Inspiring and Motivating Students

I feel our job as educators is to INSPIRE and MOTIVATE our students!! 

This is not always an easy task, but one that I take seriously and challenge myself to do each day. 

So, I thought I would share a few ways and resources I use to help INSPIRE and MOTIVATE my students academically, socially, and behaviorally. I could go on and on with this topic, but I'll just share my top 4 for right now!

1. Relationships, Relationships, Relationships!

First and foremost, we must have a positive attitude everyday. Students buy in to what you are teaching when you share your excitement and do so with a smile! Build those relationships, they are KEY!! Get to know your students, have lunch with them, go to a sporting event, have a conversation, be their biggest cheerleader.

2. Student Certificates

 LEADer of the Day- 

I highlight one student each day that is exemplifying our PBIS matrix of LEAD. It is a quick, simple way to reinforce our LEAD behavior throughout the day and highlight positive behavior. Students get their picture taken in front of our LEAD background with their certificate. Click the picture to grab a copy. You can easily edit it to your campus' acronym or a GRIT award. 

 Golden H Awards- 

It may not be the Caldecott Award, but it's even better!  

This is specifically for writing! Now I celebrate student writing all the time in many different ways (another post for another day:), but this is a way to highlight outstanding effort in writing. Students receive a Golden H award, sign the golden H sign, and share their writing with the class!! Click the photo to grab a copy you can edit for your class!

Strategy King and Queen- 

I love to shout out students who are showing strategies on check points and DPMs. You can use this for any subject and personalize your note to them. I love to staple it to their assessment for them to see when we go over them! Click on the photo again for a copy to edit. 

**I have heard from parents how much these certificates mean to students and how they often still have them on their cork boards on desks years later. Of course, I make sure all students have a chance to earn a certificate throughout the year.**

3. Book Raffles-

My students LOVE book raffles! When I order new books from Scholastic, I set some out to be raffled off to see who gets to read them first. Students earn tickets for exhibiting positive behavior. After a few days, I choose the winner! Once they read the book it goes back into the classroom library for everyone to read it! Win-win for great behavior and growing readers!

4. Keep the Quote-

Each week our class focuses on one quote. We discuss what it means and how we can apply it to our lives. At the end of the week, students vote on who gets to "Keep the Quote" based on who is a great example of the meaning. I love how it helps build positive character traits in the students and gives them ideas for their essays. :) 

Focusing on teamwork and cooperation

What are some ways you INSPIRE and MOTIVATE your students?