Positivity Post-Its!

This month has flown! I have been super busy between observations and work but busy is good! Last week, I had to assign seats in my period 2 class, and I assigned seat today in my period 4. I have 26 in such a small space that even the slightest chatter becomes such a distraction. I knew students would have a conniption because it's high school, and if you aren't next to your bestie then what's the point of life? So, I needed to come up with something to lighten the blow. Taking the time to think out my options and put together the chart ahead of time was super beneficial. I thought of games, or ice breakers that I could somehow incorporate but then it came to me - positive post its! Students found their seats and a positive message or a reminder! High school can be overwhelming and students are constantly told to put the phone away, stop talking, do this, don't do that. It's difficult to incorporate positive reinforcement as often as we should. Sometimes when the period is 55 minutes and you have to get through the month long Revolutionary War, that was supposed to be just a review, positive reinforcement towards all students sometimes takes the back burner. Sure you have those super stars who you are always telling good job, excellent, etc. but what about the quiet kids, or the ones who get around your skin? Token economies aren't necessarily appropriate in high school, so what do you have?

The positive messages were a huge hit in my period 2 class! Some of my students saved them in their notebooks and some snap chatted them (before the bell rang of course). I was so happy to see that I had a positive impact on my students, even if for such a short while! A positive message can turn around their day. Too often I hear my kids say "I can't do that, or I'm not doing it right, I'm just gonna take the L on this." But, they are smart enough and good enough and entirely capable if they put their minds to it, if they change their mindset. They do not believe in themselves because they do not hear enough that it is ok to believe in yourself. In my class we celebrate the small victories and learn from mistakes. By writing the post-it messages I also realized which students I pay more attention to, and which students I need to reach out to on a more regular basis. The personal messages were truthful and geared towards each individual student, which they appreciated. Of course teaching my students the value of historical thinking and how to become well rounded citizens is super important, but I want to make sure I help them in their day to day too. They will forget what I say, but never forget how I made them feel. (Although I hope they don't forget

all that I say, I put too much time into my lessons for that!)