Throw Kindness Like Confetti & FREEBIE!

Every year I try to find a new way to build a classroom community that is safe, inviting, and friendly! My first year teaching, I had A LOT of behavior issues. I think that I wrote 10 office referrals that year. That is a lot of office referrals to me, especially since the past 3 years I've had 3 office referrals. One of the biggest issues that I had that year was kids being mean to other kids in the class. The reason why I had so many behavior issues is because I didn't take the time to build a classroom community. So many teachers say, "I don't have time for that!" Am I right? I was one of those teachers. I thought that if I kept the kids busy, then they wouldn't misbehave. BIG MISTAKE. But once I took the time to build a classroom community, my behavior issues were few and far between.

I use a lot of different positive behavior strategies and community building in my classroom. One of my favorites is my classroom shout out wall. I'm sure you've seen doors and walls like this on Instagram or Pinterest:

Credit: Kindness Kit (FREE!)

As soon as I saw this, I knew I wanted to do this on the wall outside my door. Problem? I didn't want to cut out all those little squares and glue them on my wall. I just didn't have the time. So I thought, how can I implement this by getting my students to do the work and it being more meaningful to them? Then I saw this on Instagram:

Credit: Shout Outs Using Sticky Notes

And I had a great idea! I put the shoutout notes on every table group. My kids write shout-outs throughout the day to their classmates. Once they give it to their classmate, the person who received the shout-out sticks it on the wall. The kids are creating their own confetti, and it's literally made out of kindness! The students LOVE it, and they are always on the lookout for nice and helpful things that their classmates do. It's a WIN-WIN for me. Here is what our wall looks like:

FREEBIE TIME! This is one of my best sellers in my TpT store, but the first 10 people will get it for FREE! Comment below with your email address to receive these Meet the Teacher: All About Me EDITABLE flyers! They are the perfect way for parents and students to get to know you. You can put them out at Meet the Teacher, Open House, Curriculum Night, Parent-Teacher Conferences, information meetings, and more!