photo by Julie Cooper

Zoé Davis, 8, Cloi Cummings, 7, and Ke’Ara Bethley, 7, clockwise from bottom left, show off their bee bucks in their Ferriday Lower Elementary classroom Wednesday. The girls are part of a school-wide positive behavior program that rewards children with fake money for good behavior. The bucks can be spent in the Honey Money Store to buy toys and goodies.

Ferriday school rewards positive behavior

By Emily Ham (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Thursday, November 5, 2009

FERRIDAY — For the past two years, Ferriday Lower Elementary School students have been awarded for positive behavior — and the rewards have been sweet.

At the end of every month, students in pre-kindergarten through second grade have a chance to spend their honey money — an award in the school’s positive behavior incentive program — in the school’s store.

Principal Shelia Alwood said the program was designed to focus on the positive actions of students and to positively re-enforce good behavior.

Second-grade students said they looked forward to visiting the Honey Money store where they were allowed to purchase items such as kites, novelty cups, baby dolls, jump ropes, pom poms and surprise bags, just to name a few.

“They get $1 per day (if they behave),” Alwood said. “They have to have $15 to go to the store.”

Second grader William McKeel said he earns $15 or more a month and enjoys spending it at the store on cars.

Alwood said the school’s positive behavior program was mandated by the state of Louisiana for all schools within the state.

But since the school has to fund the program through its own funds and through donations, sometimes the awards change depending on how much they can spend on items for the store.

But one of the favorite activities some second-grade students said they were able to participate in was last month’s moonwalk.

Students who earned $15 were allowed to play in an inflatable jungle students could jump and play basketball in.

The incentive program — whether the students use the school store or attend scheduled activities — is one that Alwood said she sees as working in years to come.

“We can tell that it’s something that we’re going to keep doing. It’s got staying power.”

Alwood said since the school’s rules are understood and practiced by all grades, good behavior is expected at all times, no matter who is watching.

This nature of the program allows teachers to always have their eyes peeled for good or negative behavior.

“When we do see negative behavior, then we try to re-teach it (to be positive.) They don’t know it so they have to be taught,” Alwood said.

However, even if a student doesn’t earn a dollar for the day, all students are well acquainted with the “Be” rules.

“Be kind, be safe and be ready to learn,” the class recited in unison.

Many of the children said they use the rules they learn at school and apply them at home.

Kindergarten teacher Connie Whitley said she’s noticed a change in the students since the program was put into place two years ago.

“Now that we have (the program) it has really helped us,” Whitley said. “Now they have an incentive to behave.”

Whitley, who has taught kindergarten students for approximately 33 years, said she sees her students strive to behave and on months when her class doesn’t quite make the $15 mark, she finds ways to positively reinforce their efforts.

“You have some who come close to $15. If I see they are working hard, I do something for them like an ice cream party or watching a movie,” Whitley said.