This year…

It’s only one week into the new school year and there’s already a lot to do. New students with new personalities and new procedures and new problems that need new solutions…. but what I have found in my first week back is that who I am in my classroom isn’t new.  What I like to do with my kiddos isn’t new.  The energy I get from them and the fun we have is what I needed. It reminds me of why I do this.

As I begin this new school year, I have been extra energized to put a spotlight on the kids who are sitting in my classroom, to show them that they are in a place that they can shine and that will recognize them when they do.  So I’ve been doing that…slowly but surely, I’m recognizing the kids who ‘bring it’ every day.

 

Winner, winner!

One of the positive outcomes of COVID was the new approach I started taking in the structure of my class periods.  Instead of coming in and getting right to work, we come in and take 5 minutes to have fun together.  We play a game, compete a little bit, sometimes as individuals and sometimes as teams.

The games and contests are always secretly tapping into an art skill (but I don’t always tell them that…sometimes it’s more fun to learn when you don’t know you’re learning!).  We play Tangrams, we test Google’s ability to decode our doodles, we even launch heads from Picasso’s portraits in a fun take on an old video gaming idea.  There’s always a winner, whether it’s one student or a team, and a small prize.

For that kid, class just started out great!  For the rest…better luck tomorrow 🙂

Over the course of a marking period, I make sure to change up the games so they reward all different skill sets- language, drawing, engineering, visual memory, etc. Some games are quiet and intense, some are loud and get kids up and moving.

 

Art Star

While some kids will get an instant ping of recognition, others will be waiting for their reward…but  it’s coming!  This is something new I’m doing this year…choosing one kiddo each day who stood out for something they did or said or how they treated another person.  I had one student (shout out, Wesley!) who stayed after the bell on the first day and pushed in all the stools in the room.  This was, by the way, the last bell of the day- he was free to LEAVE- but he stayed.  Another student (go, Dominic!) says hello every day he walks in, and also has a smile and a hello when he walks through the hall.  That sort of kindness should be recognized!

Another girl (Sophia, I’m talking to you) stepped in for me yesterday as kids were walking into class.  I had to run to my desk for something, and needed someone to be my ‘doorman’ and hold the door open while kids were filtering in.  Sophia happily jumped up to help, and had a smile and a hello for everyone who walked in!

I know as educators we talk about rewarding good behavior, but how?

I grabbed a little chalkboard from Target, and I post my daily ‘Class Star’ that way.  The kids in the class notice the name, and give that kid a shout out before I even say anything myself most of the time.  I tell that kid that a surprise is coming their way..but I’m not telling what it is!  Dominic said he was so excited he had chills!  It was awesome!

So what do I do?  I write them an old fashioned postcard!

It’s so fun and rare to get mail these days, that I think a totally unexpected reward that shows up in their mailbox is just what these kids deserve.  A tangible thing that says ‘I appreciate you!’ and tells their family what a good kid they are raising, a thing they can put right on the fridge, and that can’t possibly get lost in a locker or backpack!

On the spot

I have one more plan…but I need to let the kids settle in a bit before I can hit them with this one.  It was so simple- I found a pack of really cute awards, and I can’t wait to start handing them out!

The real reward

As much as it’s about the kids, I have to admit, it feels pretty good for me too.  It keeps me looking for good things, instead of complaining about bad things.  It sets my mind for the day when I know right at the start that I have to keep my eyes open for a kid who stands out.  It makes me happy every class period to congratulate the bell ringer winner.  It’s completely self serving…but I’m totally ok with that!