Keeping Happy In Cromwell

Teaching Pre K-8, Feb 2004 by Raymond, Allen

A 775-student Connecticut elementary school (preK-4) puts the emphasis on positive behavior and good self-esteem

An article in the December 15, 2003 issue of Time magazine - Does Kindergarten Need Cops? - described what it called an "alarming trend" of violence, profanity and "other outrageous acts" by children in kindergarten and first grade.

The article, based on a regional study conducted by Partnership for Children in the Fort Worth (TX) area in 2003, was probably received with shocked surprise by most non-educators.

But in the Time article, Ronald Stevens, director of the National School Safety Center in Westlake Village (CA), supports the findings. "Violence," he indicated, is a national trend and "it's getting younger and younger."

But not in the Edna C. Stevens School (grades pre-K through 4, with 775 students) in Cromwell, CT. "We're very fortunate," said the school's new principal, Lucille DiTunno. "The expectations of good behavior at ECS are well understood by parents, and that cuts down a great deal on discipline problems."

But it didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen by accident. Quite the contrary. "Working with the parents we, as a team," Mrs. DiTunno said, "prepare the students, both academically and socially so that, when the children enter school, everyone is ready and can be effective, both at home and at school." And, after the kids get to school, it of course becomes an ongoing process - for all grades, all of the time.

Last fall the school's PTO, as it does throughout the year, supported these objectives by sponsoring "Johnny the K," a musical program featuring John Kelleher who, with his 12-string guitar and zany hats, emphasizes cultural diversity, positive behavior, self-esteem.

"This is important to us," Mrs. DiTunno said, "Each class has its own behavior management plan, developed individually by that class at the beginning of the year. Those plans," she added, "are discussed on a regular basis with the students, of course, but also with parents, so we can keep them informed."

If Courtney Mason, one of the seven second grade teachers at Edna C. Stevens Elementary, is an example of how this school is tackling student behavior - and she undoubtedly is - Stevens could be a model for schools everywhere.

The atmosphere in Courtney's classroom was warm and comfortable. The children were busy, involved and on their very best behavior which, as the day wore on, didn't change.

"A lot of my management," Courtney told us, "is really based on the social curriculum I learned from the Responsive Classroom program. As you probably noticed, a lot of social skills come into play in everything we do.

"The children learn how to respond when a child is not playing the game necessarily appropriately," she added. "They learn how to talk to one another, how to solve their problems verbally, instead of physically - which is a big deal today. They get so upset when another child says something mean.

"They're playing better outside at recess," she continued. "We've talked about how you deal with a situation when you don't agree with what the other person has said or done.

"Of course, the other person needs to listen," Courtney said.

Courtney's classroom conveys an aura which seems typical of what we saw at the Edna C. Stevens School. From the minute the kids arrive in the morning, until they go home at the end of the day, the classrooms, the cafeteria - and even the hallways - give off good educational vibes.

It seems to be a happy place, too, which perhaps reflects the reactions of students (and teachers) to visits from motivational groups bringing messages such as, "If you're not happy when you walk out the door in the morning, go back in, talk to an adult, explain what's wrong and talk it out."

Sometime in the future Lucille DiTunno hopes to build on the base that exists at the Edna C. Stevens School by bringing someone like Edward E. Ford and his "Responsible Thinking Process" (RTP) to the school. RTP is a program designed to "help children learn to think their way through conflicts with which they're dealing before attempting to come up with ways to achieve their goals without violating the rights of others."

Good advice for all of us.