Imagine, if you will (the same phrase that started many old episodes of "Twilight Zone!"), a window with a grille that separates it into four sections. The window is discipline, and the four sections are: To, With, Without, and For. These are the four styles of discipline that can be used to respond to behavioral choices, and they certainly vary in their degrees of effectiveness.

In ascending order from least to most effective, we see: Without, To, For, and With being the most effective. "Without" is simply not responding to the behavior. Occasionally, "planned ignoring" can be effective if the need the behavior is communicating is attention. However, "Without" runs the risk of sending the unintentional message that this behavior is acceptable because there was no message to the child stating otherwise. "To" focuses entirely on punishment and is used by people who believe there is no justice without punishment. They believe the punishment will bring about the desired change in behaviors, and without it, the child "gets away with" whatever they did. "For" is discipline that settles the matter for the parties involved. It might be a forced apology, telling the students involved what they think and what they should do, and completely takes the actual work of discipline out of their hands. In complete candor, times that I have believed I settled a matter for students, I initially felt a positive sense of accomplishment. However, that soon faded when the issue resurfaced. There was no change of heart or mind because the student didn't have to make the change for him or herself. "With" is where the money's at when it comes to discipline. This style is collaborative in which the two sides of the issue come together with a facilitator and work together toward a lasting solution. Anyone who caused harm owns it and comes up with ways to make things right with the person he or she harmed. The person who was harmed is heard and validated as they tell the other party (with a skilled facilitator keeping the environment safe and conversation productive) exactly what happened and how he or she felt. The party who committed the harm has to face the person they hurt, take full responsibility, and collaborate toward a solution that he or she is held accountable for carrying out. It is a powerful experience for everyone involved, and I am thrilled to have learned about it and that we are in the early stages of making these experiences a reality for our Eagles.

While we are on the topic of powerful experiences, I want to briefly discuss our Veterans Day assembly from Monday. Veterans Day has become my favorite day of the school year because of this assembly. To have the Veterans in our lives come to Norton Creek to be honored, recognized, and appreciated for their incredible dedication to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a true blessing. I thank them for coming and for their service. I also want to thank all of the people whose time and talents made this event happen: Alex Jedlicka, Tasia Schechtel, and Marcy Cribaro organized the assembly, decor, and recognition of our Veterans and did an amazing job putting together an event we will all remember forever. Adrianne Gallaugher-Beetstra directed our students in beautiful songs to honor our Veterans. The PTO for their support providing the refreshments at our reception for our Veterans and their families and the beautiful American flag pins our Veterans received. Our Student Council for having representatives serve as ambassadors to receive our Veterans and escort them to the reception in the staff lounge. It takes a lot of people to execute an event of this magnitude, and I am thankful to you all for your time, talents, and treasure.

Have a wonderful weekend, Norton Creek, and never miss an opportunity to: Be Kind, Be Respectful, and Be Problem-Solvers!

LUNCH SCHEDULES:

Kindergarten: 11:40 - 12:00

1st Grade: 12:00 - 12:20

2nd Grade: 12:20 - 12:40

3rd Grade: 12:40 -1:00

4th Grade: 11:00 - 11:20

5th Grade: 11:20 -11:40