Ten-year-old Ja’Vonie Morris sat in her school principal’s office on a recent day — not for the misbehavior that got her in so much trouble back in 3rd grade, but to show off her accomplishments under a schoolwide strategy that used positive reinforcement to help her turn things around.
Before Mission Elementary, a school in Antioch about 35 miles northeast of Oakland, put the rigorous system in place, Ja’Vonie explained, “I would yell. I would kick stuff. I would walk out of the classroom without teacher’s permission. I wouldn’t do my work. I wouldn’t follow directions. I would bother other people.”
Ja’Vonie is now in 5th grade and thriving. Every day, as she complies with the school’s three basic behavioral expectations — be safe, be kind, be responsible — teachers, staff and administrators reward her with tickets that she can spend at the virtual Mustang Market, named after the school mascot. A wall in the low-slung school’s hallway displays the prizes. This year, Ja’Vonie is saving up for the costliest reward of all: a chance to pelt her homeroom instructor with water balloons at the “teacher carwash.” She’ll need 2,500 tickets, and she’s confident she’ll get there.
[For more on this story by LEE ROMNEY, go to https://edsource.org/2018/syst...in-california/593071]
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