Wednesday, September 1, 2010

PBS: "All" Means All

When I was in college and learning the social foundations of education, I remember being surprised to learn that the word "all" means different things to different historical and theoretical contributors. Sometimes "all" men were the owners of land, sometimes included women, sometimes including children, and sometimes people with disabilities, but rarely meant "all."

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop to train trainers teach strategies for families of PBS. As I think about the elements of PBS and start planning our workshops in the family, I am back to a slide, a friend and I created when we were training new teachers how to develop their RE class. We reached the conclusion that when the support systems of positive behavior and philosophy, "all" should really mean "all."

children who raise their hands and shouting of children

Children who bathe every night and children in need

Children who write with their pencils and children who throw their pencils

children who say "I love you!" and children who say "$ # @% you!"

children with a cloth and wipe the mucus from your child you

children, you go home in a split second, and the children whom you hope is absent

Children with parents to provide support and challenge children with parents

are responsible for your actions and the children that the discharge of your bag of tricks

Children who always get their medications and children not

Our main goal to put the above statements has been to encourage teachers to reflect on the following question:

I am providing a safe learning environment for all students?