All About the Positives!

Welcome back, Goodrich! Can't believe I'm starting year 8 at Goodrich... time flies! For my first post of the year, I figured I would explain some of the positive systems I have in place in 2nd grade that makes our class community safe and happy.

I use three different positive rewards for students; individual, team, and class goals. This ensures that no matter what the situation is, all students have an opportunity to feel successful. There are times when the whole class is doing a great job and following expectations, so we all should celebrate! There are times when just individual table groups are doing a great job, and they deserve the positive recognition. Sometimes, there's times where the class may be struggling, but there's always one or two students who are trying their best to succeed, and they deserve to be positively recognized for that.

For class goals, I pick a skill that our class needs to work on, and we work towards getting 100% of students doing that skill correctly. When they are, I color in a smiley face, and when we have them all colored in, we vote on a reward that the class wants. We are currently working on perfecting the Quiet Signal, and our class voted on earning an extra recess for our reward!

For table rewards, we collect table points. Whenever an entire table of four are all following whatever the expectation is at the time, I give their table a point. At the end of the week, whichever table has the most points can pick out a reward. The points start over on Monday, and a new group can win next week!

Finally, for individual positivity, we can earn Beanie Buddies. These buddies are for when I see individual students doing something positive. Some examples are Respectful Rhino, Listening Lion, Friendly Frog, Cooperative Cat, or Self Control Shark. If a student earns one, the stuffed animal sits on their desk all day, and I write a certificate at the end of the day for them to take home. 

We are off to a great start here in 2nd grade! Wishing you all a great school year!