We all enjoy recognition of our successes. Some may not prefer a public ceremony where we walk onto a stage to receive a shiny trophy. But even private recognition amongst a small group has the ability to create a sense of self for an individual. When you choose to celebrate student success a positive ripple will occur in your school community.
Taking the time to celebrate the success of a student is an incredible community builder. Recognition and understanding of a peer’s accomplishments can help others feel more connected to that person’s actions. This creates more positive interactions such as encouraging conversations or questions on getting involved.
The scale that you share a student’s success can be small while still having an impact. Students may react just as positively when their success is shared in front of their class or a small group than if it were shared at a school assembly. Knowing your students individually will help staff choose the best means of sharing each student’s success.
Here are some easy ways you can celebrate students success.
Verbal Praise.
This one is straightforward. Simply take a moment either privately with the student, in front of the class, or at the next school assembly to verbally recognize a student for a specific action they have taken to make your school community a better place. Again, knowing how the student would prefer to be recognition is important for making this a positive interaction.
Sharing Digitally.
If you have a platform, email newsletter, or website that broadcasts your school news, this is the perfect place to share a student success story. Your audience broadens and will likely become larger than what in-person offers. Depending on what platform you use, the opportunity to share pictures and have others leave supportive comments is huge. A positive digital space to create conversation is always a plus for this generation.
The very least that happens is a student receives positive reinforcement for their actions. The most? A student becomes a leader in their school community. Transforming your school into a place that will actively celebrate student success will tighten the culture amongst its population.
