Willy Wonka's Factory Transformation

First and foremost... what I want you to take away from this are some ideas to get your kids excited about learning however YOU want to make that happen with what you have! You don't need all the things I'm going to write about! Just making a small change in your classroom can make all the difference for your kids!

The day before the final day of the quarter I planned a fun day of review for my teammates! We just finished reading 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' by Roald Dahl and I knew I just had to do a Wonka's Factory transformation! 

DECOR

 My school provides us with free butcher paper! (Trust me, I do not take this for granted as I know not all schools offer this!) This paper was 99% of my decor! I used different colors to create stripes by just stapling them to the wall, and used a different color for the 'table cloths' for each table team. I created the giant Wonka bar out of paper too by tracing the logo from my projector, cutting it out and gluing it to the brown sheet. Simple! I had a left over helium tank and added some balloons... but it looks just as great without them!

MATERIALS

Since I was Willy Wonka, I wanted my team to be my Oompa Loompa workers! I borrowed the white glasses from our student council just for fun! I got free to-go boxes from Pei-Wei (they were working to earn candy throughout the day, and kept it all in that box to enjoy during the movie the next day). Finally, I asked parents to donate bags of individually wrapped candy and toothpicks. 

GO ALL OUT... (for FREE!)

I think what made this particular transformation even more magical than any I've done before is that I  truly committed to playing the character of Willy Wonka. I'm talkin'... adapting his quirky mannerisms, using an accent the ENTIRE day, and even asking my students what their names were as if I had never met them before! Miss Salcido was not teaching that day. Willy Wonka was. 

I even told my students the day before that there was going to be a substitute. I love my class so much... they played right along and really enjoyed it! The final cherry on top of it all was the music I had playing when they walked in as well as during different activities throughout the day. Here's the playlist I used: 

ACTIVITIES

*Throughout the entire day I awarded my teammates pieces of candy to add to their box for various things (winning the competition, showing positive character traits, cleaning up the quickest...etc.)

TEAM BUILDING

 - I had my Oompa-Loompas in groups of four. They each had to come up with a creative candy-related team name and earn points for great behavior all day. They each had to decide on who their 'Candy Captain' was. The Candy Captain was in charge of keeping the team on task!

- In their candy squads, they had 20 minutes to build a tower using only toothpicks and gumdrops. They also had to complete this IN SILENCE for an added challenge! Points were give to the tallest, and the most creative looking structure!

- Our final team building activity for the day was to create a commercial! Here were the requirements: 

MATH

WARM UP: I had 7 envelopes taped to the wall for each team. Each envelope had 2 state testing review questions for each Oompa-Loompa to work on. I am a firm believer in "no-turns, no-outs"...each teammate had the same two questions to answer on their own. All students had to answer the question with work shown and get checked by me before grabbing the next envelope. IMPORTANT: I have trained my students and modeled explicit expectations when helping a teammate. They know not to flat-out tell them the answer just to 'hurry them up'. The first 3 teams earned 3, 2, and 1 point and candy. 

REVIEW LESSON: I had 3 math centers planned for that day. 1: Zearn.org 2: Candy-related word problems on task cards 3: Teacher group. In teacher group, we use red vines to model different angles, line segments...etc. After modeling, they had to write down the specific properties of that angle/line. I also reviewed multiplying and adding fractions with M&Ms. (Each student received a mini-bag of M&Ms)

READING:

I used a non-fiction text about lollipops from teacherspayteachers.com. We first read the article together, then my students annotated and we discussed our annotations. After, we identified the text structure and provided evidence for it. Finally, my teammates answered the comprehension questions that came with the passage. I cut up the questions and placed them in envelopes, just like I did with math!

WRITING: 

My kids had a BLAST using the names of different candy bars in their creative writing piece! After they finished, we identified different parts of speech within their stories by underlining verbs, circling adjectives, boxing nouns...etc. Below are the candy bar names I displayed for them to incorporate into their writing.

