Friday, April 20, 2018

Reciprocal


When you live happy, you are happy.  ~Layann

Reciprocal

The Sparkly Unicorn Award is given when
you notice someone being amazing. You
get as much joy giving it as receiving it. The sculpture will live
on the recipient’s desk for the rest of the day, making them happy
every time they look at it. You made their day, so you
are
also happy.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018



Late last fall, we spent a morning messing around with plaster of paris. We made discs and ornaments and pendants and other assorted creations, which we decorated with glitter, ribbon, sequins, shells, etc. One of the creations was given to me -- a disc with edges dripping glitter and a Unicorn Horn Shell jutting up out of its center. Weeks later, on a day when someone did something totally awesome that needed a spotlight, I dubbed the disc+shell The Sparkly Unicorn Award, and I bestowed the award upon the awesome child. I allowed them to keep the award on their desk for the rest of the day (getting glitter all over someone else's work for once). Since then, students have begun bestowing the award upon each other, and one girl especially (the one who dances and draws through "Luminosity") has become our Lead Noticer of Other People's Awesomeness. She has given the award more times in the last few weeks than I have since last fall. It's one thing to BE awesome, but it's another kind of awesome to shine a light on others.

This class. I think I'm already starting to miss them.



4 comments:

  1. Wow Mary Lee. Your class has become a loving community. It's students like this girl here who make all the difference where ever they go, and are never forgotten.

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  2. HAHAHAAH - Glitter, the gift that keeps on giving. FOREVER.

    Eeyore always said, "Thanks for noticing me," with that lugubrious mixture of muted delight and horror that he'd maybe DONE something noticeable... it's a gift to teach others to see.

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  3. This. Is. Beautiful. I'm curious about the range of awesomeness. I'm also thinking of sharing the responsibility of bestowing the rare "blue card because blue is best," which is part of our redgreenyellow pbis thing that I kind of hate. A unicorn horn statue is so much better, and I'm loving this class too. These poems show your deep knowledge of your students, ML.

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  4. Amazing. I bet you're going to miss this class! You should get the Sparkly Unicorn Award for being an incredible teacher.

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