Today Is My Birthday

Yeah, it really is. I’m 57 now. For eight days, until his birthday, I’m older than Sweet Husband, so there are plenty of “cougar” jokes this week. It’s also Monday, which is FBLA day at my wonderful school. While I certainly don’t advertise my birthday to students and do not intend to be celebrating with students, you know how close you can become to your “core” group of kids, and they intend to make sure everybody on earth knows that I am now 57. As sensitive, loving students, they have cut my age down to 30, but, let’s be honest…I look every day of 57. 

Being with them, though—their energy, their positivity, their excitement for the future—keeps you and I young. 

Importance Of Celebrating Individual Students

The incredible school I am teaching in now has an enviable demographic. The majority of our students come from stable households with multiple adults and a decent financial position. This hasn’t always been the case in my schools, and I spent many years in a different demographic. One of poverty, food insecurity and fear of deportation. No matter the socioeconomic situation, the basic needs of our students doesn’t change. 

They want to be seen. Acknowledged. Appreciated.

Celebrating important days in their life is a relatively simple way to help students feel wanted, appreciated and welcome in our classrooms. Honestly, kids wishing me a shy happy birthday absolutely made my day today, and I’m a grown woman in a loving and stable family! Imagine the good you can do by simply recognizing important days and events in the lives of your students. 

Being Culturally Sensitive

There are so many ways of celebrating students every day! Whether it is the “class clown” or the shy kid who won’t participate willingly in group work, we can isolate something wonderful for them on any given day and make them feel special. I could make you a list of different things to say to students on a regular basis, but you already know how to encourage and invite relationships with your kids. What we need to discuss, however, is cultural sensitivity. 

Knowledge of students is an important element in becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, and it helped me develop skills in reaching out to students in ways that will be well-received. For example, some cultures do not like to be singled out for their appearance, so for some students I do not comment on new clothes or hairstyles. For others, they do not celebrate certain holidays, so I am very conscious of making references to seasons as opposed to non-secular holidays. 

Things You CAN Do

Regardless of differences in students’ upbringing and personality, humans have an intense need to be “seen”, and along with that, to be acknowledged. The key for us as Advisers and teachers is to do this in ways that will benefit the individual student and not negatively impact anyone in the room. We have found different ways in FBLA for us to recognize and acknowledge students in ways that are diverse and benefit not only the one student, but cast a light on the positive nature of our relationships. Here are a few things we do:

Cards

Big shout-out to www.americangreetings.com! We have an account with them—very inexpensive—to send unlimited e-cards throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, we create a master form for kids to “opt-in” to our greeting card policy. We use that formed list throughout the year to celebrate different things. While we started out simply with birthdays, we have expanded to congratulations cards for competitions, ACT results, get well soon, and thinking of you cards, to name a few. I have an intern who has already done all of the birthday cards for the entire year—you can schedule delivery—and even did belated birthday cards for the ones we missed over the summer. 

We also do handwritten cards for FBLA members from the officer team. In talking to members, we learned that some of the seniors still have cards that were handwritten to them during their freshman year at our school. We were blown away by the impact of a personalized card, so have re-instituted this practice for this school year. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the value of a nice handwritten card. 

Singing

We had a kid turn 18 this past week. We sang to her in class. Then we sang to her in another class. Then we sent her on an “errand” to another class, and they sang to her. Did we mention we had her standing on top of a table at the time? Yeah…we make kind of a big deal about singing to kids in our program. 

Think about it for a minute. When was the last time someone sang to you? In many demographics, they don’t even get a cake, much less presents or singing. That is our student now. So, what does it really take for me to allow a 30-second song to be sung at the beginning of my class. Absolutely no sweat for me…but it just might be the first time in years for your student. 

Treats

At the beginning of the month in FBLA, we recognize all of the birthdays for that month with a mini-party, singing to everybody all at once, and giving the birthday kids a little special treat. It is important for students to feel welcomed and included, and it really doesn’t take very much for us to make that happen. 

The salient point in this section is this: Do something. It doesn’t need to be big or public, but one small gesture might be the only gesture they get this year. Be that person for your kids.

Resistant Students

Celebrating with students is always fun. I’ve never had a student tell me afterward that I ruined their birthday. Never once. I have had numerous students tell me I was the only one who remembers, our class was the only class to sing, this was the only gift they received this year, they’ve never gotten an e-birthday card, etc. I’ve had students tell me they were embarrassed by standing on the table and getting sung to…but they still had that smile on their face while they said it.

But if you have that overly shy kid, that extremely reticent child, the student who wants to fade into the walls all the time, RESPECT THAT. Approach them privately with a birthday wish and a candy bar. This is back to the Knowledge of Students paramount in NBCT—you need to read the room! Embarrassing is fine…mortifying is not. 

Celebrate The Adults, Too!

This is a focus for us in FBLA this calendar year. We garner tremendous support in our school from non-Business Management faculty and staff, and we need to let them know how much they are appreciated. Last week on the announcements, the Government teacher said Business Management is his favorite program, so we delivered him a Business Management polo to wear on dress up days. The StuCo advisor brought us extra smoothies for free, so we delivered a thank you note and Otter pops for them to use for their next meeting. 

And, of course, we are putting our e-cards to work letting people know how much we appreciate the time and effort they give us. 

Teachers feel (rightfully so) unappreciated and overlooked far too often. It is important that your organization reach out to the adults on campus who are supportive of your program and your individual students. 

When You Accidentally Miss It…

I have such a fear of this. The truth of the matter is, with the tremendous growth of our program and the plethora of things I’m responsible for, I live in fear of somebody slipping through the cracks. I don’t care about THINGS that slip through the cracks—I can always fix the stuff. But missing a kid’s special day? Acknowledging one kid and not another? Those are the things that keep me up at night, and keep me on our e-card account a few extra minutes to make sure I’ve gotten everybody covered.

But, it’s going to happen. You and I both know it. 

So…when it does…do the right thing.

Apologize to the kid directly to their face. And be more careful next time.

Oh…and send that belated card RIGHT NOW!!!

Have a very happy Patti Birthday Month (yeah…I take the entire month…)

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Wow, thank you for reading about celebrating with students!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out the “wh-” questions I have for advisors, here, and the many lessons from the 4th of July, here! Check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment what your favorite lesson of mine was! How’s your student organization operating? What are your freshman orientation tips?

Feel free to contact me or leave a COMMENT with anything you would like to hear more about! Or reach out with any unrelated questions, comments, concerns, or random outbursts of excitement by clicking here.