Kids
know they are supposed to do well in school. They know that the
expectations from the adults in their lives are to do well; do you best;
be proud. Each day they come to class they are prepared to accomplish
the goal set forth. Some days they shine like bright stars in the dark
night while other days the shine is clouded over by frustration,
exhaustion, and indifference.
Despite the cloudy days the kids are to return to school. They are to once again forge ahead with skills, strategies, and concepts that challenge their minds, their logic, and their understanding. They learn to use resources available to them; they learn to ask questions designed to further their understanding; they learn how to learn.
Each year my students set goals for themselves...academic and otherwise. One such goal is a class goal known as "Unsolicited Compliments". Each year, the class I have currently tries to beat the class record from the year before. Each year, the goal increases.
This year our goal is 81 Unsolicited Compliments.
The rules are simple:
The joy I have witnessed in the expressions on the faces of my students when they finally reach their goal is indeed priceless. There are no strings attached. There are no rewards or promises hovering in the background. There are no external forces acting to ensure the goal has been met. The kids do this because they know that what they are doing to earn the unsolicited compliments are things that they know are "right" to do. It's a way for the kids to rise up to the expectations placed upon them by the adults in thier lives. It's a way for them to further their maturity and to become to best that they can be.
It's always a pleasure to have a new class. It's always a pleasure to watch them grow, mature, and rise up to the occasions that lay in their paths.
It is, indeed, a pleasure to be a teacher.
Despite the cloudy days the kids are to return to school. They are to once again forge ahead with skills, strategies, and concepts that challenge their minds, their logic, and their understanding. They learn to use resources available to them; they learn to ask questions designed to further their understanding; they learn how to learn.
Each year my students set goals for themselves...academic and otherwise. One such goal is a class goal known as "Unsolicited Compliments". Each year, the class I have currently tries to beat the class record from the year before. Each year, the goal increases.
This year our goal is 81 Unsolicited Compliments.
The rules are simple:
- Any adult in the building may give a compliment for any action demonstrated by the class
- Individual compliments count toward the class goal
- The compliment must be told to Mr. Casten
- Once they earn a compliment it's theirs to keep
- A compliment from the Principal counts as two!
- Of course--the compliment MUST be unsolicited by teacher and/or students
The joy I have witnessed in the expressions on the faces of my students when they finally reach their goal is indeed priceless. There are no strings attached. There are no rewards or promises hovering in the background. There are no external forces acting to ensure the goal has been met. The kids do this because they know that what they are doing to earn the unsolicited compliments are things that they know are "right" to do. It's a way for the kids to rise up to the expectations placed upon them by the adults in thier lives. It's a way for them to further their maturity and to become to best that they can be.
It's always a pleasure to have a new class. It's always a pleasure to watch them grow, mature, and rise up to the occasions that lay in their paths.
It is, indeed, a pleasure to be a teacher.
Mr. Casten
August 24, 2012
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