Thursday, June 18, 2015

Change Your Classroom with Random Acts of Kindness


“Don’t write in the margins.”

“Don’t sharpen your pencil while I am talking.”

“Don’t distract your neighbors.”
 

It is all too easy for an educator’s day to become filled with well-intentioned negatives. Instead of a constant barrage of negative directives, though, consider the positive environment you could create if you could 1. Help students learn to be considerate of others, 2. Build community in your classroom, and 3. Encourage self-motivation.
 

How?
 

It’s easy: encourage your students to perform frequent random acts of kindness.

Because classes vary so widely not just in age, maturity, ability levels, and general class chemistry, you will have to spend a little time determining how you want to unleash this powerful classroom tool.

 

Start by thinking about your students’ strengths and about the areas that you would like to see improved. Next, think about your students and the things that you know they enjoy. Just one or two simple actions would make a positive difference and is a great way to begin. Perhaps you could ask students to bring in extra pencils to share or write thank you notes to the cafeteria workers.

 

Small things can make a big difference in helping students think about how they can make their world a better place just by being kind. Here are a few more ideas for random acts of kindness written for students to follow that you can adapt for your own classroom.
 

  • Compliment two of your classmates this week on something that they have done well.
  • Bring in a book to donate to the school or classroom library.
  • Help pass out papers that need to be returned.
  • Make a study guide for a quiz or test and share it with classmates.
  • Clean up your area of the room at the end of class and encourage others to do the same.
  • Put a sticky note with an encouraging message on someone’s desk on in a book.
  • Make sure that everyone is included in a conversation.
  • If there is a new student in your class, be a buddy.
  • Tell the bus drivers how much you appreciate them.
  • Be on time to class and follow the rules so that you help everyone learn.
  • Be willing to share materials when other students need them.
  • If a classmate is absent, volunteer to get the handouts for the day and make sure that person knows how to make up work.
  • Check with your teacher first, but offer to bring in healthy treats for the entire class to share.
  • Pick up litter in the hall or around the school whenever you see it.
  • Tutor a younger student.
  • Play a charity game at www.gamesforchange.org to help those less fortunate.
  • Donate rice to the World Food Programme by playing Free Rice at www.freerice.com.
  • Make inspirational bookmarks and share them with classmates.
  • Bring in classroom supplies such as paper towels, tissues, or hand sanitizer.
  •  Write the custodians a thank you note and be sure to leave the classroom clean.

For more ideas about how to encourage your students, check out. www.randomactsofkindness.org.

Monday, June 8, 2015

IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER TEN THINGS ABOUT SCHOOL IN JUNE...

Let them be these:
  1. Spend your energy on large problems first. Choose to deal with the problems that will provide the greatest benefit right now.
  2. Use your strengths.  You are stronger than you realize.
  3. Problems can move you forward when you choose to work to solve them. That's a good thing.
  4. Make room for more emotional energy. Ask for help when you have a problem. Ask lots of people for help. Be willing to give help as well.
  5. Learn to see problems as challenges that you can overcome.
  6. Be proactive! Plan what you are going to do if...
  7. Don’t forget that small attitude changes often create bigger patterns of success. What small attitude change can you make today?
  8. If you can’t say it in front of the school board without looking silly, don’t.
  9. Let professionalism be your guide.
  10. Keep things in perspective. Ask yourself if the problems you have today will be important next year.
 

Monday, June 1, 2015

How to Be Everyone's Favorite Teacher


It’s not hard to be everyone’s favorite teacher. Really, it isn’t. If you think about your favorite teachers, there are some common denominators that they shared.

  • You felt important.
  • You felt as if your opinions mattered.
  • You looked forward to class because while there was lots that was predictable, there was also lots that was interesting. Time flew by most days.
  • You knew that you could ask for help without embarrassment.
  • They made you feel intelligent and worthwhile.

 

So, whether school is out for you now or still in session, it is not too late to be everyone’s favorite teacher. Here are some easy tips that will make your students glad to be in your class.

 
  • Don’t forget that the class is about your students and not about you. Be careful not to overpower your students with your knowledge or authority. Instead, be gentle and inclusive in your approach.
  • Smile. Be super polite. Overwhelm your students with niceness.  
  • Tell your students what you like about them. Make it a point to compliment them whenever you can. Compliment individuals, small groups, teams, pairs…the entire class.
  • Be prepared for class. When you are prepared, you will not have to worry about what you do or don’t know. Instead, you can just focus on your students.
  • Show that you have a sense of humor. Share a laugh with your students whenever you can. Playing together and laughing together will make school fun for everyone.
  • When you speak with students, lean towards them slightly. Let your body language indicate that you are interested and accessible.
  • Greet your students courteously as they come into the classroom. At the end of class, stand at the door and speak to them as they leave.
  • Take the time to reveal a little bit about yourself. For example, a brief story about a silly mistake you made or how you learned a lesson the hard way will make you much more accessible and appealing to your students than if you are always right.
  • Ask questions and wait expectantly for answers. Let your body language signal that you are interested in the responses that you may receive.
  • Move around the classroom. Every part of the room should be part of your circuit.
  • Use inclusive pronouns such as we, our, or us instead of ones that exclude students from ownership in their class.
  • Get your students up and moving. Sitting in a desk day after day will not just bore them, but it will also make the distance between teacher and students greater.
  • Find out your students' goals and dreams and help them work toward achieve them.
  • Provide opportunities for students to share their opinions and beliefs with you and with each other in a non-threatening way.
  • Be empathetic and sympathetic. Acknowledge it when a student is having a bad day.
  • Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can to interact with your students on a one-to-one or personal level. Ask about their hobbies, problems, families…whatever it takes to connect.
  • Be fair. Few things destroy a relationship between teacher and student faster than a student’s suspicion that he or she is being treated unfairly.
  • Be tactfully honest. Students know when they are being lied to and those lies will destroy the relationship you may want to build.
  • Show respect for all of your students as well as for their families, neighborhoods, and cultures.
  • Use your students’ names frequently and with a gentle tone of voice.