FOCUS ON FRIENDSHIP

We are entering our sixth week of school and the last full week of lessons at Line. So far we've covered: Respect, Listening, Concentration, and Peacefulness. These concepts reflected what we need to do our best learning. Now we move to what we need from each other: to get along. So we dedicate a full week focused on Friendship: what it takes to be a friend; how to work with a friend; how to solve problems peacefully; and developing guidelines for being a friend.

One of the instruments we use school-wide for solving problems is The Wheel of Choice. It's a circle divided into pie sections, each containing a way to solve a problem. Our job is to help the children decide which way is best for the given problem. The most widely used idea is "Rock, Paper, Scissors," so that's the one we start with. Others include walking away, saying "I'm sorry," moving away from the person, seeking the teacher, and using the Peace Rose. My standard reply to tattling is, "Don't squeal til you use the Wheel." If they haven't tried two methods, they have to do that before seeking adult intervention.

The Peace Rose involves adult guidance at the Children's House level. The two chldren sit at the Peace Table with a rose between them. The child who is holding the rose starts first, saying what he/she wants. Then the rose gets passed to the other person, who gets to have his/her say. When a conclusion/compromise is reached, they both hold the rose and say, "We declare peace."

I have sent The Wheel of Choice home to the parents of the Polliwogs, and I plan to do the same for the Falcons. I highly recommend using it in the home as an extension to the school. You can also set up a Peace Rose area with an imitation rose in a vase that is solely used for the purpose of solving problems. (It helps to have parents model using it, too, which, I guarantee, will be fascinating for children to watch!)

I welcome feedback on using these methods at home!