Recently I had the privilege to work closely with Paul Harvey as an after school program substitute at Dr. Weeks Elementary in the Syracuse City School District.
Mr. Harvey was successful in implementing a positive discipline plan for the after school program. He engaged all stakeholders in the decision making and outcomes for each individual situation. This involved making phone calls home to parents to ask for help in many situations, enlisting other teachers for “cool down” time, setting up placements for redirection of attention for many students, helping students to understand and “own” their behavior, and rewarding positive behavior decisions made by students. Many times he would chose to enlist the help of parents and invite them for discussions with the teachers to brainstorm positive ways for their student to interact with others in the after school program.
Mr. Harvey’s successful empowerment of staff, families, and students led to building a powerful school community and climate at Dr. Weeks.
-Susan Boyle