TATTLE-TELLING
Tattle-Telling can be extremely disruptive to an elementary school classroom. Students feel it is their job to inform the teacher whenever their peers are misbehaving, or if they think they may be misbehaving. It is important to teach your students when it is appropriate to tell the teacher something, such as if they are being bullied or hurt, and when it is not appropriate. Students often seek praise when they tattle, but it can become disruptive to instruction and create a hostile classroom atmosphere.
- Tattle-Tell Monster Box: Have your students write down what they want to say and put it in the Tattle-Tell Monster Box. This will allow them to say what they need to say without interrupting instruction.
- Preventative Measures: Create a set of rules and procedures to prevent tattling before it happens. These rules and procedures could include: Waiting until the teacher is done teaching to approach them, determining if the situation needs to be resolved immediately, trying to solve the problem on their own first, and asking themselves if the situation affects them personally.
- Explicit Instruction: It is important for your students to understand the difference between Tattling and Telling/Reporting. You do not want to create an environment where students do not tell you when they are in trouble because they are afraid of getting in trouble for tattling.
Tattling
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Telling/Reporting
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