Another form of motivation in my building is through Class Dojo. The students get points throughout the day that can be for variety of reasons such as: being on task, motivating others, working quietly, following directions, and whole class points. The rewards on these are teacher based but can be used to earn prizes, lunch with the teacher, and the freedom to choose their seat for a day (if not flexible seating).

B. Since I am in a coaching role and don’t have a classroom full of students my experience is a little bit different. My time to observe and/or model in a classroom are limited. There are a variety of ways that motivation happens in my school. For extrinsic reading motivation, we offer Six Flags Read to Succeed where a student has to document them reading a certain amount of minutes over several months and then they turn in their reading log and receive a ticket to Six Flags. For even more extrinsic motivation we have do Pizza Hut’s “Book It” program where students fill out a monthly reading log and if they’ve read a certain amount of minutes, they will receive a coupon for a free pizza.

One of my current favorite ways my 5th grade team is motivating students in their novel studies is being intentional on where they leave off in a novel. In the room I was observing in the other day, the teacher ended at a cliff hanger and then asked students to close their books until tomorrow. There was a loud moan as the students begged for just a few more minutes. This motivated the students to want to keep reading their novels which speaks to intrinsic motivation. 

In a different classroom, this one second grade the teacher wanted to motivate the students to be engaged in the read aloud. This teacher struggles with this and I suggested she tie in a fun activity to motivate them to want to be interested in the book. I typed up the book on blank pages and had the students illustrate the book based on the words. After that, the students couldn’t wait to read the book and see the pictures to be able to compare and contrast their own ideas of visualization compared to the author/illustrator.

C. There are a variety of ways that community is fostered within my school. Because I don’t have a classroom I can’t speak to that nature. One of things we thrive on is our Panther’s Promise which is how we promise to approach and treat each other, education, and our school. Our principal is also a very friendly face in the building and makes it a point to regularly visit classrooms outside of scheduled observations. We also have a PTC which fosters that relationship between teachers and parents.

One of my favorite forms of community comes with our various family nights. I’m currently putting together a family literacy night that is centered around our book fair. It’s fun and the families come and participate in snack and activities. We also do this for math. We are currently planning a Coco Movie night for families next week. We also do a breakfast with Santa every year where the kids get to eat with Santa and get a small present. We offer an opportunity for family photos with Santa as well. These events really work to let the kids know that our community is formed by not only them, but their parents and teachers working together.

D. As a teacher I think that I am definitely proficient working on excellent. My job is a little tricky because I don’t get the opportunity to know students as well as I would like because I only work with teachers. So what I do first is observe teachers multiple times over a period of time to establish their teaching styles and what type of relationships they have with students. When I establish that, my attention turns more towards their class and what types of students and behaviors they have. From there I determine areas of strength and weakness and what kind of strategies and support I can offer to improve the learning of not only the students but the effectiveness of the teacher. This constantly changes and shifts throughout a coaching cycle. Some teachers are eager to work with me which motivates them to stick to what we plan. Sometimes I have teachers who aren’t working with me voluntarily but as part of their plan with their administrator, those teachers are often not as willing to let me in and get to know them. In cases such as that, it’s best for me to take my time reading the class and making it all about what their students need versus what they need from me.