What are you like at setting a positive tone in your classroom each day? Tone is the attitude and mood you bring to the classroom and it can make a BIG difference between a child enjoying coming to school or begging to stay home. I have experienced this first hand both as a teacher and as a parent.

As teachers, we all have difficulties and stress going on in our lives and it can be very challenging not to bring those issues to work with us. However, we do have the choice to leave those problems at the door. We have the choice to wear a smile, be welcoming, encouraging and to take a genuine interest in the children we are entrusted to teach. As we all know, not every student has the best home life either. Teachers have students who are dealing with the fallout of divorce, domestic violence, deaths in families, serious illness, drugs and many other factors which impact their lives.

Educators have the opportunity every morning to influence students for the better and that influence may be greater than you realise. The tone you set every morning will set you up for the rest of the day. So it’s important to make it a good one. Here are a few ways to start setting a positive tone in your classroom.

1. Smile.
2. Interact and chat with parents.  I’ll never forget the day my son received a letter from his teacher in the mail.  The letter was covered in stickers and told him how much she was looking forward to having him in her class. It set the tone for the start of a great year.
3. Get to know your students. Find out what they are passionate about and talk to them about their dreams and aspirations.  Ask them questions.
4. Maintain eye contact with your students and acknowledge them as they talk to you.
5. Look for opportunities to praise. Be encouraging with your words. Let your praise be specific. “Wow, you have really improved in your spelling!  You must have been working really hard at home.  Keep it up!”
6. Send home positive emails or notes to parents about exemplary behaviour and improvements. Too often teachers are only contacting parents when there is something negative to address.
7. Write students certificates or handwritten notes. e.g. “I really appreciate you keeping your work area tidy.”  Pop these notes in their tidy tray to find.  I would often see delighted faces when they found their note.
8. Let students encourage each other. Throughout the week, I would have students come up the front and encourage another student.  They weren’t allowed to pick their best friend but rather pick someone who they thought needed encouraging. My students really enjoyed doing this.
9. Appreciate each child’s uniqueness.  We have the perfect resource to help you achieve this.  Click HERE for the “Top 5 Things About Me” resource.

Finally, every child and adult wants to feel loved, appreciated and understood. It’s amazing how the little things can make a big difference in the life of a child. A smile or a kind word can not only impact your students, but it can impact your teaching colleagues, teacher aides, parents and administration staff.

Try it today!

…till next time, Naomi xx