Roman from Ontario, Canada.
HS Teacher/Student Success Leader/Agent of Transformation.
Great to join the #teachpos chat tonight after a weekend of family camping.
Students love my fun and goofy nature. Always full of energy and always about enjoying learning.
Scott from Michigan. Middle school dean. In my classroom, we always celebrated, and the Ss loved it. They never knew if it was a celebration for academics or just for fun until they got in the room! #teachpos
Hello #teachpos peps. I feel as though it has been so long since I have been here. Steph Dill elementary SPED T in Colorado coming to you tonight from sunny southern California.
A trait is that I love being goofy with my littles - we get a good laugh in.
Teresa, MS Literacy Teacher, NY. Saw the # and thought I would jump in! I am told I am a good listener and can let things go. I don't hold onto stuff. #teachpos
I miss that working with my littles. I love when I get to work K-5 so I can put on a different hat and have different traits come out with different groups! #teachpos
Throwing in my two cents from Almost Heaven, West Virginia. I am a middle school ELA teacher. The majority of my students have exceptional needs. #teachpos
Hi, Melissa - elem. RTI teacher from Ohio. First time finding this #Teachpos chat. One trait that I have is that I models how to celebrate everything! For example, I’m all-in for spirit days or reading themes, as well as wearing a different holiday sweater every day in December.
A1: An atmosphere of kindness sets students free to take risks necessary to learn - it lets them know they’re safe (even in failure) and can afford to stretch themselves to grow. #teachpos
A1: Kindness makes Ss feel welcomed into the class. When they know they’re welcomed and respected, Ss will open up and want to come to class and be involved in the learning. #teachpos
A1: Kindness is one of the corner stones students knowing and understanding they are cared for. Without kindness Ss will have a difficult time really learning. They need to know you care and want them there doing their best. #teachpos
A1 When kindness leads the learning journey, the experience becomes authentic and meaningful. When you can impact the lives of others as you learn & can contribute to your community, you gain a greater sense of accomplishment and impact. We need to teach with our ❤️ #teachpos
A1: It also is a fantastic place to model kindness and implement it into daily practices so Ss can take what they learn with them outside the classroom walls. #teachpos
A1 #Teachpos Kindness along with empathy is essential for building rapport with students! You have to get to know who they are so that connections can be developed during learning discussions.
A1: A kind learning environment calms anxieties and fears. Kindness brings trust. Ss are able to learn with people in which they feel comfortable. #teachpos
A1: It helps reduce the stress that some students feel about school. If the teacher that Ss experience are kind, they are more likely to have a positive view of school and love learning :) #teachpos
A1. By demonstrating consistent, genuine kindness, my (our) classroom becomes a safe place to take a risk and a soft spot to fall in what may otherwise be a very hard life. Bonus: Students are more apt to show kindness to one another when they see me modeling kindness. #teachpos
A1: A culture of kindness in the classroom fosters appropriate risk taking without fear of backlash. Giving Ss a safe zone with their peers really allows for all kinds of growth. #teachpos
#teachpos - A1 - I think that students are used to negativity in the classroom. So, in my class I am overly positive and it really takes them aback. Just framing commands from "get to work" to "I like how I see johnny working hard and being on task" makes a big difference.
#teachpos@Shapiro_WTHS Kindness is contagious, it brightens and inspires. It fosters collaboration and cooperation. It helps forge a safe haven, a positive classroom culture that lures even the quietest of students in. When students feel safe & happy- learning is the focus
A1: #Teachpos kindness welcomes respect and encourages self-confidence. Kindness welcomes first attempts, accepts greatness and failures, and encourages trying again.
A1 #teachpos Kind=kindred when we feel a connection, when we feel comfortable and above all heard and valued- we find kindred spirits that together help us learn and grow
A1.Our pupils forget most of what we teach them.They will however remember us their teachers forever.Lets be good and kind to them.A kind word lasts forever #Teachpos
A2 Kindness is a way of life. In the way we treat each other, talk to each other, show empathy, compassion and understanding. I encourage my Ss to go out of their way and show extra kindness when unexpected. That will help brighten anyone’s day. Go that extra mile. #teachpos
A2 I love how they take care of each other, look out for each other, and support one another...without prompting. My 7th graders know the love! #teachpos
A2: I love when I see a student invite another to sit with them at lunch or when a student drops their books and other students help them pick their items back up. :) #teachpos
A2: IN my room Ss will help each other out by getting their box of materials for a friend who is running behind and they will put materials away. Having Ss from different classes and mixed grade levels it is nice to see them work with and for each other. #teachpos
A2: During morning meetings, Ss share good things that are happening in their lives. I had one S that was responsible for asking follow up ?s. Giving the responsibility to the Ss helped build community. Affirmation Wall was something else I used. #teachpos
#teachpos Mentoring one another is a big act of kindness- being supportive in class and helping one another be successful- in my classroom remediation & enrichment circles every Friday- it is all about students helping students
A2 We all greet each other in the morning upon arrival, they help each other out if they get stuck or need something. They are warm and friendly to each other and teachers #teachpos
A2 Our students participated in the Great Kindness Challenge last year! They also wrote positive post its and put them on each others desks and teachers doors! #teachpos
A2: I watch Ss share snack with others, buy ice cream for their classmates, offer help with work, pick up others' dropped items, give heartfelt compliments, speak up for those whose voice is weak. Fourth-graders are compassionate #teachpos
In my class, I teach students how to respectfully disagree with one another during academic conversation. Otherwise, they are quick to anger and fast to argue and be “right fighters.” We mus teach our Ss to be kind, even when they don’t agree. #teachpos
A2: Ss show kindness and empathy during collaborative work. I see it every time they work together. I also see kindness on the playground. Our school has made an effort to create a campus wide focus on kindness and I can see it reflected in the kids everyday.#teachpos
A2: Last year our theme was Practice Kindness. Best way I saw it expressed was in 8th grade. The T had S write compliments but also had them express them verbally. Learning how to express kindness not only in writing but verbally and accept it. #Teachpos
A2 In addition to formal initiatives, students show kindness through the little things they do-inviting someone sitting alone to join their table, saying kind words, etc #teachpos
A2: #teachpos As a school, we learn the #7habits of @StephenRCovey and these are reflected in monthly recognition for students displaying these habits in classrooms. We are also PROUD learners, P/proactive R/respectful O/optimistic U/ understanding D/determined.
