The Safe Keeper System More over, it seemed to dampen the hearts
of those who could not seem to control themselves. For example,
once a boy in my class slugged another child right when he got
to school and was immediately put on a red light with a note
going home. He looked at me and said, "Who cares?! It doesn't
matter how I act now - I am already on red." How true! He had 6
hours left in school and it really did not matter what he did -
he was going home with a red light! It was an aha moment that
this little fellow had no chance to save face and make better
choices. He had no opportunity to redeem himself! I took the Red
Light system down that day. As I reflected on what was the most
important thing I wanted in my classroom I realized it was for
the children to be safe physically, emotionally, and mentally.
The Red Light system could not address a child's needs on all
these levels. I created what I call the Safe Keeper System with
the help of my friend, Mary Myers. It is based on the children
learning and