Inspire Your Girls (and Boys, Too!)

March is Women's History Month! 

There just aren't enough role models in our lives for girls. But they need encouragement and inspiration just as much as the boys do!

March is a great time to explore ways to inspire your girls, since it's Women's History Month! Here are some books to share with your girls (and boys, of course!)

• A is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
• Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World
• She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World
• Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World
• Bold and Brave: Ten Heroes Who Wom Women the Right to Vote
• The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience

The right words at the right time can really inspire many to improve their lives and become successful.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from women, appropriate for children.

 These are great words for girls (and boys) to think about, aren't they? 

Yes, we're expected to spend time teaching reading, writing, and math, but getting kids to think about their future and their own impact on the future is pretty important, isn't it? 

Kids need to learn about the power of their own voice, don't they?

I love to have the kiddos talk (or write) about what they think some of these quotes mean. They make great Morning Meeting prompt!

These discussions are a great way to start the day. Perfect for morning meetings!

Seriously, don't you want your students to think about this?

I have a set of 50 of these quotes, available here:

Inspirational Quotes by Women to Read and Discuss 

How you inspire your students to be the best they can be?

I've Got This!

I'm trying to muster up all my courage and all my stamina, because I'm about to run a marathon!

After a fabulous summer with lots of rest, relaxation, and good times, I'm going back to school.

I'm looking forward to seeing my colleagues again, and I'm really excited about my schedule this year!

Plus, I get to meet my kids tomorrow night at the Open House!

And I get to have them in my class starting Wednesday!

This year will be tough (they all have been, in some ways!) but I'm trying to be positive and look forward to the year. 

After all, I can't be on summer vacation forever! 

(But I sure will miss staying in jammies until noon!)

I've been giving myself a lot of "coaching"... kind, encouraging words.  I thought perhaps you could use some, too.

This is from my Dad, the football coach. I say this to myself often!

Every time I get stressed about how much we have to teach and how little time we have to teach it: (the visual works for me, too!)

 

As above, I do get stressed! (I suspect we all do!)

 

Being a fan of the arts, I love this quote from John Steinbeck!

This is my own quote. You could sort of say it's my mission!

Just a little reminder how important it is to build bonds with the children!

This is also my own quote. It's something I remind myself frequently!

Have a great school year!

Ten Ways to Motivate Students

Today's post is all about motivating students.

These are ten of the ways I motivate students:

Pride!

Luckily, there are some students who take pride in themselves and just plain want to do well. They want to make the teacher happy. Don't you love these kids? Don't you wish there were more of these? Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids who don't have pride in themselves, or just don't have enough. (This is something we can work on!) Therefore, we need the other nine.

Stickers! 

Children love stickers. A hefty supply is necessary for most teachers of little ones. Personally, I usually only give out stickers for homework, but many teachers give out stickers for daily work. My students work pretty hard for one sticker for homework each day! On special occasions, I'll pull out the scented stickers!

Working with a partner! 

Kids are social, and the idea of working with another child is super motivating. Let them choose their own partner, and you'll be their hero! They can read with a partner, write a story with a partner, or practice math facts. There's a whole world of possibilities.

Let them earn an extra recess!

I think this is a "win-win". We know that kids need to run and exercise and burn off steam. The promise of being able to do what they need to do is motivating for the kids to work! 

Inspire them!

I find if I say a few words about a book, the children all want to read that book. If I show them a sample of my writing, they want to try a similar piece of writing. If I make something look interesting or fun, they want to try it. I could never sell cars, but I sure can sell a book to a kid!

Let them put something cool on their desk for a while!  

Personally, I use a collection of beanie babies that I've saved since my daughter was little. They can keep it on their desk for the day. If they do something quite spectacular, I let them keep a little flag on their desk for a week. They are mighty proud of these, and they can tell you what each little trophy is for!

A few desk decorations in my classroom!

Play a game!

There are so many possibilities for games. There are group games like Around the World, Scoot, and variations of Jeopardy, Hollywood Squares, and Family Feud. Then there are partner games, centers, and activities. Sometimes they have so much fun, they don't even realize they're learning!

Group Projects!

When there is a product and a "performance" involved, the kids get moving! Most kids love working in small groups putting together some sort of project, then others are super motivated by the thought of standing in front of their class. They really remember these group projects for years to come.

Have a dance party!

This works well for my group. You can work out the details, but if they reach a certain point, just stop for the moment, and turn on the music. My kids love this, as it happens to be a group that really responds to music and movement. It only takes a few minutes of the day, and they've had their exercise and burned off some steam. That makes a dance party another "win-win"! Other forms of this type of group reward can be a pizza party or a make-your-own ice cream party. (The dance party is cheaper, though!)

Special recognition!

Single out a student for spectacular work. I often read examples of good work, or hold up examples of good effort on handwriting. I have a Super Improvers Wall, where they get stickers and work their way up the ladder when we notice they have improved at something - it can be anything from remembering to pass in homework, to improvement in behavior, to improvement in knowing math facts. One of my students said moving on the improvement board was even better than earning a flag for a week!  See HERE for more about the Super Improvers Wall!)

This is just a small sampling of the possibilities for motivating students.  

Here are a few other posts that might interest you!

Giving Feedback!

Five Hints to Help Avoid False Praise

Give 'em a Shout Out!

The Importance of Failure

How do you motivate your students?