There you have it! A fun-filled day of learning and team building. To see more of my ideas, follow along my teaching journey on Instagram: @Teachwithsparkle

Building Relationships

Teaching is all about relationships. As educators, our role in our student's academic life is equally important as their life outside of that! We discuss all the time about the importance of a positive teacher-student relationship, but what are some specific ACTIONS we can take to build that relationship? I have a list to give you some ideas!

The last day of school with my 5th graders!

BEFORE we jump into that list, I do have to speak on the WHY aspect of building relationships.

 Rita Pierson said it best, "Kids don't learn from people they don't like."
If we want our students to meet our high level of expectation that we set for them, there MUST be mutual respect and trust with the teacher and the student. Effort on your end as an educator must be there if you are wanting effort back from your students. In addition to that, you should genuinely want to build that relationship with each and every student on your team not just for the effort they will give you academic-wise, but because you want to be a person in their life they can depend on. If you want to be a person who they know truly cares and loves them beyond just the year you spend with them, a relationship must be established.

At In & Out Burger with our most recent class MVPs!

So what specific actions can we take to make a profound impact on the relationship we have with our students? Check out the list below and see how I make that happen.

KNOW THE INTERESTS OF EACH CHILD

On the very first day of school I have a list with each student's name and during some independent time I make it a point to talk to each student for 3 minutes about what they like. I ask them to tell me all their favorite things (games, food, song, movie, toys etc). This is SO simple to do and EXTREMELY beneficial. If you know what your students are into, this can bring up great conversations. It can also lead to thoughtful book recommendations that will spark their interest! Randy was obsessed with sharks, and he was so happy when I ordered shark books from the book fair. This moment would not have happened if I did not take the time to get to know his interests. Also, I LOVE using their interests to spark creative ideas for lessons! If I know a student is struggling with a certain math concept, I will relate the lesson to something of his interest or do a room transformation based on that ...it's like magic how quickly they will learn the concept in that way! 

Interests change so be sure to keep updated with their favorite things.

EAT LUNCH WITH YOUR STUDENTS

Now, I know you're probably thinking 'I have no time for this, there's so much to do!'...I'd be lying if I didn't think those things at some point too but hear me out on this! The grading, the data collecting, the emails, phone calls... they can wait. No, really! They can. The 30 minutes you spend with your kids is what matters. I choose 2 days a week that I spend time eating with my students and talking to them about WHATEVER they want to talk about. They love it just as much as I do. That time spent is quality time with your students that you cannot always get during instruction time. Take advantage of that. 

Cheering on Caleb from the bleachers!

FIND WAYS TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM
This is HUGE. Seeing your teacher outside of school? Wanting to spend time with YOU at a place OTHER than the classroom? Yeah, that's a big deal in the best way possible. The simplest way to make this happen is to send out an email stating that if their child participates in any sports or activities, you would love if they sent a schedule so you can choose which one to attend ahead of time! Seeing my students' face as they see me cheering them on at an event is priceless. This has also helped me build a fantastic relationship with their families as well! In addition to sports events, I have also attended birthday parties and been invited to dinner by many of the families. (I never initiated these invites, but I feel I was invited because their families knew their student wanted to spend time with me, and they knew I would be happy to go!) In addition to that, every 5 weeks, the 5 students who earned class MVP will eat dinner with me at In&Out burger. They LOVE this, and I love that this special privilege is earned! I also throw a party at my house for my entire class right before state testing. It's a great bonding time, and I am very thankful for parents who donate food and volunteer in helping to plan it.

At a student's 10th birthday party!

