Celebrate Learning
A spirit of celebration is obvious to anyone who walks the hallways of Detroit Achievement Academy. Looking back, I recall my first steps in the building as an interested parent. My daughter would be entering kindergarten in the Fall and it was important to me to select the best school for the beginning of her educational journey. What inspired me was seeing a love of learning and evidence of success on every wall. So many milestones were being celebrated. I wanted my daughter to experience the same laurels as the students I saw pictured.
“Celebration is vital for students' self perception, emotional state, and mental wellbeing.”
Now that I am an educator at DAA, I seize every opportunity to celebrate my students' successes. Whether it is acknowledgement of learning targets reached at the end of daily lessons, mastery of skills such as multiplication fluency after many weeks, or a celebration of learning exhibition at the culmination of an ELA module; students are acknowledged and praised. Celebration is vital for students' self perception, emotional state, and mental wellbeing. Celebration perpetuates a love of learning! I've seen my students become increasingly positive and celebratory in nature. As they become increasingly altruistic they display a love of collaborative wins in the classroom setting.
“When it comes to celebrating it doesn’t matter how major or minor the accomplishment is. Remember, small wins lead to greater victories.”
If you are a parent of a student, I want to encourage you to celebrate the small wins, for the benefits are numerable. This can be done in different ways. Hanging scored assignments on the refrigerator in your home is a constant reminder of success and it can provide inspiration or healthy competition amongst siblings. Bragging about your child to others within their earshot is another way to celebrate and boost their self-esteem. Planning small treats like a donut or ice cream as a reward is a mini celebration of its own. Giving a compliment directly to your child is another way to honor and celebrate their effort. When it comes to celebrating it doesn’t matter how major or minor the accomplishment is. Remember, small wins lead to greater victories.