Today I'm excited to share a promising practice that came about as a result of shared ideas between the North Pointe Elementary Rockets, Jennifer Quigley, a first-grade teacher in our school family, and my webmaster Jane Ann. It sparked when NPE sent a team to our NSOC Open House, where I told them about a teacher T-shirt team-builder that we did with our staff. They took that idea back and had their teachers design character Ts, then took it a step further and had the best design made into their school shirt that year. They gave me one of their Ts in exchange for a character workshop with their school family.
So Mrs. Quigley sees me wearing that shirt and it clicks;
wouldn't that make a great title for her students' character journals?
When Jennifer tells me what she's thinking, I ask my friend and techno-guru Jane Ann to create the cover for these amazing keepsakes. Each week for six weeks in the spring, Mrs. Quigley comes to my office to snag a title from my
Books That Teach list and reinforce each of our
Six Pillars of Character. The class family reads it and talks about it before reflecting on the trait in their journal. Here's a sneak peek inside Ava's handiwork; a special thank you to her and her family for letting me share her thoughts with you.
t
Can't you just feel the love that my character cam caught
as Ava shared her finished product with her teacher?
Never underestimate the power of synergy
to help you and your little authors
blast off!
Wish I had a teacher like you! You do such wonderful things in your classroom and I am always in awe. I really like the emphasis on character building -- it is so important for the future of our kids. They will remember what you do as they move forward. When my daughter was in MG and HS, I was shocked at the lack of respect the kids showed each other and teachers. You are certainly helping. Love the T-shirt ideas. Makes them feel special!
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