Exemplar #1: Sarah Vollmers, 2nd Grade Teacher, MacDowell Prep

Technique: Affirmations

Description: A recurring routine in which scholars "bring kindness back" by writing specific compliments to one another.

Watch Sarah's interview before observing her Affirmations routine. Keep these questions in mind to focus your analysis of her technique:

1. What benefits does building the habit of focusing on the positive have for a classroom culture?

2. Why is the framing that Sarah does on the carpet an important component of the routine, especially when first starting out?

3. How should Sarah expect the compliments her scholars write will change over time? How could she contribute to this change?

4. How does Sarah use the background song to improve the affirmations routine?

5. What was Sarah's rationale for adopting an affirmation routine? How might an affirmation routine improve your classroom culture? 

Your Turn:

1. Script It. Write down how you would introduce an affirmations routine to your classroom. Include scholar actions and teacher actions. Focus on how you would explain both the purpose of the routine, and the specific details of how scholars can participate in it successfully. 

2. Plan for It. Consider the biggest obstacle to getting this routine off the ground. What is it? How can you plan to overcome this obstacle? What will it look like when you've successfully rolled it out?

3. Practice It. Test out the routine a few times, scaffolding the components to ensure a successful roll-out. Ask your instructional coach or another teacher for feedback.

4. Film It. Record a video of your new routine. 

5. Submit it. Send video to PSMindsetPilot@gmail.com for review and a belonging badge