Students in Carrie Marten’s first-grade classroom start the day with a morning meeting to get everyone off on the right foot. The 20-minute session starts with a message from Martin about the upcoming day and includes time for students to greet one another in a friendly and positive manner. They participate in a team-building and academic review “game” and end with a class chant affirming positive attributes, such as “I believe in myself”, “I’m a hard worker”, and “I never give up”.
“This positive self-talk builds classroom community, increases motivation, and improves attitude,” said Martens about the benefits of this exercise. The students use hand motions to connect the words they say. “They really enjoy saying these daily affirmations,” Martens concluded.