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What are one or two practices you’d like to implement that would allow you to demonstrate your care for and commitment to your students? If you already have practices in place, what are they?
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One way I show my students I care for them is by setting a time aside each day to share prayer requests and then pray for them. We stop right before lunch everyday and take 10-15 for anyone to share a prayer request or update us on a previous prayer requests and then we pray together as a course. The students openly share struggles and hardships and it creates a very trusting environment in the classroom.
Another way I show I care is by allowing them to share good things with me each day. We start our day by each child sharing something good going on in their life. They love it! I also teach young enough kids that they still want to hug and hang on me. Typically we walk in a straight line around campus, but when we come back from lunch I let them crowd together a bit and they always want to put their arms around me and walk next to me. Many times we walk back to course “wizard of oz” style linked arm in arm. This simple act of accepting a hug or letting them put their arm around me shows them that I care.
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My students know that I am there for them. I teach music, and I have students stop by my room just to say hello and/or get a hug. They will come to me with prayer requests and other things. They know that I care and love them. I also hold them accountable for their actions. If they do great in course, I reward them individually. If they have a bad day, I talk to them about what happened (not in front of the class) and how they could have responded better.
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To show my commitment and care for my students I have implemented two specific practices in my classroom. The first practice is that of keeping a PR book in my desk drawer. This is a book of all of my students Prayer Requests and Praise Reports. I start off the year asking every student in the room to share one thing they would like prayer for or would like to praise God for. I take the time to hear each child, comment on their struggle or praise and then I write it down and we lift the requests to the Lord. Knowing that He hears our prayers and answers them according to His will. Sometimes His answer is yes, sometimes, no, and sometimes it is a time of waiting. But, they do not have to worry about these things, and they do not have to carry them anymore, they can give them to the God of the Universe to take care of as He sees best. We review the prayer requests and discuss how God has answered prayers from last month or last week. We praise Him for all He does for who He is and all He does.
The second practice is that of notes of encouragement. As we progress through our writing curriculum and cursive writing development students write notes of encouragement to each other throughout the year. These notes are written on lined note cards, they are guided writing with specific sentences to write and I meet individually with students to let them know who they are writing to and give them options for their encouraging letters. Students do not take these notes home until the end of the year, they are kept in their desk boxes. I also write a note of encouragement to each child. By the end of the year they have a dozen notecards handwritten with things that the other children and teacher like about them specifically. Their talents and abilities, their character, their jump rope skill, their Bible memory, their love of animals, etc. This little bundle of notes is available for them to read anytime they are feeling sad, lonely, or need a reminder of how special they are to each member of the course.