How To Be a Friend

Students in this class are struggling with tattling. Students are wanting to get their friends "in trouble," for all the little things. Today students listened to a story called, Don't Squeal Unless it's a BIG DEAL. The story is about students (piglets) in a class who are tattling on their friends for things like someone hogging the swings, or using the colored pencil that they want. The teacher is about to lose her mind! She explains to her class that they should only "squeal" if it is a big deal. Big deals, or teacher problems, are if someone is being dangerous or in harm. Examples of this would be someone running with scissors, someone putting their hands on someone else or someone ruining something that does not belong to them. All other problems are considered kid size problems, problems that kids can handle on their own!

Students can handle a kid size problem by stating to their peers;
"It bugs me when you _________, I wish that you would stop." If this doesn't work, the problem is now an adult size problem and that is when I step in!

We will continue to revisit this idea though class meetings. I want students to understand that when they tattle, they could be losing a friend.