Although we won’t admit it, we are all competitive. Because of this, when we are successful, we want others to know it. So, that begs the question, how can you encourage your students to celebrate their classroom successes? However you decide to accomplish this; you have to make sure your students celebrate with class and dignity. No gloating or showboating, as these are not the characteristics of good citizens, which is what we are grooming our students to be. In this article, we will discuss 5 ways you can help your students celebrate their academic success.
Bulletin Boards. My first suggestion would be obvious. Encourage them to post their work on the bulletin board outside of the classroom. I believe that students should always have to optin for this, as all students may not be comfortable with displaying their work in the hallway. If they do, all of their friends, family, and other teachers will get a chance to see them shine. This will lead to an outpouring of praise, which will motivate them to do even better the next time.
Throw a Party. So you and your students have just wrapped up a grueling unit on World War II or an epic service-learning project. Why not celebrate your success with a party to end all parties. There will be food, music, and students can even invite their parents and relatives. Buckle in, because it is going to be one heck of a shindig.
End of the Year Awards Program. The ultimate way to celebrate student success would be to throw a classroom awards ceremony. This is different from the traditional schoolwide award’s ceremony. The awards should be carefully planned out, and students should be recognized according to their strengths. Students can dress up, and you can even invite parents and school administrators to this special event.
Class Success Video. Why not celebrate the successes of the entire classroom with a video highlighting the year’s projects and activities. It could also include commentary from teachers, students, administrators, and also parents. And yeah, the music must be cool.
Social Media. If you have a classroom Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram page, you can always use it to showcase and celebrate student successes. You can post a video montage or pictures of past projects and activities or post shout outs to each student.
