Hidden Curriculum Daily Tips
The Hidden Curriculum addresses important skills that everyone knows, but no one is taught. Understanding the hidden curriculum is especially difficult for individuals who have deficits in social competence skills including those with autism spectrum disorder. Provided below is a month of daily hidden curriculum tips for young children, adolescents and adults. Each tip addresses complex information in a simple and straightforward way. For more Hidden Curriculum tips, check out the following resources from the OCALI Lending Library:
Day 1
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
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| Boys don't normally talk to each other in a restroom. If you are a boy, always check the stall for toilet paper before you go to the bathroom. |
Do not text or email sensitive or private information, including pictures. |
If another employee is in the boss's office, it is best to wait until she leaves before you go in to ask a question or discuss a work concern. |
Day 2
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| Do not pet or go close to someone else's pet unless you have permission. |
It is O.K. if you are not the first to finish a classroom assignment or test. Unless the teacher tells you otherwise, speed is not important. But accuracy is. |
While the boss is on vacation, another employee may be appointed as the "go-to" person for any workers who have questions. Treat that person with the same respect you treat your boss. |
Day 3
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
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| Even if you know the answer to a question in class, it is not appropriate to blurt out the answer if the rule is to raise your hand first. |
If someone gets too close to you and makes you uncomfortable, you can let them know that you need space by saying, "Please move back; I need some room." |
"TMI" stands for "too much information". When people respond to you by saying "TMI", it means you are sharing too much personal information. |
Day 4
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| Don't eat someone's food without asking. |
If you want to understand someone's thoughts and feelings, it is best to watch the area around their eyes and not the movement of their mouth. |
If anyone says you are "out of line," it means that whatever you did or said is unacceptable. |
Day 5
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| Most of the time people in the movie theatre do not want you to sing along with the songs in the movie. |
If you think that the teacher made a mistake in grading your paper, politely ask if you can talk with him about it. |
It is considered rude to have side conversations with the person next to you while you are in a meeting. |
Day 6
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| When trying to find an empty stall in a crowded restroom, don't look between the cracks separating the stalls. Instead look underneath the stall door just so you can see a person's feet. |
Be careful about HOW you say things; your tone of voice has just as much of an impact-sometimes even more-as the words you use. |
If you get a new boss he may do things differently than your old boss. |
Day 7
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If you cannot find something you are looking for, remain calm. Try to think of the last place you had the item. |
When working on a group project, be open to others' suggestions and ideas even if you don't like them at first. |
Work lunch breaks start from the time you leave your workspace, not from the time you begin eating your food. |
Day 8
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If you get separated from your family in a store, go to the checkout register and ask for help. Tell the cashier your mom or dad's name. |
Never argue with or attempt to correct a police officer. |
If the boss tells you to do something in a certain way, it is NOT O.K. to tell him that is a bad decision. Instead, ask to discuss with your boss other ideas that you have about how to improve your work performance. |
Day 9
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| A hug is not an appropriate touch if it is not wanted. This is true whether you are touching others or others are touching you. |
When the teacher is giving a lesson, it is time to listen. You can talk about topics that you are interested in at a later time. |
It is part of the employer's job to tell you what you are doing well and what you need to improve upon. He does this for everyone. |
Day 10
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| When you are having a conversation with someone, they will be upset if you interrupt them, even if you don't mean to. If someone pauses, wait a few seconds before you start talking to make sure they are finished. |
If you are feeling upset, it is best to either talk calmly with a trusted adult or to take a little time to calm down. Yelling or hitting can be misunderstood by others around you and can get you in trouble. |
It is O.K. if you don't like all of your coworkers. Just treat them respectfully. |
Day 11
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| A friendship means that both you and your friend do nice things for each other. That is, both of you take time to talk and play together. |
It is appropriate to shake hands with a stranger; hugging is O.K. if the person is a friend. |
