There's a gradual release of responsibility when it comes to school privileges. There's always a stage at the start of the school year where you figure out what the group and individual children are ready for, and what they are not ready for too.
As you think about student privilege, the first priority is safety. You don't want to give students a level of freedom that creates an unsafe situation. You also want to make sure that students are learning, and you don't want to allow a level of privilege that gets in the way of learning. For example sometimes the privilege to choose is too great if a child continues to make a poor choice.
Choosing the right level of privilege is a stop-and-go process. You allow privilege and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, you pull that privilege back, or if it works well, you create even more privilege.
Our team is looking at privilege now--what's working, and what can change for the better. We're getting to know our students, and learning what works best for them. I'm sure this is true for most teachers at this early time in the school year.
