The Postive Impact of Building Goodwill

Build Goodwill on Good Days

This is a draining time of year.  We are tired, and maybe even a little impatient.  This is the time of year where sometimes our only interactions with students start to be responses to disruptions. When things are going well and students are quietly reading, doing their work, or listening attentively, we just silently accept this situation and enjoy the respite from having to correct misbehavior. This is a perfect time to build a little goodwill by commenting on how much you appreciate your students' good habits and behaviors. By noticing that they are doing the expected - and making sure they know that you noticed. It's a great way to build up your students, and a great way to enhance teacher-student relationships.

There's research to support that positive feedback not only helps the receiver, but it also helps the giver!  If you are looking for something good or beneficial in a person or situation, you will always find it.  And while you're looking, you will be a more positive and cheerful person. The benefits of positive emotions don't stop after a few minutes of good feelings subside - they continue to resonate in your heart and mind, and continuing to impact your words and actions.  When you think positive, you will notice amazing things all around you.  Your brain will actually begin to operate in a state of free-flowing feel-good hormones called endorphins, which will make you feel lighter and happier. 

I encourage you to take the time to notice and praise the positive behaviors in your class.  I encourage you to assume the best of intentions of everyone around you.  Set your focus on spreading goodwill when you notice the good.  And an extra bonus - it will not only help build up our staff and students, it will make you feel happier, too.

BONUS:
A quick read going around on Facebook this weekend, related to the idea of building relationships: One Teacher's Brilliant Strategy (Readers Digest).  It's about how a teacher takes time each week to ask her students two questions, which help her identify what is going on in her classroom.  You'll be amazed at what she finds out when she looks at the results!

1.  Names of 4 children they'd like to sit with the following week

2.  Nominate a student who they believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week