It is the Little Things that Count

It is the Little Things that Count

Morale - 

A lot of times, it is the little things that count, especially with morale. My campus has been participating in a campaign called "I've Been Mugged". A teacher on campus receives a coffee mug full of goodies as a Thank You gesture from an anonymous source. That teacher enjoys the goodies, refills the mug and passes it on to another teacher. It does not take much to say "Thank You", "Job well-done" or "You are appreciated". Yet, it seems like teachers are usually the last ones to receive compliments although they are usually the first ones to give out a high-five or a "Great Job" to students. We have stickers that were made and we place on our door after we have been "mugged", so that other teachers will know who has received and who has not. I am hoping that several more teachers get "mugged" before the year ends. 

Accomplishments - 

As I scrolled through Twitter, I landed on a Tweet from TeacherCast that sent me to a YouTube link How to Use Padlet to create a Blog in New Google Sites. As luck would have it, I have my auto-play turned on and after I watched the first video, the next in line started playing. I absolutely fell in love with a video from Flipped Classroom Tutorials - How to do more with Google Sites. 

I do not code, I know some basics of HTML and do not like the time it takes me to think through the HTML process to complete a coding sequence. This video shared several tips that I easily put to use and now have several cool new aspects in my Google Site. Again, it is the little things... this video showed me how to do something and the site to use to execute. As I tested my coding knowledge, I could get immediate feedback. After several attempts, I had my site displaying a moving header and a collapsible page. Now, I know why teachers are encouraged to give immediate feedback. Those little nudges that encourage a student to keep working help raise confidence and when a job or assignment is finally finished, that feeling of accomplishment is extreme.

Here is to the little things that make your day brighter as the last days of school approach. In this stressful period of mandatory testing and/or trying to get that last chapter/project in - we all need a boost in our morale and that feeling of accomplishment.