Teachers show students love at Salida del Sol
After teacher appreciation week early in May, staff at Salida del Sol Elementary School flipped the script and gave students a little bit of love.
Last week, the school put on their first annual student appreciation week, and roadrunners got to take part in a host of fun and spirit-building activities.
“I actually had a teacher come up to me yesterday and she said, ‘you know what, we use the word appreciation a lot, and the kids know teacher appreciation and the parents send a gift with their child,’” said Kei Foppe, Salida del Sol’s professional development coach. “But she said, ‘I don’t know if they’ve actually ever understood what it meant until it became us appreciating them.’”
At first, Foppe said, kids didn’t know what to make of all the fanfare, but as the week went on, they really started to get into it.
“So what’s neat is, and this is what I’ve noticed in the difference from Monday to (Wednesday) morning, they’re getting off (the bus) and they’re all ‘yay!’” she said. “And then one walked by me and said, ‘student appreciation!’”
Included in the celebration last week were chances for students to eat outside, an opportunity for kids to wear what they want to school on Friday and a contest that teachers participated in where they decorated the doors of their classrooms with encouraging messages and fun designs.
Doors around the school were decked out in all kinds of decorations, like the door to Natalie Gleaves’ third grade class, which sported a giant gumball machine that read “I’d chews you any day” and “This year has been a ball.”
Principal Sheila Mendoza said that the door decorating doesn’t only help encourage students and keep their spirits up, it can also provide a way for teachers to get in touch with their students and their profession.
“(As) we wrap up the end of the year, we have so many deadlines and there are so many things that are stressing us out to complete all these end of the year tasks, and it allowed teachers to really sit and reflect on their students as they created their doors,” said Mendoza. “And I feel like that just reminded them of their purpose ... to help finish the year strong as they were reflecting on why they’re in education, because they care about kids and they want to make a difference.”