Discussion:

What's the purpose of having children line up? Can anyone remember? It seems that lines often create more problems than they solve: power struggles, control issues, complaints about fairness, hitting, shoving, and name-calling. Let's take a new look. Line problems can present many opportunities for training in life skills.

Suggestions:

1. As long as students can get to and from destinations quickly, quietly, and safely, stop requiring the class to travel in a line. Whenever there are problems, let the students find solutions during class meetings. (The rest of the suggestions are for teachers who don't believe this is a viable arrangement.)

2. Ask students who are complaining or having trouble in line to put the problem on the class-meeting agenda. This usually satisfies them temporarily and eliminates the problem for the time being.

3. When there is a problem in the line, ask the whole group, "Who can tell me what line rule is being broken right now?" Then, "Who has a suggestion for what needs to be done?" This is often enough to stop the problem.

4. Ask the perpetrator whether she would find it helpful to sit on the positive time-out bench until she's ready to line up respectfully, or to put the problem on the class-meeting agenda so the whole class can work on a solution. (Of course, this is effective only if positive time-out has been established.)

Planning Ahead to Prevent Future Problems:

1. During a class meeting, facilitate a discussion of the purpose of lines. Make a list of all the ideas the students bring up.

2. If you are open to the possibility, allow students to come up with a plan for getting to and from destinations quickly, quietly, and safely without traveling in lines.

3. If you want to continue using lines, have students brainstorm to create a list of rules. 4. Make a list of line jobs, such as head-of-the-line supervisor, middle-of-the-line supervisor, and end-of-the-line supervisor. Allow students to discuss and determine job descriptions for each position. Rotate jobs.

5. During a class meeting, discuss and role play typical problems that arise when students are in line and brainstorm for advance solutions.

Inspirational Story:

A story from Barbara Evangelista, kindergarten paraprofessional, Rocky Mount Elementary School, Marietta, Georgia

Andy repeatedly hit or pushed other students in our kindergarten class whenever they had to line up. He often hurt his classmates to the point of provoking tears. Andy's name appeared frequently on the class-meeting agenda, but the students' solutions weren't working.

Andy and I had a private feel-better chat. I asked him what we could do to help him remember our motto, "Hands are for helping, not hurting." He and I came up with the solution that he would keep his hands in his pockets whenever he was in line. This solution helped Andy, and soon all the students were walking with their hands in their pockets or behind their backs.

Andy is in first grade now. Recently I saw him walking down the hall. We exchanged smiles, and guess what? He had his hands in his pockets.

Class Meeting Solution: A story from J. Michael Fike, counselor, Mountainview Elementary School, Morgantown, West Virginia

Many of the first graders cut in line at the water fountain. On hot, dry days, this was a real problem. One particular class had thoroughly absorbed the concept of respect and always sought relevant solutions to problems. Therefore these students didn't even mention the usual solution-to make the cutting student wait at the end of the line.

After much brainstorming, a classmate suggested that the line jumper could "make a line by himself, and when the class line was finished getting drinks, his 'line' could get a drink." This simple, yet respectful, solution worked perfectly.