How Do You Manage a 'Flippen Classroom'?

Ok...perhaps that was a bad play on words.  A 'Flippen Classroom' refers to Flip Flippen, a renowned speaker and psychotherapist who created a program called Capturing Kids' Hearts. 

According to Flip, "If you have a child's heart, you have his heart."  I was fortunate enough to go to the 3-day Capturing Kids' Hearts training last summer and it is such a wonderful way to approach classroom management.  It's foundationally about creating and nurturing relationships.  In our school we use the techniques not only with our students, but with each other as a staff as well. 

It would be impossible to explain the program in a blog post, but some of the things that we do include...

• Greetings - I greet my students with a handshake each morning.  It teaches students how properly greet another and it gives me a quick picture of how someone is doing before they even walk in the door.  If a student is having a bad morning, it gives me a chance to help them 'reboot' before a bad morning turns into a bad day.  My administrator also comes through each classroom each day and shakes the teacher's hand and tells them 'good morning'.  What a great model for the students!!
• Good Things - I start each day by giving students a chance to share something good that has happened or that they are looking forward to.  First they get to share with a neighbor, then I usually call 5 or 6 students (using sticks with names on them) to share with the whole class.  We clap or cheer for each student that shares ...and as part of our classroom community, 'when one of us claps, we all clap'.  At my school we also start each staff meeting with 'Good Things'.  It really is just a great way to start a day...or a meeting.
• Social Contract - At the beginning of each school year, the students I and work together to decide how we should treat each other.  Everybody gets a say and all the ideas are written on a big sheet of chart paper.  After it's finalized, everyone signs their name -including the teacher.  For beginning of the year kindergarteners, who haven't quite learned to write their names, I've used thumbprints.  I also create a social contract for each separate group that I have, like literacy groups.  We also do this as a staff at the beginning of each school year as well.
• Affirmations - Some teachers are AWESOME at doing this!  Affirmations are short notes that you give to someone to tell them something nice that you have noticed about them or to give them a compliment.  Students give affirmations to each other and our staff is really great about giving affirmations as well!  It really has given my day a lift when I walk into my classroom and one or my sweet colleagues (or one of my administrators) has left me a note telling me that I'm doing a great job.  One of my goals this year is to be more intentional about using affirmations.
• Four Questions for Misbehavior - Simply put, instead of 'nailing' a student for misbehavior, your are giving them a chance to change their behavior (which is what we really want anyway, right?) and retain their dignity.  1st - "What are you doing?" 2nd - "What are you supposed to be doing?" 3rd - "Are you doing it?"  4th - What are you going to do about it?"
• Launch - The launch is a way to send students out on a positive note.  It can be a song, a quote, a cheer, a saying...really whatever works for you and that you and your students can stick with.  It's a way to provide some closure and to send kiddos out the door with a smile.

I know that I'm forgetting a ton of things that are part of the program, but I will say that it is life changing.  It definitely changed how I interact, not only with my students, but with my colleagues and my own family as well.

Our school also uses Keystone, which is a character education program that is offered through the Flippen Group.  We use it school wide which is nice because everyone is learning about the same character quality at the same time and we can use common language with the students.

If you are interested in Capturing Kids' Hearts or Keystone, you can find more information at their website.  http://flippengroup.com/education/index.html 

Right now I'm reading a book called, What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most, by Todd Whitaker. 

I had seen a link for it somewhere, but I was sold on reading it after watching a video of Todd Whitaker on YouTube.

If you have read this book or have used any of the 'Flippen Techniques' (sorry, I couldn't resist), I would love to hear what you think.