Student Behavior | Squarehead Teachers

I saw this cute idea in an elementary school classroom a few months ago. It’s super easy to make, and sends a great message to your kids.

Buy a dollar store picture frame (8″ x 10″ is best)
On a piece of cute, light color paper, write “I am proud because.” Add stickers, etc if you want. Cut the paper to 8″ x 10″ and put it in the frame.
Use a ribbon attached to the hook on the back, attach the frame to your file cabinet or a nail on the wall.
Write with a Visa-Vis pen (or other overhead marker) what makes you proud.
Write a small note in your planner every few days to remind you to update the frame. In addition, you may want to attach a class list to the back of the frame so you can keep track of who you’ve featured on the frame and who you still need to acknowledge.

Motivating students to have good behavior is a constant struggle. Here’s one way a teacher encourages her students. After teaching and practicing expectations and appropriate behavior, the teacher introduces this “warm and fuzzy jar.” When the class earns compliments from adults on campus, they get “warm fuzzies” in the jar. When the class fills up the jar, they earn a predetermined reward (like an extra 15 minute recess, a class game, etc). The first time the students are trying to fill up the jar, they get 5 warm fuzzies per compliment (which are actually hard to get from your average adult walking around campus). Each time they class is trying to fill the jar after that, the amount earned for each compliment goes down… So far, it’s been very helpful she says. But she suggests getting the biggest pom-poms you can find at the craft store, or using a relatively small jar.