1. Bought a snack for a teacher's assistant
She was doing such a great job in copying, sorting, and organizing paperwork for other teacher this morning in the workroom. Without a blink, she kindly looked at me and ask if she could help me with my work. Wow- rarely do I get this opportunity & I didn't want to blow it! So I showed her what I needed to get copied and how - she started right away and hummed the whole time. She was just happy in helping others. As I watched in amazement, I asked her what her favorite snack was. Then I went to the break room & bought it out of the vending area. When I gave it to her, she simply said that she wasn't being nice to get food - she just wanted to be nice. I replied that I wasn't being nice to get her to do my copying - I just wanted to be nice. With both smiled at the situation.
2. Gave out some silly pins to other staff members
So while I was getting my fancy birthday coffee the other day - the store had free pins in a little basket by the cash register. I asked the lady if it was alright if I grabbed a few for my other co-workers and she said - sure, take as many as you want. In a way I felt bad for taking 6, but I knew which co-workers would think that this was funny. So to make up for this feeling, I but an extra tip in the jar - sort of like a payment for the buttons. Well, I gave the buttons out today to the various coworkers, which they liked as plan. May favorite was the button that had a 'snowman' made out of whipped cream - it said 'whipped cream man'.
3. Wrote a 'Thank You' note to another teacher who took care of student problem while I was absent
I hate missing any time from school. I really like the majority of my music students and with the up coming holiday/winter concert season - time is essential. I also worry about those students that have a hard time with inconsistencies. These students may not be the most pleasant to be around, but sometimes they need me to be at school just be there - just to have the same routine in this unorganized & chaotic life. So when I am absent, these are the students that tend to fall apart on me - not because there is a substitute and they think that they can get away with something, but it is because I am not there to keep their schedule stable. I really worry about these kids the most whenever I'm absent.
4. Wrote 'Thank You' notes to other teachers who recently took their students on a field trip
It was a roller skating & bowling field trip that had every opportunity & potential for being harmful - but things were well organized. The students had such a wonderful experience! Basically this field trip was to reward those students who have been doing a good job in both their academic studies and their behavior. I know that there are great debates about extrinsic vs. intrinsic goals/rewards - but really, I think that the best thing for our students is a balanced mixture of both.
5. Complimented a male student in how he looked
Today was shadowing day with the 8th grade students. Many of the students were out of the building shadowing a family member or someone else in the community. A few stayed behind and shadowed a staff member at the school. Anyway, this particular male student normally dresses in t-shirt and jeans on his best days. So when he walked in the doors 'Dressed for Success' - in addition to have a big smile on his face - I just had to say something. To bad that the other 8th grade girls weren't at school today - they would have gone crazy over his look. By the end of the day, he was strutting around the school because of the many compliments that he received throughout his shadowing experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment