The Power of Celebrating Well!

To set aside time to positively recognize students is of critical importance for a thriving Freshman Academy. And yet it is so often left out because of time concerns or a sense that more needs to be done for freshmen who struggle. Celebrating well as a team nets positive results for the freshmen as well as the team. Yet, for some reason it so often feels unnatural or even forced.

Below are four areas to consider when seeking that sweet spot of celebrating well:

  • The Team’s Disposition

  • The Means for Delivery

  • The Modalities of Praise

  • The Categories to Praise

The Team’s Disposition

The teams that celebrate well often have these characteristics:

  • Attention to academic growth not just grades.

  • A deep curiosity about the personal lives of freshmen.

  • A growth mindset (Partying teams often have high mercy as freshmen can disappoint.)

  • Generosity 

  • Initiative

Without having a good number of these five elements, an impactful recognition of freshman success is unlikely.

We set aside most Fridays as Positive Day. We work hard to push away the whirlwind of the day and force ourselves to look at the flourishing or at least those that are changing in the right direction.

Spending one day with this focus is life-giving. We spend four days a week deep in the difficulties of those who struggle. So when we set aside a day week to celebrate the majority, it seems at least fair by some measure.

The Means for Delivery

Teams need to translate their observation of freshman success into memorable and receivable forms. Here are a couple of examples:

  • Recognition avenues in the building that are already in place (Why recreate the wheel?)

  • Postcards

  • Email

  • Phone

  • Texting

  • A conversation

  • Post-it notes

  •  Candy or other food rewards

Time and focus turn these everyday avenues of communication into credible, purposeful, and meaningful observations of the efforts of these first-year students.

The Modalities of Praise

Teams have ways of recognizing freshmen that include these modalities:

  • The team meets a freshman in their meeting room.

  • The team travels to a freshman’s classroom and brings them into the hallway for a brief discussion.

  • Three-Point Praise - The success or accolade from one teacher is carried by another teacher to a freshman. (It’s great to see the look on their faces as they receive praise in Algebra for a Biology victory.)

  • The team can develop targets for each week’s meeting:

    • Every Friday we will write ____ postcards to freshmen.

    • Every Friday we will visit with at least ____ students in our meeting room.

    • Every Friday we will email or text _____ parents about this week’s successes.

  • The team tracks the who and when of praise to guide their efforts. (This is very helpful!)

  • The team has a calendar rhythm:

    • Student of the week.

    • Student of the month for each content area.

    • Top 10 freshmen of the month, the semester, or the year.

    • At the end of each semester teams will have an awards assembly.

A good balance between variety and consistency is needed. Teams that have a plan in place step into their meeting with energy, purpose, and culture-producing impact.

The Categories to Praise (Likely a partial list, but they all start with C.):

  • Change

  • Consistency

  • Character

  • Concerns

  • Courtesy

  • Creativity

  • Communication

  • Content

  • Caretaking

Attending to freshman success is good for us.

It’s good for them.

It’s great for team health and stamina.

And it’s a great way to end a week of struggle and stress.

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Ceremonies Needed

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The First 20 Days: Let’s Begin Again