This is a guest post by Justine Hoch, a certified teacher mentor and PBIS admin in Pasco County, Florida.
Our new reality in this pandemic has changed the roles of parents and teachers. With the shift to virtual learning, parents are now working as support facilitators. Many of them are feeling overwhelmed by the curriculum and the challenges that come with teaching their children from home.
PBIS is a behavior management system adopted by many schools, and the premise is simple – teach expected behaviors and focus on the good behaviors that you see. I have put together this guide for parents on how to use PBIS at home to help manage behavior.
PBIS at Home Guide
1. Expectations
Create a list of 3 -5 POSITIVELY worded expectations for the whole house. Keep it simple!
- Be respectful
- Be understanding
- Be helpful
2. Examples
Create a few examples of what each of those expectations looks like for the house. Ask your kids to contribute!
Respectful
- I can be respectful by… staying quiet when the adults are working.
- I can be respectful by… waiting for my turn to use the computer/device.
Understanding
- I can be understanding by… recognizing our new reality and the challenges it presents.
Helpful
- I can be helpful by… cleaning up the messes I make or cleaning up a mess I see.
A PBIS at Home Tip
Make a mural together as a family that shows these expectations and what they look like in different situations. Then hang it up somewhere for all to see!
3. Celebrate It
When your child does one of these things, CELEBRATE IT! Tell them what you liked and appreciated about their behavior. Then give them a physical token to keep track of their positive behaviors – stickers, coins… whatever you have.
4. Set Goals
Come up with a “big picture” goal. If you earn 15 “points” or tokens, you can get 15 extra minutes of electronic time. Maybe they can buy their way out of a chore! You can check out this list of remote learning incentives from PBIS Rewards for ideas.
5. Patience
BE PATIENT! This type of system does not solve everything, but it definitely helps to define expectations and to focus on the positive outcomes. A small shift in what you observe can lead to a much larger change in the way you think and relate to your family members!
By implementing and practicing the steps in this guide, you will be well on your way to a positive environment for your PBIS at home experience.
Download this PBIS at Home Guide
About Justine:
Justine Hoch is a Spanish teacher and a PBIS enthusiast. She has a Master’s Degree in Adolescent Education from Adelphi University in New York. Justine is a certified teacher mentor and has also completed her District Leadership certification. She first became interested in PBIS six years ago, when she volunteered to help revive her school’s PBIS program. Since then, she has become a committee chair, a PBIS point of contact for her school and has done freelance work with teachers and administrators to help them start their own PBIS programs.
If you would like to connect with Justine, you may contact her here.
