As teachers, it is crucial that we take into consideration the interests and lives of our students when planning a new lesson. This week was extra special for our students because Thursday night was “stuffy sleepover night”! Each student brought a stuffed animal from home, and throughout the day the students were able to engage their learning and were encouraged to teach their stuffed friends. During their writing exercises, the students wrote about what they thought might happen at the overnight sleepover. For silent reading, the students read stories (or had their stuffies read to them). When discussing what the students thought their friends might get up to that evening, one student suggested that they should know the school and classroom rules so that they don’t get into any trouble. So, that afternoon, the students sat at the carpet and brainstormed some good rules to set for the sleepover and write them down for each of their stuffed animals.

Each student was engaged in the lessons, and they were excited for the next day, to see what (if anything) had happened the previous night. Before leaving for the day, the students tucked in their friends and said goodnight. The next morning, before entering the classroom, the students would write predictions about what they thought had gone on the previous night, they then would walk into class and see if their furry pals were where they had been left.

This lesson brought in such a personal element and gave the students something to write about, to read to/with, to make predictions about. The students were excited about the day and it showed in their work. They had more to write about in their journals, they wanted to read for longer, they wanted to provide opinions and thoughts throughout the day. This activity goes to show that students are eager to participate when learning is personal and fun.

As a teacher candidate, this was a very fun day for me to observe, the students were engaged, and excited. I was skeptical about classroom management, especially for my lesson right after lunch. But as suggested by my school advisor, I used a wireless microphone in order to get and hold student attention. I was amazed at how well everyone was listening and doing their tasks even with the exciting new additions sitting on their desks. Understanding how to incorporate exciting elements into student learning can be challenging, especially when we want our students to participate and contribute to an effective learning environment. I am looking forward to hearing what the stuffed animals got into, although, I might have a pretty good idea.

As teachers, the language we use with our students can be very impactful in their education. Using words with negative connotations can have an impact that students take to heart. What about when we use words that are perhaps, overly positive? Might the use of these words set an expectation to students? When we use words to commend good work, I think it is important to promote the effort – “well done!” “good work” “you are getting much better at…!”. These are things that will motivate our students to achieve, it will not cause them to doubt and it will not cause them to plateau or create anxieties of unrealistic expectations. When we see improvement in our students efforts, we must commend their work, it is important that we do. But is it not just as important that we promote growth as well?

This is something I struggle with, I naturally use positive words such as “perfect!” or “amazing!”, and I am conscious of this. One might not think it is a big deal, after all, it is our job to promote achievements. But does language like “perfect” promote a standard or expectation? The expectation is a students’ best, not perfection. Does being overly positive in our language increase anxieties? Do students think we expect amazing work each time? That is an unfair standard. I am working on giving appropriate feedback, providing scaffolding where needed. For students to work towards a standard of perfection is unfair. Even though we may not intend to imply literal perfection, and instead offer praise for a job well done, we must tread lightly when it comes to the language we use in the classroom.