It is not a good policy to make personal calls at work unless it is an emergency. |
Day 12
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| While eating, remember to keep your mouth closed and try to talk only when you have no food in your mouth. |
Friends forgive each other for mistakes they accidentally make. |
Avoid dwelling on your weaknesses. The interviewer wants you to "sell" yourself, not to discourage her from hiring you. |
Day 13
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If your teacher asks another student to be quiet, you can assume that you should be quiet, too. |
Attend to your personal appearance (runny nose, wet clothes, etc.) |
Saying Good Morning is a nice thing to do but not if you interrupt a conversation or meeting in order to do it. |
Day 14
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| Sometimes teachers send you messages without actually talking. For example, if your teacher clears her throat and crosses her arms, it is usually a sign that she wants you to pay attention to her. |
Real friends share their secrets and dreams with each other. Don't share your private thoughts with everybody you meet. It takes time to develop the kind of trust true friends have. |
In most workplaces, you will lose your job for displaying angry behavior. Yelling, swearing and similar means of communication are unprofessional and typically not tolerated. |
Day 15
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| It is NOT O.K. to say the same joke to the same person(s) over and over again. A joke is usually only funny the first time. |
Even if you like an item that you find, it is not yours to keep. It should be returned to the original owner. |
Even if you have a good reason for being late to work, know that most workplaces do not tolerate this behavior more than once or twice. You could lose your job over it. |
Day 16
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If someone says "hi" to you in the hall, it is polite to say "hi" back. |
If your mouth is full of food when it is your turn to talk or respond, you can hold up your pointer finger to request a minute before answering. |
Keep in mind that an interview begins the moment you enter the building and ends the moment you leave it. |
Day 17
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| Remember that although you can be loud during recess, it is important to be quiet when you return to class. |
Never tell anyone but your parents your passwords. Don't allow anyone to access your email or computer accounts using your password. |
Even the best applicant sometimes fails to get the job. The selection of who is employed is entirely up to the employer. If you are not chosen, let that opportunity go and focus on other opportunities. |
Day 18
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If you need help and the teacher is with someone else, like another student or a teacher, skip the problem you are having difficulty with and go on to the next one. |
If you are walking with others, it is a good idea to walk beside them if there is enough room. Walking in front of somebody can seem cocky, and walking behind can make the person feel as if you don't want to be seen with him. |
Even if you have good suggestions for your co-workers on how to improve their performance, your co-workers do not necessarily want you to explain to them how they can do their jobs better. |
Day 19
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If you are waiting in line for something, you are not allowed to cut no matter how long you have been waiting. |
When you are in a public restroom, talking above a whisper can be heard by people outside the stall. Make sure what you are talking about is O.K. for everyone to hear. |
Networking is about opportunities. The more networks you have the more opportunities you get, and the more successful you are likely to be. |
Day 20
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If you are doing your homework and can't figure out the answer to a problem do something else for a couple of minutes. |
It is O.K. to have different opinions than your friend. Sometimes friends don't agree with one another. It does not mean that one person's opinion is better than the other's. |
If a problem occurs at work, discuss it with your supervisor. Many problems are simply mistakes that can be corrected as soon as they are brought to the attention of a supervisor. |
Day 21
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| You might have to work in groups with students you don't like or who don't like you. Do your best to work together. |
If you get in trouble once, it does not mean that your entire day is ruined. |
When your boss makes a mistake, it's not a good idea to tell him he screwed up, even if it's the truth. |
Day 22
| Young Children | Adolescents | Employment |
|---|
| If someone has an idea that is different from one you thought of, it does not mean that either idea is wrong or stupid. It just means that there are two different ideas. |
On April Fool's Day, people may play practical jokes on others. If someone plays a practical joke on you, try not to become upset or frustrated. Talk to an adult if you feel the joke is mean or upsets you. |
Employees must arrive early enough at work to get settled in (use the bathroom, hang up jacket, etc.) so that they are ready to begin working at the starting time. |