Home Visits- Recognizing Our Children For Their Good Work!

Visiting students at home to recognize them for their great work at school is so powerful!  It is an excellent way to motivate students to continue their hard work!

We visit one student from each grade level each marking period to thank them for all the great things they do at school.  Here are the steps we follow for our home visits:

• We select a date and time for our visits.
• Each grade level selects one student.  They try to select a child who may not normally get recognized.  Often it's a child that has growth or improvement in a certain area.
• The teacher contacts that family to let them know we are coming.  We keep the visit a secret from the child.
• We go as a large team to each child's home.   Everyone applauds and cheers for the student when they answer the door.
• I read a certificate about why the child was chosen.  This is a unique piece written by the teacher specifically for the child.
• We give them balloons, a t-shirt, and a yard sign.
• We take some pictures and thank the family, then move on to the next home.
• It takes about an hour to visit all the students, and makes a HUGE impact!

If you are not visiting students at home to acknowledge their good work at school, you are missing out on an amazing experience!

Remember: No One Can Predict The Future

Would anyone have guessed that number 12 would be one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game?  Perhaps the best shooter of all time?  Probably not!  Many may have even told him his dream to become an NBA player was foolish.  

For those who don't know, number 12 is Steph Curry.  One of the 75 greatest NBA players of all time, and perhaps the best shooter that has ever played the game of basketball.  Among his many achievements, he is a two-time league MVP, and a three-time NBA champion.

We never know what the future holds.   We don't know who will be the next person to achieve greatness in their chosen area.   Children have dreams.  Support them.  Encourage them.  Work with them to help them pursue their dreams, and understand what it takes to achieve them.  We cannot predict the future.  But, we can instill the idea that hard work and dedication to a goal pay off!

   

Positive Contact Challenge

Here's a simple way to encourage your staff to make positive contact with their students' families!  Hold a month-long challenge, and reward them!

Here is what we did:

• Determine a reasonable and achievable goal for your staff.
• Determine a reward that your staff will enjoy.
• Inform everyone of the goal, and what you are looking for.  I encouraged specific positive praise through a variety of means:  phone calls, postcards, text messages, emails, and even home visits!
• Create a "Big Board" for everyone to record their contacts.
• Keep track during the month.
• Reward everyone when they meet your goal!

Check out this SHORT VIDEO explanation.

Proud of My "Selfie"

Proud of My "Selfie" 

Here's a quick and easy way to acknowledge your students for their good work!  I created "Proud of My Selfie" cards!  Here are the simple steps we follow to use them:   

1. Staff members write a short note on the card acknowledging the student's excellent achievement. 
2. The student comes to the office with their card.
3. I have a quick discussion about what they did and how great it is to hear about their excellent work.
4. We take a selfie together with the student holding their card.
5. I post the selfie on our social media pages with a quick note about their amazing work.
6. I text or email the selfie to the parent with a short note.

Here is a SHORT VIDEO on this idea!