How my students changed after a year of classroom management focused on encouragement

Today was not a scheduled day for a post, but
something very happy happened, so I decided to post on the spur of the moment.

Today, the first classes of the new school year began.

It is a class I have continued with from last year.
At the opening ceremony the day before yesterday,
the moment I saw the faces of my beloved students,
I couldn't help but smile.

And when the day ended today,
there was an event that made me feel from the bottom of my heart,
“I am glad I did this for the past year.”

Three things that happened today

1. There were students who took action on their own without me saying anything

At our school, there are many classes taught by subject specialists.
In the morning, there were four students who went to ask about the specialist classes.

It is a new school year, and we haven't even decided on class roles yet.
No one told them to do it,
they thought for themselves and acted on their own.

It is only the third day of the new school year.

2. Not a single student was late for class

The class was in the science lab after lunch break.
Even though the playground was further away from the classroom,
everyone gathered on time.

According to the teacher in charge, it was the first science lab class,
and it was the first time everyone gathered without being late.
(That in itself makes you wonder what it was like until now, haha)

3. Even though they felt frustrated, they were able to applaud from the heart

This happened during the time we were deciding on class representatives.
After the results of the class vote were out,
the students who were not chosen
were applauding the students who were chosen from the heart.

They must have felt frustrated.
Even so, they were able to share in their friends' joy.

When I saw this scene, I couldn't help but feel moved.

There is something common to these three events.
That is,not because “the teacher told me to,” but
that they are “thinking and acting for themselves.”

A year ago, this was the kind of class it was

Actually, these three events were unthinkable a year ago.

They wouldn't stop chatting at the entrance ceremony.
There were students who would go to get ready for class even after the chime finished ringing.
There were few students who would take initiative and act on their own.

The fact that the teachers of the same grade level looked at each other
at last year's entrance ceremony
is still a topic of conversation.

A class like that has changed this much in one year.
Why did they change?
There is something I kept in mind for one year.
That is, “encouragement.”

What is encouragement?

In my previous article, I wrote something like this.
You shouldn't scold. You shouldn't praise.

The answer to the question, 'Then what should I do?' is encouragement.

Why encouragement changed the class

As a result of focusing on encouragement for one year,
gradual changes began to emerge in the class.

More children started taking on challenges without fear of failure.
The phrase 'It's impossible anyway' decreased.
They became able to genuinely acknowledge their friends' efforts.

In an education based on praise,
the standard for behavior becomes 'whether or not I am recognized by the teacher.'
With encouragement,
the standard for behavior becomes 'what I want to do.'

The reason a child who wasn't chosen as a class representative today
was able to applaud from the heart
is because I believe they feel in their bones
that 'my value is not determined by the results.'

In conclusion

Encouragement is not something that produces immediate results.

Even I, after focusing on it for a year,
sometimes find myself saying 'Great job!' out of habit.

But by continuing to be conscious of it, the class definitely changes.

I believe the children's behavior today is proof of that.

'What kind of words should I specifically use for encouragement?'
I would like to write about that next time.

How is it different from scolding or praising?
What kind of words should be used in actual situations?

I am filled with happiness
to be able to spend another year
with the children I love so much.