Kids are smart. They know when a teacher is putting in effort, and they recognize it even if they are not vocal about it. Implementing the list above has not only made me truly enjoy my career even more than I already do, but it has made a huge impact on the way my kids see me. They without a single doubt know that I genuinely care about them. Life is what you make it to be... find the time to make it meaningful with the people you care about most!
💙

STEM Day Extravaganza

I wanted the last day of the quarter to be educational, meaningful, and structured (well, as structured as you can get with 25 nine year-olds who know two weeks of freedom was right around the corner). Anyways, the idea of an ENTIRE day of STEM came to mind and I knew it would be the perfect way to end the quarter the way I wanted to! PLUS the amount of team building that happened this day was insanely awesome...my class grew closer because of it. Here's an exact how-to to creating this magic in your own classroom!

SETUP 

Let's start with decorations! Now, my kids would have been JUST as excited for this day without the extra decorations... so don't think that you need these, this is just what I felt like doing.

What I used:
Plastic Lego Table Cloths (Dollar Tree)
Lego Pennant Banners (Dollar Tree)
Lego Box 4 for $1 (Dollar Tree)
Cardboard STEM Letters (cut out from foam poster board and painted)
Lego Supply Holders (Amazon)
Lego Glasses (Amazon)

BEFORE GETTING STARTED...

Before starting the actual STEM challenges, we all know as teachers how important it is to set the expectations up first. I created a power point that goes over what each letter of STEM is, discussed why it's important in our world, and brainstormed words that related to each letter in STEM. (the foldable I used can be found for FREE on my TPT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-Reflection-Questions-4120281 ) I also discuss the behavior expectations and what I want to hear and see from them as they are completing the challenges. This was VERY helpful in setting the day up for success. To help manage behavior throughout the day, I also gave students who exceeded the expectations a lego piece to add to their lego glasses. (They all started with zero pieces, and I never took away any, only gave pieces for positive behavior). Finally, no lesson of mine would be complete without a SONG to help remind us of the STEM definition. :) Here's a video of the song:

LYRICS:

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math! 

Helping our brains problem solve and that's a fact!

MY BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS:

All teammates must:

- Use kind words 

- Be patient

- Respect others' ideas and be willing to try them

- Participate

- Do not give up or get frustrated 

* I had some students model a few of these and we discussed whole group WHY these are important. 

TIPS/ACTIVITIES

My engineers definitely put their team building skills to the test today! I added some extra excitement by putting the 4 challenges into these little lego boxes I found from Dollar Tree and displaying them on the board (envelopes would also work just as well). I had our MVP of the week read the next challenge out loud to the team.  SUCH A SIMPLE THING turned the engagement/excitement level WAY up! My class would drum roll, cheer, and smile in anticipation of what the next challenge would be. It was amazing.

We completed 3 group STEM activities in the morning and spent our afternoon with a few great read alouds: Have Fun Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell and Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty.

Here are the STEM challenges we did and the materials needed for them:

#1
What I put in the Lego box:

TOWER OF POWER CHALLENGE #1

Hello Engineers and welcome to your first official challenge of the day! It’s time to put your building skills to the test! You and your partner will have just 30 minutes to create the tallest tower possible using ONLY pipe cleaners. Good luck… you’ll need it!

Materials: pipe cleaners (about 50 for each pair of students)
Directions: Give students 30 minutes to create the tallest tower possible using ONLY pipe cleaners.

#2
What I put in the Lego box:

LEANING TOWER OF….SPAGHETTI? CHALLENGE #2

Good work on challenge number one engineers… but that was just a warm up. Your teamwork will really be put to the test with this one! You and 2 other mathematicians  must make the tallest tower possible... using only spaghetti sticks and one foot of tape. Oh yeah, your structure must also have 5 mini marshmallows somewhere on their structure. Challenge accepted?

Materials: 2 boxes of spaghetti, 1 bag of mini-marshmallows, masking tape
Directions: (I suggest groups of three) students must build the tallest tower possible using only the materials listed. I give them 30 minutes, and at the end I use a meter stick to measure each tower.

