Blog Post #7
Appreciation Challenge ~ What you can do to show appreciation for others (students, teachers, colleagues, parents, or community members - whatever works best for your professional situation)? Do it! Then, notice and share the impact here.
Since it is Christmas break and I won't be in the classroom for another week, I will share a past appreciation. One element of my job is that I am Academic Services and go into other teachers rooms a lot to help students or pull them out and teach them the lesson in a different environment. One of the groups of students were struggling with long division. They had learned the partial quotient way and it was not making sense. The teacher had been absent when the lesson was first taught. I told the teacher I appreciated the way she slows the lessons down, models, and does continuous examples as those who are struggling work best in that controlled environment and those that know still benefit from the practice. That teacher then revisited the lesson and did an excellent job of the reteach incorporating all the things I had expressed. The students all appeared to have an "ah ha" moment connecting all the dots of division. When I took my small group to continue to work on the concept, I kept telling them I appreciated how they keep trying even though it is hard,. I taught them a small trick, and they started using it because I kept telling them- "yeah you got it, look you are using that trick (estimating with multiplying on the side of paper)". Pretty soon they were saying it was easy but they struggled with their facts so they identified themselves what they didn't know and I had given them a multiplication chart to help with that part. I kept appreciating the teacher in my conversation with the students- "I am glad Mrs. Whoever is back as that sure made a difference by her models and examples." "Remember what Mrs. Whoever said. She knows her stuff." When the students went back in the room, they said, "Mrs. Whoever I am glad you are back as it made the lesson so much easier with how you explained it." Two appreciation attempts from me created a student appreciation!
ReplyDeleteThis past year, I stepped into a new role as the STREAM Coordinator/Tech Integrationist for our elementary school. One way I have shown appreciation to colleagues is by sending a quick email or leaving a note in their mailbox to thank them for supporting me. I also tell students that I appreciate them when they are in my room.
ReplyDeleteIn the summer, when I run camp, I let parents know how much I appreciate them when they drop off their children for the day. They have entrusted us to provide their children with a fun day, and I want them to know I truly appreciate their trust in me as the director.
In one of the book study books I read previously, it gave the idea of asking staff what their favorite drink was and then surprising them with it. That's exactly what I've started doing this year. I sent out a google doc and had everyone in the building put down their favorite beverage. Every Friday, I try to surprise 3 people with their favorite drink and a little note with a positive quote on it such as: "The trick to having happy students is to first be happy yourself". "I hope this helps start your day with joy!"
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy surprising my teaching partner with little gifts when I know she's struggling. Sometimes it's a muffin. Sometimes it's a drink. Sometimes it's just a simple note of encouragement. It's easy to get stuck in a rut and negative mindset. I try my best to keep it as positive as possible at school! Seeing a smile on my coworkers faces makes me feel like I accomplished my mission!
Our school uses the program called “Minga” to recognize positive and negative behavior for students and staff. Students can earn points for positive behavior and actions throughout the day. When rewarding the positive behavior, teachers are able to add a note for students to see. Last week, I started including “thank you” notes when I rewarded points to show my appreciation. For example, “Thank you for having all of your stuff ready”, “thank you for helping your classmate find their missing work”, and “thank you for passing back papers for me.” Students get the notification on their Ipad when they open them and seeing the smiles on their faces when they get the message was amazing. I have learned that not all students like to be shown appreciation in front of their peers so by doing it this way, I get to show my appreciation without calling them out in front of their peers. Normally I do not include the “thank you” notes to show appreciation, but when I started doing so, I noticed more positive behavior from those students.
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ReplyDeleteStudents - I show my appreciation to my students by praising them when they all get their assignment done or doing the little things right. When students know that I care for them and tell them when they do a good job, they give better effort and attitude.
ReplyDeleteTeachers - I usually try to restock the printer paper when I have a chance, give small notes of encouragement, or even bring someone a sweet to help their day. All of this can easily lift the spirit of teachers when they are having a bad day or brighten their day when they least expect it. Lastly, I have a great study hall this year and I sent an email to staff members, if they have anything that we can help them with, please send it our way. This allowed my study hall to help teachers when they had time.
One way I can show appreciation is by frequently recognizing effort and growth, not just outcomes. For students, this means giving verbal praise or short written notes that recognize their hard work, or improvement. For those who don’t always get recognized this is super important. Taking a moment to say, “I noticed how much effort you put into this,” or “I’m proud of how you didn’t give up,” can make a big difference.
ReplyDeleteFor colleagues, I can show appreciation by sending a quick thank you email or stopping by to acknowledge something they have done, or leaving their favorite treat in their mailbox.
When I do this, the impact is noticeable. Students feel more confident and motivated, classroom relationships strengthen. When I do this for my coworkers I feel like I show them my appreciation for all the work they take on to make my job easier. There are times when I feel like my job alike teachers take on more responsibilities than I do, so I want to make sure they know I appreciate them! Taking time to show appreciation creates a more positive environment for everyone and reinforces the sense that what we do each day truly matters.
I think appreciation is always deserved, and most people do not get enough of it. This is certainly true of teachers but many other jobs as well. I think I do a good job of showing appreciation to my peers and my students and I really try to do it out in public as well. You can tell when you have made someones day by saying something nice and it doesn't need to be something big. Sometimes the smallest words or things have the greatest impact. I think also, that when you show people you appreciate them, it makes for a more positive work environment. The energy in a school building is important and small things can be big things!
