TL;DR:
- Bring celebrations into the classroom to show students you care.
- Celebrations don’t have to just be about the holidays.
- Find ways to recognize and celebrate your students’ successes.
Chelsea recently joined Rae on the Daily Drop-In to discuss bringing celebrations into the classroom.
This time of year is usually my favorite. Mainly because there are just so many things to celebrate. Holidays, birthdays, vacations, reunions. Believe me, I can find a reason to celebrate anything! I am notorious for greeting my students with, “You should be so excited for class today because we are doing [insert event here]!”
Recently I was a guest on the Daily Drop-In with Rae Hughart, and we got to discussing how to bring celebrations into the classroom. It seems like this time of year is such an organic way to bring celebrations front and center with your students, and I don’t just mean because it’s the holiday season. When thinking about how to incorporate celebrations into my classroom environment, I think back to what I would have wanted to do if I was a student. There’s something magical when your teacher steps out of routine and does something special, just to let you know they care.
There’s something magical when your teacher steps out of routine and does something special, just to let you know they care. Click To TweetHot Chocolate Station
During the month of December, my grade-level team organized a hot chocolate station in the hallway. It was a complete surprise to our eighth graders, and boy were they excited! They stepped out into our common area and were greeted with whipped cream, marshmallows, and even sprinkles to customize their hot chocolate order. It was such a simple way to celebrate the approaching winter break and kick off spirit week with our students.
Showcase Students’ Progress
Another way you can bring celebrations into the classroom is to showcase your students’ progress and mastery. Have a mini photo booth where students can hold up their mastery badges when they finish a grid or master a quiz. You can display their photos on a bulletin board in your classroom or share them with your students’ families in an email. The more people you can celebrate your students’ successes with, the merrier!
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Recognition During Morning Meeting
Speaking of which, my school congregates before first period during a time called “morning meeting.” This would be a fantastic opportunity to observe various heritage months, honor students of the month, or even have a mini pep rally for the Science Fair. (You read that right; our school goes all out!)
This season, take the opportunity to celebrate something with your students, no matter how big or small. I mean, it could even be giving students something special if they earn top three on a Blooket review! Be sure to share your celebration with the Teach Better Team with the hashtag #teachbetter. We would love to see how you choose to encourage celebrations in your classroom.
About Chelsea Nicolino
Chelsea Nicolino is an eighth-grade integrated science teacher in Akron, Ohio. She has a passion for embedding mastery learning and STEM education into her classroom. Chelsea also enjoys creating engaging inquiry-based lessons for her students to foster their love of science. In her free time, Chelsea loves connecting with other educators on social media, listening to podcasts, reading a good book, and spending time with her husband and two young children.
