Sometimes we forget to acknowledge the things that are going right. Sometimes it feels like teaching is a never ending cycle of correcting behavior. For whatever reason, it seems so much easier to focus on what is going wrong in the classroom. We have to address those things. We have to correct behavior, but often we forget to give credit to kids for the things that they are doing right.
A good habit to get into is to find as many opportunities to thank students for doing what they are supposed to as you can. Within the CHAMPS framework, the goal is to have three positive interactions for every time you have a negative interaction. Any correction of behavior is a negative interaction, even if you correct the behavior nicely. The positive interactions are small genuine gratitudes for students.
It's amazing how powerful this idea is. I've seen teachers of all grades use this effectively. It seems to be more natural for teachers of elementary grades, but I have used it with middle school kids with great effectiveness. I've even used it with adults in professional development training. Everyone likes a compliment and likes to be appreciated.
A good habit to get into is to find as many opportunities to thank students for doing what they are supposed to as you can. Within the CHAMPS framework, the goal is to have three positive interactions for every time you have a negative interaction. Any correction of behavior is a negative interaction, even if you correct the behavior nicely. The positive interactions are small genuine gratitudes for students.
It's amazing how powerful this idea is. I've seen teachers of all grades use this effectively. It seems to be more natural for teachers of elementary grades, but I have used it with middle school kids with great effectiveness. I've even used it with adults in professional development training. Everyone likes a compliment and likes to be appreciated.