Today before I left my classroom, I took care of my kids' Thursday folders. Thursday folders are these folders that we send home on... you guessed it, Thursday. This is when we send home graded homework, old tests, fliers from the school, etc.The kids are supposed to bring back their folders on Friday so that the teachers have them for the following week. It has been my experience that many kids often do NOT bring them back, so I devised a motivational system long ago that has worked pretty well. I can sum it up in one word -- Stickers.
If a child brings back their folder the next day, with all of the old papers taken out and left at home -- as they are supposed to -- I put a sticker on their folder that they can either leave as decoration, or take and put somewhere else at home. The kids love stickers, and their faces light up on Thursdays as they see what new sticker they got.
Today, I was using a sheet of stickers that I got from a Sports Illustrated promotional mailing. It has square stickers with the image of a helmet from each team in the NFL. As I neared the end of my stack of folders, I happened to notice a correlation between the helmet I was about to affix and the girl whose name was on the folder. It was the San Francisco 49ers helmet. The 49ers are off to an 0-5 start this year, and they just can't seem to do anything right. Incidentally, the folder I put it on belongs to a girl who has been bombing her tests, has gotten off to an awful start, and (at least on tests and homeworks) just can't seem to get anything right.
Curiously, I looked back at the other folders to see if any other connections had been made. I was surprised to find several.
The girl who got the Green Bay Packers sticker started off the year very well and by all indications, looked like she would be one of my higher students. However, in recent weeks, she seems to have suffered a concussion, and her work has gone downhill.
The boy who got the Jacksonville Jaguars sticker is widely acknowledged by all teachers as one of the lower achieving students. Yet he has a lot of spirit, he puts a lot of effort forth, and he occasionally has moments of brilliance.
The boy who got the New York Jets sticker brags a lot about how great he is.
6 comments:
Actually, the 49s aren't really doing all that bad. They're in games. They have a chance to win. If it wasn't for Roddy White's heroics they would have beaten my favorite team, the Falcons.
What I want to know is, who got the Panthers sticker? They're the ones who are really underachieving.
Today I just started an incentive program to get students to come in my room without talking- something they've not been able to do very well.
I stamp their "do now" with an old "PAID" stamp that includes the month and day. I did this two years ago and it was the ONLY way to get students to complete the short, initial assignment in class. Never mind their grade, the stamp catches their attention...
I think it's pretty funny you saw the correlation between the teams and the students. It'll be interesting to see if those ideas change for either the student or the team.
I've used stickers and stamps for years. I stamp students who have begun the bellwork by the time the tardy bell has rung. I teach high school, for crying out loud! But, the motivator works.
This is hilarious! Love the idea of using football stickers in particular. I am always amazed at how much kids love stickers as motivators.
Thanks for sharing!
Victoria
PS) I came via the Carnival :)
I don't know bout links between the stickers but do know they go down really well with all learners - the BIG (staff) & littles!
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