Teacher’s Bag of Tricks

Our child study team is attending the Masonic Model Student Assistance Program, a training experience targeting at-risk interventions and strategies.

• Life skills and academic content can live together in the same lessons and activities.
• Brainstorming is most effective in 5-7 minute stretches. That lull in the action after 90 seconds is the transition from left brain to right brain, so keep going to get creative ideas. Save the “yeah, but” comments for later.
• Keep parent conferences positive and collaborative, not confrontational. Remember, the parents of at-risk students are likely moving through the grieving process for their students. Be firm but sensitive.

A quick rundown of some key ideas from the Masonic Model Student Assistance Program.

• Developmental assets analysis helps to put a student’s life skills in perspective and leads to greater adult compassion for that student.
• Every school should have a comprehensive plan in place for crisis prevention, intervention, and postvention.
• Educators can carefully ask students to assist in identifying at risk students.
• The more a student knows about her classmates, the less likely she is to act out in violence against them.

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