Teaching high school sometimes isn’t much different from teaching elementary school. In an attempt to call my seniors’ bluff, I uncovered a secret society of kindergarteners! Before break the seniors were having trouble getting their journals done on time. The goal is to do the question the night before so they are ready to discuss a theme the next day. Many were scribbling a quick answer as the bell was ringing to start class.
Fed up with their poor work ethic, I decided to take drastic measures for accountability. I dug through my files and found all my small award stickers. Then I redesigned my journal sheets to include a spot by each entry for a sticker. When the students walk through the door each day, they have to show me a completed journal entry. If they did their homework, they get a sticker so I know at grade time which ones were done on time.
On the first day, they practically mobbed each other to get to the room to get first pick of the stickers! Each day starts out with “what kind of stickers do we get today?” A day without a journal entry is a gloomy day – I never would have guessed seniors would REQUEST to write journals. And I now have students coming during study hall to show me they did their homework ahead of time - just to get another sticker. I’m thinking the excitement over stickers will wear off but for now we are having intense discussions because the students have thought ahead.
And the best part is I get stickers too! I have a system to make sure someone doesn't just get their own stickers and give themselves a grade. I know that sounds pessimistic but unfortunately as a teacher I have to think through the worse case scenario and then plan to obviate it. So I have a little card that I put the sticker for the day on. Each question has a different sticker - which might explain the excitement. Every day is a new sticker - not just the same old thing. Today one of the kids saw my card hanging on the white board and said "wait, you keep a record of the different stickers - so that means we can't cheat and put on our own sitckers - you'd be able to catch us!" Ah, ha - I was one step ahead of them!
