There's a Plan for That

Welcome! Today, I want to share a brilliant classroom management strategy that I didn’t invent myself – I’m not that creative or wise! I learned this invaluable trick from a seasoned teacher when I was just starting my teaching career. While I can’t claim it as my own, I can certainly attest to its gold-star effectiveness!

In the realm of education, we often hear buzzwords like “positive reinforcement.” One concept that caught my attention was the idea of having a “Student of the Day.” However, I had reservations. How could I ensure fairness when selecting the student of the day? How could I avoid merely rewarding students for showing up, especially if their behavior consistently veered off course?

As a first-year teacher feeling overwhelmed, I needed a system that was easy to manage, provided equal opportunities for recognition, and didn’t equate to giving out participation trophies. In essence, I was on a quest to find a unicorn.

So, what’s this magical solution, you ask?

It’s a Student of the Day folder with pockets, each containing pre-filled awards with students’ names already on them—only the date is missing! The key is in the pockets because you’ll sort the awards into two piles: one for your typically well-behaved, focused students and the other for those who tend to be more disruptive.

In terms of prep work, it’s entirely manageable. If you stick around until the end of this post, I’ll provide you with access to my Student of the Day awards templates in my free resource library, so stay tuned!

Now, here’s the beauty of these two piles: as the teacher, you’ll open the folder and look at the names on top of both piles. First, consider the student who typically faces behavioral challenges and evaluate how their day went. If it was a good day with specific positive actions, go ahead and award them the Student of the Day title. If not, look to the other side of the folder, where you’ll likely find a student who had one of their typically good days and deserves the recognition. (If both students had an off day, you can rotate the top two awards back to the bottom of the piles, creating new starting points.)

The key here is to keep your decision-making process a secret. The students don’t need to know about the two piles; they just need to know that one of their peers will receive an awesome award to celebrate their outstanding day.

Students thrive on praise for their achievements, especially those who receive more corrections than compliments. Make a big deal out of these awards; it’s a special time each day to recognize exceptional accomplishments. It’s an honor, and students should be encouraged to applaud and celebrate their classmate’s “win” for the day.

To streamline this recognition process, establish classroom procedures and norms. I often added a sticky note to personalize the awards I sent home. For consistently well-behaved students, the note might be fairly general: “[Student’s Name] had a great day with their classroom engagement and participation.” For students with behavioral challenges, I would get more specific: “[Student’s Name] earned this award for going above and beyond by helping another scholar clean up a spilled pencil box.”

These notes, while small, make students feel seen and valued. For those facing behavioral struggles, it also provides something extra to take home and proudly share with their parents, explaining the praise they’ve earned.

If you’ve made it to the end of this post, I applaud your commitment! Hopefully, you’re as excited as I was to start the Student of the Day system with your students.

To access the Awards Templates mentioned earlier, simply click HERE to join my email list and gain entry to my free resource library. While you’re there, don’t forget to explore the other fantastic freebies available!

Happy teaching and celebrating your students’ successes!