What are some ways you celebrate the end of the year countdown with your students?

In my school, our kindergarten students have an ABC countdown for the last 26 days of the year. Today was letter B day and we celebrated by reading books, wearing blue, and playing with bubbles!

Today, I have been reflecting on my early years of teaching and a particular encounter that has stayed with me. During that time, I had a child who sat with me during recess due to behavior issues. He looked up at me and with a mischievous smile he said, “You’re scared of me, Ms. Erean.” I wasn’t scared of him at all; in fact, I found his comment intriguing. So, I asked him, “Why do you think I’m scared of you?”

With a smile he proclaimed: “I’m bad. I’m always bad. I got kicked out of my last school, and I’m going to be bad at this school too.” In that moment, my heart ached for him. It was clear he had been labeled and had internalized those negative messages about himself.
I realized that this child didn’t just need discipline; he needed understanding and support. I responded gently, “You know, everyone makes mistakes, and that doesn’t mean you’re bad. It just means you’re still learning.”

From that day on, I made it my mission to help him see his potential. We worked together to set small goals, focusing on positive behaviors rather than the negatives. I encouraged him to express his feelings and celebrated his successes, no matter how small. Slowly, he began to change, and so did my perspective.

His journey taught me a valuable lesson: the power of belief and support can transform a child’s self-image. As educators, we have the unique opportunity to redefine what a child believes about themselves. Instead of seeing a “bad” kid, I learned to see a child filled with potential, just waiting for someone to believe in him.

As the saying goes, “A child will burn down the village to feel the warmth among the ash.” This speaks to the lengths children may go to seek attention or affirmation.

What are some ways you’ve helped students reframe their self-perception and discover their strengths?

Those first moments when you see your class and they see you for the first time can be nerve-racking for students and teachers. How do you structure the first interaction with your new students? Do they wait for you in line or enter the classroom before the "official" start of school? What does this look, feel, and sound like?

A couple of years ago I taught a GT (Gifted and Talented) group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. One thing about gifted students is they love a good project that they can create from scratch. As a way to keeping them engaged, I did some research on passion projects (https://keepemthinking.com/2020/09/discover-the-power-of-passion-projects/ I had a brainstorming sheet I had created, but I cannot find it! This website explains what it is and gives some great ideas on how to get started.) My students absolutely took this and ran with it. At the end of testing season, they explained their projects (attached picture is one of pure joy!) and the students were in awe of each other. It was one of my favorite days of teaching ever!