We all need a little someday.
We need a little something to make us get out of bed in the morning. To make it to work. To work whole heartedly. A little something that helps us want to make ourselves do better.
Today I started a new behavior incentive for my entire class…fill the jar full of pennies and then you get a Pajama Day! Wow did those little pennies make a difference? It was just that little motivation. Stickers, stamps, hi-fives, happy notes home, and hugs also do the work. Isn’t amazing how easy that all sounds.
Things that inspire me to do my best….hugs, smiles, that little light that is the aw ha moment when someone finally gets something, knowing how big a person’s smile gets when they find a word they know in a book. I’m motivated by all of these things….but feel like I don’t always have the completeness a wholeness in my line of work. Lord knows it isn’t the money that motivates me to do my job.
I ask my cheerleaders to set a goal for themselves during the week, right before they cheer and give them ideas on how to meet those goals, or work towards them. This year I decided to do that in my classroom. I’m trying to stay organized and in better communication. I’m working hard at more documentation and sending notes that are happy, home with students. A goal in my personal life is to get my house in order, to reconnect with a social life and experience things that I might even fear.
*my favorite thing of the class I have this year....I get a dozen hugs a day. Every time I walk by them in line they ask if they can have a hug....I think it is wonderful. The day the school says a student can't give me a hug is the day that i get out of education. Hugs are a great way to connect with students, to make them feel safe and loved....some students don't get a positive touch like that.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I'm assuming you were the one to reply, and thanks for the kind words. It's hard to pinpoint what's got me down so much lately. Surprisingly, I don't think it's the kids or the sped aspect of it but my seeming ineffectiveness as a teacher. It's been a while since a genuine A-HA moment.
What makes it even more difficult is that I feel like I care about the student's education more than the student does, and sometimes, even more than the parent/family. I've not given up hope quite yet, so it's not quite time to abandon ship.
Post a Comment