Paparazzing over my little playground patrol boy (^_^)

Caleb the Campus Negotiator

I never thought I'd do this....but Today I became a paparazzi mom! In chinese they call it "Dog chase Team" (狗仔隊)! Yesterday during our site council meeting, I heard my boy say to Mr. McGann (our school principal), that he will be a PAL today!!



So, I became my son's nightmare today. I followed (he claimed I chased) him around during recess, camera in hand, while he dutifully made his rounds as a PAL!No wonder they call people like me "狗仔隊"!



He didn't look too pleased when he saw me sneak up on him...



Recently I learned of a very interesting project done at our kids' school! They call it the PAL program, though I can't remember what it stands for. I heard from my 4th grader that they pick 8 kids from each class and they dress like safety patrol guys, walking around campus with clipboards in hands! It's a great program, wish they had it when I was little! And it trains the kids to help their peers too!

Caleb's Buddy Andrei helps a student

When they see kids fight or argue, the negotiator team of 2 goes out and settles disputes! One asks important mediating questions while the other acts as a recorder! It's amazing how organized and orderly the kids work together, and conflicts are usually resolved peacefully!

Caleb supervises students as they play dodgeball

I think we could keep peace and order if we had one of these PALS in our neighborhood, or in our homes! The questions are great, and even likens to questions asked by marriage counselors country-wide!



He kept running away whenever I approached and snapped shots of him. And after school, I asked him if any crisis arose that morning. He said his biggest conflict that day was trying to escape from a probing mommy (^_^)!



Hey! Stop following me, mom!!


But things are easier 'read' than done. When Caleb and sister were fighting one day, I patiently asked them these exact same questions....but....they continued fighting and didn't even respond! So I guess it's a lesson for us all....to apply communication skills gracefully to ourselves and our beloved when disagreements do come up! And inevitably they will, but that's okay, as it's part of life with our loved ones.....(^_^).