Celebrate & Elevate: Building a Culture of Shared Success
Written by: Ashley Johnson
We are now at the end of this blog series. We have talked about building a culture of high standards, differentiating in your classroom, giving useful feedback, and making learning relevant. Once all of those pieces are in place, you only have one more thing to do to completely raise that bar in your class, CELEBRATE! Celebrating your students is the best part of all of this and really helps fuel your own fire for why you chose this amazing profession. Celebrate your students in front of other students, administration, families, friends and the community. Let everyone know the amazing things your students are doing! Here are some of the ways I celebrate students in my classroom.
“Good News From School” Postcards
At the beginning of the year, I addressed a “Good News” postcard to all of my students. Each week, I will grab a couple, write a note, and mail them home. I may thank a student for being extra helpful that week, or congratulate them on an amazing project, or just let them know they make our classroom a great place to be. By the end of the year, every student will have received a “Good News” postcard. I have had students get really excited and thank me for sending them a note to their house. It’s a great relationship builder, and in an age where no one writes and mails letters, it’s a little special to receive something in the mail.
Newspaper Board
I write several press releases each year for our local newspaper. Anytime my students are doing an out-of-the-box project or succeeding in some way, I send it to the paper, and it almost always gets printed. The newspaper wants to tell feel-good stories, and it’s a great way to display my students’ hard work to the community. Every time my students’ hard work gets printed, I cut it out, laminate it and hang in on my Newspaper Bulletin Board. Students love it when they get on the board, and I even have students who have graduated ask if they are still on the board.
Student Showcases
A student showcase, where students can display their work to other students, administration, teachers, and community members is a great way for students to take pride in what they have put together. My Entrepreneurship classes display their work each year in the “Baron Business Fair,” a science fair style to show off the businesses they have built. We even have prizes! We invite other classes to come through to look at their fellow students’ work, administration, including our superintendent attends each year, and community member guest judges make an appearance as well. We give out several awards: students’ choice (voted on by visiting classrooms), principal’s choice, as well as 1st – 4th places. Community members have sponsored these awards so students receive a cash prize. Last year we had 60 students participate in the business fair, and it is always a great display of our talented students.
“Finding small and large ways to celebrate your students will help keep you AND your students energized all year long.”
District-Wide Collaboration
Collaborate with the other schools in your district so your students can display their work to their peers. Every year in my Personal Finance and Banking Class, my students write, illustrate, and publish a children’s book on a personal finance subject. We then go on a “book tour” to all the elementary schools in our district so we can read the books to the elementary students and leave copies in each classroom. A great experience for both my high school students AND the elementary students!
School Social Media
I’m sure your school has social media accounts. Utilize them! Send pictures and descriptions of the cool things going on in your classroom to your district social media coordinator so theycan post aboutthem. Parents love seeing what’s going on in the classroom, even at the high school level, and social media is a casual way to get your students out there.
Finding small and large ways to celebrate your students will help keep you AND your students energized all year long. Knowing that other people (besides you, the teacher) are seeing the great things they are doing encourages students to put their best foot forward, give it their all, and really dive into their learning experience. These celebrations also make students feel valued, which is something we all desire. So find ways to celebrate your students inside and outside the classroom.
Resources
Please login or register to claim PGPs.
Alternatively, you may use the PGP Request Form if you prefer to not register an account.
