Skits to Help Students Learn Choice Theory

Material from William Glasser, M.D.

Purpose:         These skits can be used as a classroom discussion starter for third to eighth grade students who are in the process of learning choice theory. The five performers are very familiar with how choice theory is used in Glasser Quality Classrooms.  By discussing these short skits, students who are learning can get the feel of choice theory and the competence based classroom.  Further, they will learn about the effect external control has on all our lives. Watching these skits could also be valuable for parents of students who are starting to learn choice theory or for parents who don’t know choice theory but want to find out more about it. They also might be performed at a teacher meeting for those who would like to learn more about choice theory. The performers could answer questions everywhere they perform.

 Characters:    Five fifth grade students, three boys and two girls, from a fifth grade classroom where the students are learning choice theory in some depth from their new teacher. These students are close friends and often hang around together in the cafeteria after lunch. 

 Setting:          The skit take place at a table in the school cafeteria at

                        lunch.

Jeff      “We’ve been taking the new kind of tests for almost two months.  I’m still not sure but I think I like this way to be tested.”

Ken     “I love discussing what we’ve learned first.  When we talk about it for a while I begin to understand it.  When you understand it, the test is easy.”

Tom     “There’s no more cheating.  I don’t have to keep my paper covered up.”

Kim     “What I like is we’re only going to have two grades: A for very good work, B for competent work.  No more C’s, D’s and F’s.  I hated all those C’s because I couldn’t memorize.  Now I even got an A on one test.”

Amy    “The best part for me is now I can get A+ if I work real hard or if I spend time helping another kid to reach a B.”

Ken     “Amy, I think you may have a problem with your Mom. She’s expected all A’s. Now she’ll expect all A+’s.

Tom     “My Mom will be happy if I make all B’s.”

Tom     “But if we don’t get a B?  What’ll she mark on our report card?”

Amy    “You won’t get any mark.  To get credit you have to do competent work.  That’s a B.  Like Kim said, you keep working until you do.  I’m willing to help any kid who needs it.”

Kim     “Jeff, if you got help and some more time, don’t you think you could make a B?”

Jeff      “I could try, but math is really hard for me.  What if I get help and I still don’t get it?” 

Amy    “Jeff, I keep telling you that you’ve gotten used to giving up.  I think you’re kind of lazy.  I’ll help you but you have to try.  I’ll feel real good if I can help you get a B.”

Jeff      “But if you help me, it’ll take you a lot of time.  I don’t think your Mom is going to like that.  I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

Amy    “I talked to my Mom about it.  She used to teach school.  She says helping another student is the best way to learn.  I was surprised.  I thought she’d be against me taking time to help anyone.”

Jeff      “I feel better.  I think when we all get good grades we’ll get along a lot better with each other than we do now.”

Kim     “I think we will, too.”

Tom     “C.R. was telling a small group of us the other day that schools don’t teach the most important thing students need to learn in school.”