, insuring that the child who is attempting to catch your attention receives the message of what behavior is acceptable, while not giving them the attention they so desired.
The Discussion also reiterated my attempts to stay positive with the kids at my work.  As a staff we try to word as much of our directions in a positive manner.  It has been found that kids respond to a direction that does not include negative words like "no" or "don't".  He said that this is the more difficult way to discipline because it requires you to think more about what you say, rather than what is instinctual.  But I have found that the more i practice being positive, the easier and more natural it gets.