Wow tags are my most favorite classroom management tool because they fully reside in the category of positivity!
Last week, I explained to the boys and girls that start Wow Tags on Monday, and although they were once called, "Brag Tags", one shall not violate the first rule of the tags: there is to be NO bragging. The Brag Tag name is misleading, and I think "Wow Tags" are a better way to describe the reasons students receive them. On Monday, we role-played behaviors we do not engage in with respect to our tags:
- asking someone how many tags they have
- telling others about how many tags you have
- asking a classmate, "Do you have xyz tag? Because I do."
- failing to cheer for others when they earn a tag
- and other not-so-hot things that could be unbecoming
But what are these things all about Mrs. M?
Well, when I see something I like A LOT, students will earn a tag that is presented at our Evening Meeting each day at 2:50 (you're welcome to attend anytime, bring coffee! 😉) There will be some days where we don't have a tag ceremony just because it was one of those days where someone threw up, while a llama ran threw the school and the sprinklers malfunctioned ALL AT THE SAME TIME, but for the most part, from Monday 'til just after Valentines Day, we'll do tags every day.
By the time Valentine's Day rolls around, we'll have been at this for over 100 days and we'll do what all good teachers and parents do: we'll reel things in and raise expectations. Why? Because by that point, we know how grade three rolls and we'll need to move the bar up a little. And instead of earning 2-3 tags a week, a child might earn one every other week.
But that's a long time from now! Staring Monday, look out parents and families, because your talented kid is going to come home with great news day after day about all the incredible things they did in Room 208! It's all about the positive. Yes, there's a Wow tag for bringing indoor shoes and getting your agenda signed. Do you bite your nails? Cause if ya stop, I got a tag for that! You name it, I'll make a tag for it. It's literally about celebrating every little thing that's positive.
It's not that we aren't acknowledging where we need to grow and what needs improving, it's that we are telling kids, "You used to read for just five minutes by yourself and now it's ten, you just proved you have a growth mindset and you're willing to persevere."
Sadly parents, these tags don't come home until June, so you'll have to pop in for a visit to check them out! You'll want to plan on staying a while because Wow tags are ALWAYS a hit and students consistently earn quite the collection!
