Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Positivity and Rewards

Something I value deeply is positivity. One way I bring positivity into my classroom is by focusing on the good.  This year, my co-teacher and I are using props to quickly celebrate and show resect to the class or specific students. Teacher calls two claps! We all double clap creating a positive energy.

Last year I used snaps and student of the week celebrations. Every Friday, I would choose a member of each of my small classes and spend thirty seconds acknowledging something they did well. For one student it was coming to school at the end of first period instead of just before third, for another it was doing all her homework for the week, and for one kid it was for politely correcting students' rude  behaviors.  I would start off saying, "This student is someone who...."  By the end of my spiel,  the students would have thrown out a few guesses, and the room would be charged by the time I did say who it was.  After I'd announced the student of the week, I'd present them with a star student sticker-- love that Target dollar section!-- and he would riffle through my prize box as the class celebrated him with snaps.

Despite the busy and rigorous year ahead, it's nice to tie some of the positivity and acknowledgement that has kept me going on these years.

Love,
Miss M

No comments:

Post a Comment