MAINTAIN PERSONAL SPACE

and

Allow Others to Work

• Try to keep a respectful distance away from people around you. NOBODY likes to be crowded.

• When someone is reading or doing an assignment allow them plenty of room to complete their task.

• If you are in close quarters with someone be respectful and speak in a quiet and calm voice.

• If someone needs to concentrate, stop talking.

If you are in someone’s space,you should….

A) stay there.

B) get closer.

C) remove yourself from their space.

Answer: C

Remove yourself from someone’s space promptly. This way you can avoid confrontation and an aggravated situation.

Non-example

Calvin stands too close to Peter. Peter does not like Calvin so close.

Example

Evan and Trent are maintaining personal space. They are happy that they are not crowded and no one feels uncomfortable.

Non-example

Rachel doesn’t really feel like working on the assignment the teacher has given. She sees Kennedy working but she decides to talk to her, anyway. “Kennedy, want to watch a movie after school?” she asks. Kennedy says, “I really need to work on this assignment now. I’ll talk to you later.” Rachel is still bored, so she starts tapping her pencil and humming a song. Now she is bothering the whole class.

Example

Houston knows the teacher has given the class time to work on their assignment. She remains at her desk and works on her assignment. She thinks of a question for her friend but doesn’t want to disturb him, so she writes it down until a good time to talk to him.

Practice

Practice sitting at your desks or tables while maintaining personal space.

Practice other areas such as getting materials, sitting on a carpet, entering the room, exiting the room, etc. while maintaining personal space.

(Elementary) Imagine you are in a bubble. Stand next to someone without popping the bubbles.

Discussion

What are some things that distract you while you work?

How can you make sure you are not distracting others?