A2 #teachpos The best way to spread kindness is through mindfulness strategies- listening intently, responding not reacting, making eye contact and owning the pause- taking a breath before they speak. I model these in my classroom daily and they catch on quickly
A2: #teachpos I am always in awe when I see some of my younger students take classmates by the hand or cheer them on. Ie-teaching pe I did a rock wall unit and they would cheer and walk worried friends to the wall by the hand and keep saying, you can do it! 💕 love my darlings💕
#teachpos - A2 - This year we had a Chinese student at my school, and we were playing whiffle ball on field day. The Chinese girl did not know the first thing about baseball, but everyone cheered her on and she overcame her fears, got up to bat, and drove in a run! It was amazing
A2 #teachpos A positive school culture is built on a foundation of trust and respect. When teachers model this, administrators model this and students feel a connection to one another, a common purpose kindness permeates
A2. As a schoowide initiative, we recognize students who demonstrate AIR (attitude, integrity, respect). Teacher witnesses kind act, alerts principal, principal meets with the student individually and highlights the act of kindness during end of the day announcements. #teachpos
A1: When we show kindness we receive kindness. Ss who experience kindness feel safer, are more willing to take risks & help others to do so, and will be more collaborative. Experiencing kindness opens you up for so many experiences & opportunities #teachPOS
A2:#teachpos In kindergarten, not many of us know how to tie our shoes... One day I looked over and saw this unprompted huge act kindness as we were lining up to leave the classroom:
A2 I love it when I see Ss working together during just routine tasks. MS kiddos can sometimes be self-focused, so you have to remind them that another person's success does not diminish their own. #teachpos
#teachpos - A3 - I think it starts with your actions. I try not to jump into the negative talk about students when teachers are complaining. If I do jump in, I usually make sure and point out something positive about the student(s) they are complaining about.
A3: looking at culture is a key thing I have other T do. I offered them the chance to come observe in my room or another Ts room to see what was going on. Then I asked them to reflect on what was seen and how they can change it to be in their room as well. #teachpos
A3 To fully understand, they must live it. We need to show kindness to others and share its power. With everything going on in the world we need to add more heart and kindness. Be the KIND leader! Be the difference. #teachpos
A2: Our school has an Affirmation Station. Each Ss and staff member has an envelope available for kindness affirmation notes. It’s a pretty special spot in our school community #teachpos
A3 We will be tackling that this year as we implement the Positivity Project schoolwide this year. If you look at all the skills that employers want us to teach, communication and ability to work in teams are always at the top. No one is an island anymore. #teachpos
A2: Providing support when obstacles arise, celebrating successes, cheering each other up on bad days, smiling & laughing on great days, just being there for one another along the way. #teachPOS
#teachpos Unfortunately this can be challenging with the pressure of test scores. But, it is so important to model a positive mindset and management style and mindfulness will spread, students will carry the positivity with them and teachers will notice
I love the idea of having a student responsible for follow up questions - what a great way to help SS learn to craft conversation!! I'm going to borrow this idea this school year! #teachpos
A3 Our modeling in this respect is key-designing & implementing such lessons followed by sharing student products of the lesson as well as letting the results show the benefits for themselves will encourage others to do likewise #teachpos
A3 In my school character education is a part of every class. We celebrate all the students that portray whichever character trait we are focussed on each month at an assembly. They have their pictures displayed in the hallway #teachpos
A3. Share the positives happening in our classrooms! Brag on our students when they do the right thing - when they are kind. Accentuate the positive, eliminates the negative (anyone else remember that song?) #teachpos
A3: I don't see getting colleagues to see the value of teaching kindness as an issue. Most teachers I have met are overflowing with kindness and if in no other way, teach it by modeling in their daily interactions. #teachpos
#teachpos - Another great chat! Don't forget to join me over at #edChatRI at 8pm EST right after this! We will be talking about School Accountability tonight. Hope to see you there!
A3: Practise kindness, daily, and it will catch on...a great kind of contagious! Kindness can easily be incorporated into all that we do and it makes a difference! #teachpos
A3: At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. The grades, proficiency marks, GPA aren’t what people remember about you- they remember how you treated them & others. It’s important to teach kindness so that it can spread & we can pay it forward #teachPOS
unfortunately when you get to the MS level, Ts are unwilling to spend time building community or teaching soft skills. They are all about the lack of time, and getting through the curriculum #teachpos
A3: #teachpos I try to connect literature with examples of kindness a character is displaying in the text. As with most strategies, it needs to be authentic and not approached as “one more thing” on a teacher’s curriculum plate.
A3 #teachpos Kindness is not a skill to be taught. It is an energy, an attitude that if present, calms, focuses and guides. It truly is contagious- all we need to do is listen and talk to our students and spark the wave of kindness
I feel that kindness does need to be taught, but like you state share the positives. Positive things happen daily, we need to just point out how and what the positive was to help students learn and see. #teachpos
Chat Bonus Question: Favourite cartoon sitcom was The Jetsons. Love the family feal, love imagining the future and I always hoped to one day travel in fast tubes and avoid 8 hour car rides. Lmao #teachpos
