At the end of last year I felt very worn out. But I also felt I had overcome some new challenges and learnt a lot. Reflecting on my end of year appraisal and why I felt so worn out, one of the reasons was because a lack of positive reinforcement and sharing positives with whanau.Unfortunately, majority of my discussions with students families were negative, discussing what their child was not doing or were doing that was unacceptable. Obviously I have dozens and dozens of students who are highly respectful, organised, engaged, but these angels are often forgotten about because they are self managed and seek my help only when they need it. This needed to change. I couldn't forget about the angels and only focus on those who were off task.
At my old school, we sent home school postcards every few weeks to a student or two who had displayed the school values. I felt so great sending those home to whanau, and the students came to school buzzing. So, this year I have created my own certificate to send home to students who are these angels that may feel that they are being forgotten about or not recognised. My aim for the year is to send 2 each week, and to spread the love around my classes.
I think this will help to address my own feelings of being worn out and increase the positive connections I have with students' homes. I have already seen the impact on some students, when they come smiling and thank me for being recognised. One student even said her parents put the certificate on the fridge, and nothing has been on the fridge in years!
So a reminder to us all, we have angels, and we need to recognise them!