ReplyDeleteI show appreciation to my students by praising them when they are following directions, helping a peer, or when they help me with something. Students loved to be praised and appreciated, you can tell they feel appreciated with the smile that is on their face.
ReplyDeleteI show appreciation to my coworkers by telling them thank you for helping me with a task or when they give me advice.
Appreciation Challenge ~ What you can do to show appreciation for others (students, teachers, colleagues, parents, or community members - whatever works best for your professional situation)? Do it! Then, notice and share the impact here.
ReplyDeleteI try my best to show appreciation on a daily basis. Not only does it improve the mood and positivity of my students, but it also boosts my positivity. I try to always acknowledge the students who go above and beyond to follow direction, help others, and demonstrate positive sportsmanship. I acknowledge these students at the end of every class and give them a shout out!
The best way I can show appreciation is to be present every day. I need to be attentive and not let other things distract me. When I say I need to be present I need listen and watch to whomever I am talking to. When in a conversation with a student, I need to keep my focus on them and what they are saying/doing. I need to make sure they understand I am there for them and want to help. When talking with adults, I need to keep my focus on the conversation, not what I think I need to be doing at that moment.
ReplyDeleteTo show my appreciation I need to help others when asked as long as I don't have other commitments. Thank you and I appreciate your help are phrases I use daily but need to be more aware of the small things.
The core of our programming couldn't be accomplished without volunteers! We have one of the highest volunteer retention rates in the nation (74%, national average 35%), and I'm confident a large part of that is due to our recognition/appreciation efforts! Annually, we send thank you notes to our volunteers and Certificates of Appreciation that showcase their years of service. We hold a Milestone Recognition event for volunteers who complete 5, 10, 15+ years of service... we send an email to CEOs of companies that have five or more volunteers - thanking them for allowing their team to participate and asking them to thank their associates for participating on behalf of the company. We send random notes when we see volunteers in the news or know they had a life change like a wedding, baby, etc. We send newsletter inserts to Principals asking them to thank/recognize volunteers in their school newsletters. We often give random thank you's tied to food/gum (Thanks for teaching an "extra" class, etc.) One of my favorite appreciation tips I learned was to do something "noticeable"... for example balloons.... when someone get's balloons (or flowers, etc.) it get's people's attention and often they will ask "why" the balloons, etc. It can be a fun way for the recognition/gratitude to be recognized in a broader way. Sometimes volunteers decline participating the following year or ask to be taken off our recruitment list. On a few occasions, I've sent a hand-written note thanking the volunteer for their many years of service, etc. and including a personal note of gratitude. Once in a while, that simple gesture will actually cause the volunteer to reach out and reengage. One time it was a miscommunication a volunteer had with a fellow staff member and he thought we no longer wanted him as a volunteer... the more personal the message, the more meaningful it is!
ReplyDeleteAs I am a stay-at-home mom currently, I will use an example from my home life. We do not currently live near any family, so when it came close to time for our second kiddo to be born, I was nervous about where to send our daughter and what to do when the time came. We have an amazing family from our church who have two young kids as well. They are dear friends of ours, and they offered to take our daughter whenever and for however long we needed them to. It meant so much to me to know that she would be in good hands and well loved and cared for. One of my love languages is gift giving, so after our second kiddo was born, I put together a beautiful gift basket for them to say thank you for all they did for us. I have found that putting together a simple gift basket for someone, means a lot and has a lasting impact, and I love to do it!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy writing notes to others and adding a little meaningful gift; the goal is to brighten someone's day by letting them know they are seen and appreciated. This week, I gave a hand written note and a tshirt to a student who was very helpful to me in class when a sub was there. I wanted her to know I appreciated her in and stating it in specific ways. I also found the shirt at a thrift store and thought of her as it is exactly something that SHE likes. I think the knowldge of Love Languages is helpful becuase we tend to give what we would like, not necessarily what the other person would like to feel appreciated. I know from teaching that we often hear about what we are doing wrong, but we don't hear about what we are doing right nearly enough. I wish administrators would understand this means not just words but actions. Don't tell teachers "we appreciate you" while giving them another strategy or protocal, which says " You aren't doing enough". One time the admin changed the in person meeting to a slide show we could watch on our own and that seemed like an appreciation gift becuase it valued our time.
ReplyDeleteAppreciation Challenge ~ What you can do to show appreciation for others (students, teachers, colleagues, parents, or community members - whatever works best for your professional situation)? Do it! Then, notice and share the impact here.
ReplyDeleteI am currently on maternity leave with baby #2. I am looking forward to showing my appreciation to my long-term sub and my teaching partner for everything they are doing while I am away snuggling my sweet baby.
While I believe it is important to offer verbal appreciation each day to your students and those around you, I also think it means a lot to others when you go the extra mile every once in a while. Making that effort shows them they are special and that their hard work does not go unnoticed. Even small gestures, paired with a heartfelt note, can mean so much!
Appreciation- I express appreciation to my students as some are very good and tidying up after they get done with their art. (sometimes the time between classes, doesn't allow much time for this) I try to always let them know this is appreciated. I have hot choc on hand sometimes if there is time I have made students hot chocolate in a to go cup. They are very helpful.
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