Living Avivaloca I recently blogged on The MEHRIT Centre blog about “a case of the June’s.” The further we get into the month, the more that I see these variations in behaviour. As the tattling also increases, I’ve been trying to think of different ways to support student sharing, but reduce conflict.
As many of my blog readers know, I love the power of note writing. When I taught kindergarten, my teaching partner, Paula, and I supported so much reading and writing development through the exchanging of notes with kids. This was a game changer. Now, I often use note writing with kids when there are problems or when they are upset. Instead of asking questions and further exacerbating student stress, I write a note (with a question). We exchange in written dialogue. Sometimes I’ll whisper read the note to the students. Usually, they read it on their own. It’s amazing how much this creative outlet seems to calm many of them.
Today, I wondered if some note writing would calm the year-end social stress. I made this “complaint box.”
When students came in today, I explained that any time they were upset or angry about something, they could write a note and put it in the complaint box. They could even draw me a picture of the problem and write any sounds that they know. I would then read the complaints and address those required. Students are still encouraged to solve problems on their own, but this was a way to share problems with me without increasing stress. Here was some of my early morning thinking.
Little did I know that the complaint box would inspire so much writing. In fact, unexpectedly, I was reminded of an old Seinfeld episode and the “airing of the grievances.”
Seriously though, at the end of the year, everyone feels a little more stressed and there tends to be more tattling. Getting students to write down their concerns has been a great way to minimize the conflict and allow them to express themselves. Then these concerns can be brought to different people and it can be decided on if there needs to be a follow-up or if just writing down the problem made things better. Plus, there is a literacy connection, which I love. Writing down the problem is also leading to less verbal conflict with kids, as they have a chance to reflect first. This is really supporting self-regulating. I wish I thought of this sooner. I cannot believe the amount of writing that kids have been doing today. 
Some have also been supporting each other with writing or adding pictures and writing single words.When I shared about this complaint box today, I received some wonderful comments from Kindergarten educators — past and present — who discussed some co-writing possibilities and the connection with co-regulating. I recalled sitting down and writing a few of my concerns alongside students today. Sharing my feelings in this written way, was just as calming for me as it was for kids.
We are about to enter the last week of school, which probably means lots of big emotions. How might writing support kids and reduce stress in a meaningful way? I’m curious to hear what others have done. (I might have sent my Complaint Box up to music today, and gotten some additional teacher involvement too. If nothing else, writing things down seemed to give many of us an opportunity to smile today.) I might need a moveable complaint box for Nutrition Break Duty, but that’s another story. 
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