The Art of a Thank You

               I have been having some trouble keeping my students under control. The change of the season tends to bring with it the chaos of the classroom. My students talk while I’m talking, are rambunctious, loud, walk around the room without permission, and throw things across the room.

            Everything in me is screaming to stop writing this—no one needs to know about the disorder in my room! Don’t let others know that sometimes you have next to zero control over your students!

            I knew that this couldn’t last, and that I needed to do something about it. I thought about motivation and decided to see if handing out candy to those who were “on-task” would help encourage those who were not. I talked with my mentor teacher and we tried it. The students who were given candy seemed appreciative, but the other students didn’t seem to notice.

            My mentor teacher and I talked about how the experiment hadn’t curbed the off task and rowdy behavior. We discussed the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. This is when I decided to try a more intrinsic approach.

            The next day, as students filed into the classroom, I took a mental note of who had gotten their bell work out. When the bell rang, I walked around the room, thanking the students that had their bell work out and were ready to work. Almost immediately, a student at that table pulled out his work and exclaimed, “I have my bell work out!” This happened again and again until everyone was on task. I decided in that moment to thank a few other students, and then come back and thank him.

            This occurrence astounded me. Students would rather have my appreciation than candy? What? Who are these kids? But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Middle school is a tough age, where kids are constantly searching for approval: from their parents, their friends, and their teachers. How easily I forget that!  I am so glad this experience reminded me of that.

            With this in mind I decided to write my students thank you cards after a particularly successful class period. (They wrote for the entire class—and they were quiet!) As my students tore open the envelopes to the cards inside, I watched. I watched as my students read the cards rapidly, with excitement. Multiple students thanked me, and over the course of the next few days I noticed the cards tucked into the covers of their binders, the pockets of their folders, and the pages of their agenda books.

            I now tell my students “thank you” as often as I can. It has made such a difference in my classroom and in the environment in the room. My students are more open to discussion, to my direction, and to working with each other. It’s amazing what a simple “thank you” can do.