Time to Vote For Your Stars!

On the first Monday of every month the whole elementary school gathers together to group, recently showing off student work (which I think is great and I would like to see this continue), and to recognize students who have been outstanding at exhibiting our STARs [ESLRs].

Students who have been "living the STARs" receive an award and are recognized for their excellence. I have watched the older grades now for two years choose their own class nominees while I have sat back and chosen the STARs for my own class.

Today I decided it was time to put the ball into their court and let them choose their own STAR recipients.

It was a revealing experience. For one, the students were much more serious about it than I had expected. We discussed it for about 45 minutes - a long time for my class to talk about something. The conversation also showed me how superficial their knowledge of the STARS, ESLRs, attitudes the school [and I] want the students to exhibit.

How many times did someone ask me today what each one of them meant. Was it that they only understood the meanings of the words in one way and were unable to apply them?

Whatever the reason, it helped me see that I should be doing this every month. I think it is a great way for the students to learn more about what they mean outside of the "cookie cutter" definition they usually learn.

I set it up so that we first reviewed what the STARs were, in our case they are Responsible, Open minded, Communicator, Knowledgeable, and Risk Taker [ROCKR]. I then asked the students to nominate another student who had shown that trait in the last month.

This was hard for them, and it was even hard for me, as I think that we tend to think more about people's actions as an accumulative rather than in segments of time as I was asking them.

I thought it was good for students who were voted for to hear their name called. I think that it is important for students to that others are watching their actions - even if they don't think so. An act that one might think of as inconsequential, can be enormous for another. And vice versa.

I am wondering, as I am going to start doing this regularly, if it will motivate students to start thinking more about their actions. One student told me after the [secret ballot] votes were in, that she was disappointed she didn't get the knowledgeable award. I told her I was sorry, but maybe she could try to think more about what image she was projecting when she was interacting with others, and that she could even try to make her good deeds more visible to others.

I really don't want to start a competition here, and if it starts to become one I will have to tweak something, but for today, and for the next and last assembly of the year, the decision will be in the students hands.

As it should be.