Have you found any good strategies that keep your absenteeism rates lower?

We introduced a school wide award that is awarded to the classroom in each grade level with the highest attendance rate each month. When our individual classes have attendance above 95% on a daily basis, we get a postcard with our mascot on it to display outside our classroom door (with the date earned). When our classroom earns 10 of them, we get a visit from the Woot-Woot wagon and each student gets to pick a treat!

How do you welcome new students to your classroom when they arrive 2-6 months after the school year has started?

As I was reading an educational article recently, I saw this idea, and I loved it! I will definitely implement it at the start of next year:

Have students write down (or tell you if they are little ones) what they want to hear on hard days. Collect those notes and hand them back out to students when you feel like they need to be reminded.

What are some ways you help students persevere on hard days?

One of the things I've heard so frequently in my teaching career: "Kids love you. How do you do it?"

Students want a relationship with someone. They want to know that the people who they spend all day every day with care about who they are. I read a quote recently that said, "There's nothing to lose by giving a student a second chance. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. There's only the possibility of strengthening a relationship, demonstrating the power of empathy, and instilling a glimmer of hopeful recovery." --Teacher, Justin Tarte

This describes perfectly how I build relationships with students. Do I have high expectations? Yes. But do I also demonstrate that you can make mistakes and learn from them. Giving a student a second chance allows them to be exactly who they are, a child.

What are some ways you build relationships with students throughout the year to build them up?

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!

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!

A few years ago, I got a roll of paper from Target and started writing quotes on it to post outside my door for students to read. It turns out that it wasn't just students who were reading it -- adults did too and would stop by to tell me the ways they related to do the quote. What are some ways you commit to the culture of your school?

Working in partners/groups vs. working independently:
One of the best ideas I decided to try out a couple of years ago was creating an anchor chart with students about what each of these looks like and sounds like. (I tried to find a picture of my chart I made my last year as a classroom teacher but couldn't find it!) Students often know what these should look and sound like but having the discussion with them and having them come up with the expectations is so powerful. I've had students have very real and vulnerable conversations that during independent work, the student needs quiet to really do their best work. The way my classes have changed after that vulnerability was drastic. Students (at least elementary age) sometimes believe that teachers are just asking for silence for silence sake; when really it is to give students an opportunity to show their best work. But when it comes from a fellow student, the impact is greater. How do you set up students to be successful in small groups and independently?

One of the toughest things (but also most rewarding when the mindset shift occurs) is students believing that they can do whatever it is you are asking them to do. As a math interventionist, I work with students who, based on test scores, are struggling in math. While I know that one test score (or even a few) don't define a student, unfortunately, the score(s) travel with them. Once I start meeting with students, I can usually see pretty quickly that some of their 'struggle' has nothing to do with math, it has to do with mindset. We have very honest and real conversations about their experiences in math and what they like vs. what they don't like (or haven't liked in the past). It happens over time, and I recognize that my job is far different than others, but it begins the same: building relationships with students is the foundation to success. Once a student becomes mine, I begin building their confidence slowly and surely by being their biggest cheerleader. I ask that teachers share with me successes in the classroom too so that I can be excited for them. What are some ways you help students build their confidence?