Allison Pruitt

Washington Elementary

Affection
I’m a firm believer that children can’t thrive in an environment where they feel unwanted, unloved, or unimportant.  I try my best to treat my students with love, respect, care, and fairness.  I want them to know that I WANT to be here to help them learn and that I care about their futures.  Often, I find it’s the little things that mean the most to them…like a smile or words of encouragement and confidence in them.  In addition, I find that fostering positive relationships with their parents lets kids know that parents and I work as a team for their success!  Finally, I think kids need to know that you are thinking of them on the weekend or after school—that you see things that remind you of them or illustrate something you have been teaching. 
Acknowledgement
I have awards for everything:  We have team points, a ticket system, certificates, and sticker charts for everything from homework completion to accelerated reader.  But the thing kids seem to appreciate the most are the wee notes I send home about their performance – academic and behavior.  For several they are daily, but for others they are occasional notes that glorify the great work they are doing. I think parents who are going the extra mile deserve that acknowledgement as well!
Achievement
I am all for fostering a classroom culture of healthy academic competition. I have moved the focus from the top performing to those who make any type of personal growth and/or maintain excellence. They know those who make gains have admission to my celebration parties.  I walk around while they’re taking tests and whisper to them things like ‘you’re a superstar’, ‘you smarty pants’, and ‘I have a feeling you’ll be making it to my party’.  Students are given tickets for effort in class, participating, remembering what I just taught, and listening – these they can use for entrance to the celebration parties or in raffles for the academic posters we have posted in class.