Affirm your students Being a strong Christian, I feel the desire to lay a strong foundation in my classroom for students to always feel welcome and honored. Often, I affirm my students to lift their spirits and let them know they are very much valued.
I say hello to them every single morning as they walk through the door. I want them to know their presence is important to me as well as the others in the room.	For the science fair, I write them a short note before they go to interview. My teachers did that in elementary school, and I still have the notes. It doesn’t have to be long; it should mainly tell the student that he or she will be in your thoughts throughout the day.	I make “trophies” on poster board at the end of the year for the top five students in my advanced reading class.	For Student of the Week, I invite the student to join in lunch with me and invite a friend. He or she is encouraged to hang photos on his or her own bulletin board over the course of the week.
I place stickers on tests that receive A’s. My college professor Dr. Williams even did that for us as adults, and we’d be excited to see a sticker on our paper because we would feel affirmed that we did well.	We have a Young Author’s Day in February before the Florida Writes exam. The students receive writing “diplomas” and wear the plastic medallions that are in the party section at Wal-Mart. I also took photos of them following our writing basketball theme.	I write them two one-page letters over the course of the school year. One is at the very end, affirming them to believe in themselves and follow their hopes and dreams.	Write something in your students’ journals and keep projects for them over the course of the school year that you know they will value by the end of the year!
Bring in a breakfast one morning! For the Florida Writes, we have yogurt, healthy wheat cereal, a few kinds of fruit (apples, bananas, and strawberries) and two types of juice.	Write stories and math problems with their names in them. It works.	When you are most discouraged, do not give up. That time doesn’t mean they do not appreciate you. They will remember your kind gestures and concern.