‘Do it Right’ club gives positive motivation to students
Third-grade students at Dorothy L. Bullock Elementary School are trading their good behavior for fun through a program called the Do It Right Club.
School guidance counselor Phyllis Bullock-Beaufait started the program at the elementary school about 15 years ago after hearing a similar idea at a conference of school guidance counselors.
Classroom teachers identify students who are eligible for the club after the first four weeks of school. The club is geared toward students who appear uninterested in academics or have displayed negative behavior in the classroom.
Bullock-Beaufait calls the Do It Right Club highly motivating for students. “The club is offered as a positive reinforcement for good behavior in class,” Bullock-Beaufait said.
Each week, students work towards a goal of earning a set number of points out of a 25-point total. On Friday afternoons, club members meet with Bullock-Beaufait for a 10-minute “business meeting” where they review their good behavior for the week and discuss how they could improve.
“We discuss how they did, and if they didn’t make their goal, we talk about what they could do differently. The students encourage each other and give each other hints on how to make positive changes,” she said.
Students who meet or exceed their goal are eligible for about a half-hour of playtime in the gym or outside immediately following the meeting. If students meet their goal, they and their teacher are required to set a higher goal for the next week.
Reward activities include basketball, board games, foam football, scooters and indoor hockey led by the school’s physical education teacher.
Students receive a sticker on their Do It Right Club card for each week they make their goal.
Oct. 2 was this year’s first Do It Right Club meeting for students.
Bullock-Beaufait said the club is so popular that sometimes students ask to be a part of it. So far this year, there are about 10 students participating in the club, and more will be added on as the school year progresses. In the past, students who are good role models have become unofficial members of the club.
“It’s popular with the kids, and it’s helped them realize that they themselves have the power and control to make good choices. It really does help the students learn how to do the right thing,” she said.
At the beginning of the year, students attend a few reward sessions even if they don’t meet their goal as a way to show what they can earn.
“We want students to learn that it pays off to make good choices,” she said. The club, started by a grant from the Glassboro Education Foundation a few years ago, is spawning similar programs for students at the school.
“It’s a very minimal cost with maximum results that helps the students feel special,” Bullock-Beaufait said.
This year, a similar club for second-grade students will be offered by the guidance department to the school, titled TEAM, that stands for Together Everyone
Accomplishes More.
Bullock-Beaufait credits the longevity and success of the Do It Right Club program to the support of the school principal, physical education teacher, and teachers who help to identify students and complete their weekly behavior reviews.
“I definitely think it has made a difference in the school, and I would like to think it makes a difference in some of their lives,” she said.
School guidance counselor Phyllis Bullock-Beaufait started the program at the elementary school about 15 years ago after hearing a similar idea at a conference of school guidance counselors.
Classroom teachers identify students who are eligible for the club after the first four weeks of school. The club is geared toward students who appear uninterested in academics or have displayed negative behavior in the classroom.
Bullock-Beaufait calls the Do It Right Club highly motivating for students. “The club is offered as a positive reinforcement for good behavior in class,” Bullock-Beaufait said.
Each week, students work towards a goal of earning a set number of points out of a 25-point total. On Friday afternoons, club members meet with Bullock-Beaufait for a 10-minute “business meeting” where they review their good behavior for the week and discuss how they could improve.
“We discuss how they did, and if they didn’t make their goal, we talk about what they could do differently. The students encourage each other and give each other hints on how to make positive changes,” she said.
Students who meet or exceed their goal are eligible for about a half-hour of playtime in the gym or outside immediately following the meeting. If students meet their goal, they and their teacher are required to set a higher goal for the next week.
Reward activities include basketball, board games, foam football, scooters and indoor hockey led by the school’s physical education teacher.
Students receive a sticker on their Do It Right Club card for each week they make their goal.
Oct. 2 was this year’s first Do It Right Club meeting for students.
Bullock-Beaufait said the club is so popular that sometimes students ask to be a part of it. So far this year, there are about 10 students participating in the club, and more will be added on as the school year progresses. In the past, students who are good role models have become unofficial members of the club.
“It’s popular with the kids, and it’s helped them realize that they themselves have the power and control to make good choices. It really does help the students learn how to do the right thing,” she said.
At the beginning of the year, students attend a few reward sessions even if they don’t meet their goal as a way to show what they can earn.
“We want students to learn that it pays off to make good choices,” she said. The club, started by a grant from the Glassboro Education Foundation a few years ago, is spawning similar programs for students at the school.
“It’s a very minimal cost with maximum results that helps the students feel special,” Bullock-Beaufait said.
This year, a similar club for second-grade students will be offered by the guidance department to the school, titled TEAM, that stands for Together Everyone
Accomplishes More.
Bullock-Beaufait credits the longevity and success of the Do It Right Club program to the support of the school principal, physical education teacher, and teachers who help to identify students and complete their weekly behavior reviews.
“I definitely think it has made a difference in the school, and I would like to think it makes a difference in some of their lives,” she said.
