The Big Fresh December 1, 2012 Acceptable Alternatives

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There’s an alternative. There’s always a third way, and it’s not a combination of the other two ways. It’s a different way.

                                                                             David Carradine
One of my exercise buddies, Denise, was relaying wisdom she’d received from Flint Simonsen. He led a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports consultation in our district.

She said, “While we might have the desired alternative for a student to ‘do work without complaints,’ there are particular students who may react to an assignment with profanity or aggression. Between ‘no-complaint working’ and the problem behavior of a ‘total blow-out’ there is probably a range of acceptable alternatives, like asking for help or asking for a short break.”

I was instantly drawn to the phrase acceptable alternative and had to stop to write it in my notebook. It reminded me of the line from the 90s movie What About Bob starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss when Bob Wiley called out, “Baby steps to four o’clock! Baby steps to four o’clock!” I found myself thinking about it in many contexts over the next weeks. I wanted my middle schooler to offer to clean up more around the house and not wait to be asked, but what was my acceptable alternative? What baby step was going to get her there? The expectations I had of myself leading several groups through professional development were high, but I wanted to enjoy my family too, so what was my “acceptable alternative” to spending all my waking hours planning? What baby step would get the job done?

Whether we are encouraging a student, a colleague, our staff or ourselves to work toward a desired alternative, it’s an important step to stop and consider what’s acceptable along the way.

Heather Rader

Senior Editor, Choice Literacy

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