MANKATO — Mankato Area Public School principals delivered a student behavior report Monday to the School Board, reviewing work done to address the topic, especially as kids get back to another year of in-person learning.
While the work being done isn’t new, Supt. Paul Peterson said the report is timely as kids re-enter school on a more regular basis.
“There were much more challenges related to kids learning about ‘how to do school’ is how we’ve been saying it. There was a lot of teaching and re-teaching last year,” he said.
“Some kids showed up quite dysregulated dealing with expectations whether it’s in their classrooms or the hallways or in the lunchroom or on the playground. So our teachers and our staff have had to over the last year do a lot of teaching and re-teaching of behavioral expectations.”
He added that he is optimistic about the direction the district is heading.
“Tonight’s topic is really hitting one of those areas that we really see to be a challenge, but we’re also feeling much better about now in 2022 as opposed to where we were a year ago,” he said. “I think by and large, our students are showing up every day giving us their very best.”
Director of Student Support Services Scott Hare joined Director of Teaching and Learning Travis Olson and principals at each education level to discuss what is being done for each age group to teach social and emotional learning and behavioral expectations.
Hare emphasized the district’s levels of support and resources used to increase social and emotional learning in students.
“What we really have is a very tiered level of support from the classroom, which is our teachers working with students all the way to our student support services who are working with students, and that can be multiple levels, at an individual level or working with them in groups and working to build those skills,” he said.
Hoover Elementary School Principal Mollie Meyer addressed elementary level teaching. She said at an elementary focus, staff consider what’s best practice in terms of developmental appropriateness.
“As we look at our overall approach as elementary educators, our ability to hear the why as to how something has occurred and respond in an appropriate way that includes apologies and different levels of accountability specifically aligned to the actions and behavior,” she said.
Dakota Meadows Middle School Principal Akram Osman followed, saying that re-teaching schoolwide expectations can take place on a daily basis.
“What that looks like in middle school is making sure that we’re addressing the areas that students have access to on a daily basis. So behavioral expectations in the classroom, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, in the restrooms, all of it,” he said. “Our middle schoolers start their day with about 30 minutes of advisory time. They connect with a caring, trusting adult that they form a relationship with each and every day. In those advisories, we have lessons that address the expected behavior.”
At the high school level, Mankato East High School Principal Jeff Dahline said marketing can help remind students of expected behaviors.
“You’ll see signage all over our buildings. You’ll see how we try to create climate and culture within our buildings using those opportunities and reminding and teaching behaviors on a constant basis. If we don’t do that, we have no chance. That is how we remind students on how they’re going to behave and what they need to do,” he said.
Dahline also said rewarding positive behavior and finding the right approach to a situation are also useful strategies.
“How do we lay into effect a response to a behavior that fits what just happened, promotes learning, reunifies and gives us a chance to put everybody back in place?” he said.