This new year, let’s head into the social atmosphere with positivity to show our communities how to use social media to build up instead of tear down. Suppose we find ways to celebrate our students, our teachers, and our administrators. In that case, we can cultivate a community of positivity, where we’re always looking for the well done instead of dreading damage control.
Shine a light on the kindness in your community by finding ways to feature your students, calling them out for the good they’re doing. Award-winners and athletes are no-brainers, so brainstorm creative ways to celebrate everyday triumphs. (Just be sure to get photo/video consent before posting anyone’s photo or name on social media!)
GOLDEN LINES
Feature beautiful prose or poetry by student authors, sharing a line of their writing sent to your social media coordinator by teachers. Or, go old school and write them on sentence strips, displaying them in the hallways, lunchroom, and classroom walls.
Catching Kindness
If you catch someone being kind or doing good, celebrate that. Teachers and administrators alike can point out the positive, and celebrate a story of positivity on social media or over the announcements for both students and teachers. Encourage students to report kindness sightings as well! Even including it in a daily email will keep all employees smiling and looking forward to the next good thing.
Positive Projects
The end of a unit often ends in a project, so why not take a photo or have a student write a post to share what they’ve been doing in class. Everyone loves to see kids learning in schools, and that combats the negativity that often pervades in the media. When all the community hears is bad news or test scores, their views become tainted and they can’t see the daily good happening in each and every classroom.
Dance Breaks
There’s always that one teacher, administrator, assistant, or employee in your school system that doesn’t mind belting out a tune or busting a move. Find them, and ask them to sing or dance with students. And share the love in this TikTok world.
BookTok
If your school librarian or teachers aren’t capitalizing on the BookTok craze, it’s time you invested in it. TikTok has a slew of safety features to protect its younger users (13 and up are allowed and can pair their account with a parent’s). Sharing knowledge on the Tok can show that you value thought and creativity. And we’re always wondering what to read next! Let’s help each other.
Ideas abound when we think of ways to promote our school community’s kindness, creativity, and honesty on their largest platform, boosting self-esteem and giving us all a cortisol boost.