Rewarding positive behavior with fun

A fairly new behavioral program implemented by Rockingham County Schools has many students looking forward to a special school day dedicated to fun because they behaved well.

PBIS, Positive Behavior and Intervention Support, is a proactive approach to schoolwide discipline currently being used by Central Elementary School in Eden and 12 other schools across Rockingham County.

Central Elementary School Principal Barbara Brown said from the first day of school this year, students wanted to behave because they knew a great reward was in store.

“The students are using these positive behaviors throughout school, after school on the bus and even at home with their families – that’s what we wanted,” she said. “Parents are even incorporating the zero hand signal at home and it’s really helping the students improve their behavior.”

Brown said she noticed an overall behavioral change in the student body once the program was implemented two years ago. It’s based on a set of behavior principles, the prevention approach and the value of positive behavior support.

Students who have avoided office referrals during Central’s first semester were invited to partake in a variety of fun activities last Friday. They included face and fingernail painting, snowflake-making, Wii games, activities on laptops and bingo. Brown said students have really bought into the program.

“The kids want to do their best and it helps that we have other incentives in the classroom,” she said. “Students are able to get positive paw tickets they can use throughout the year to do special things like eat lunch with the principal or eat with friends.”

She said although it’s only in a few schools at the moment, she would like to see the program go countywide.

“Some schools are still using Conscious Discipline, but it would be helpful because students transferring from other schools in the county would already be familiar with the program,” she said.

Assistant Principal Tania Martin organized the positive behavior activity day last Friday. She said PBIS is really about holding students accountable for their behavior.

“When they misbehave, we reiterate procedures that are in place for each area,” she said. “We go over those procedures constantly and that reinforces the rules. They didn’t have that before.”

Martin said there are still several modules to put in place in the coming years to expand the program. She said she’s not sure what next semester’s celebration will include, but she hopes it can be outdoors.

To find out more about the PBIS program, visit www.pbis.org.