#3
What I put in the Lego box:

CANDY BRIDGE… SAY WHATTTT?! CHALLENGE #3

Welcome to challenge number 3 builders. I hope you’re hungry for a challenge. Where would the world be without bridges?! You and a few other teammates will have to construct a one foot bridge using only toothpicks and gumdrops. Oh yeah, did I mention this must be done in complete SILENCE? *evil laugh* Don’t speak unless you wanna spend a full minute in “jail”. Good luck and SHHHHHHHH!

Materials: 1 bag of gum drops for each group (I did groups of 3), and 1 giant box of toothpicks, small stuffed animal
Directions: Groups will have 25 minutes to build a bridge that is one foot in length. (I separate two desks one foot apart). The bridge must be made using only the materials listed, and their bridge must be able to hold a small stuffed animal. Students may not talk! This is a silent challenge, however, I do let them use their whiteboards to communicate if they choose to do so. If a student talks, they get a 60 second "jail time" (lol). In "jail" they have to sit in a separate chair and watch.


In the afternoon I also introduced STEM bins created by @TeachOutsideTheBox... my kids LOVED these SO much! Taking the time to explicitly teach the expectations of the bins ensured that they would be taken care of and would not be misused! I purchased the labels and challenges from her TPT and created my own actual bins. The bins can also be purchased already made. Check out her website for more information on STEM Bins: http://teachoutsidethebox.com/

 At the end of the day I made time for my students to answer a few reflection questions in their foldable and we shared our answers in a group discussion. (*the foldable is a free download on my TPT! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-Reflection-Questions-4120281 ) I feel that whole group class discussions are so powerful! I know this is a day my students will never forget and I am already looking forward to doing it again towards the end of the year with new challenges. 😄
- Julie

NFL Classroom Transformation

State testing is a stressful time for students and teachers. I wanted to decrease that stress by doing  a room transformation that would would effectively review math and reading concepts that would be fun and exciting! I am a firm believer that what students learn with joy, they REMEMBER. Doing something like this just days before our state testing, I was filled with self-doubt that I was making a bad decision... but I pushed away that self-doubt and took a risk.... and when the test scores came out in May, the decision I made was right! I could not have been happier, and I look forward to doing this every year. Here's how you can make this state-test prep room transformation happen in your classroom!

SETTING UP

- I used plastic table cloths as backgrounds purchased from Party City and Amazon. You could also just use green butcher paper and paint football plays on them!

- I color printed and laminated team logos and attached magnets to display on the scoreboard.

- Table cloths make any room transformation better in my opinion because it gives the illusion that the desks are 'gone' and it doesn't feel like a classroom!

- I placed cones everywhere- you can get 5 of them for $1 at the Dollar Store!!

- I went to grocery stores and asked for their decorations after the super bowl, and they were happy to give them to me!

ACTIVITIES/IDEAS

- Stay in character! I acted as the official ref for the week and wore my ref outfit every single day.

- I emailed my students' parents a letter to print and give to their students. It was an NFL Draft letter letting them know that on Monday they will be officially drafted onto an NFL team. I LOVE sparking the curiosity of my students! 

- I put my students into groups of 6 and had 4 teams total, each named a different NFL team. I explained to them that each day they would be competing for the spirit seat! This was a HUGE success... if you can get kids excited about a toilet seat... you can do anything! I purchased a new toilet seat at Walmart and decorated it. Simple. 

- I  gave them the challenge of creating an end zone dance with their team. I showed them an end zone compilation video on YouTube and gave them 15 minutes. This was not academic related, however, it was a great way for them to work together and communicate effectively as a team... it was also really fun! 

- I gave each team a quote that I wanted us all to remember and follow throughout the week. Each team discussed their interpretation of the quote and presented it to the whole class. I hung these posters up as a reminder of the expectations! 

- I setup a division relay, where students competed as a team to run and grab division problems and solve the problems together. *Make sure EACH teammate has the correct answer and the work to show for it. My rule for all games is 'no outs and no turns'. All students should be working.

- At the end of each day, the team with the most points would win the Spirit Seat. We would have a mini celebration and I would take the team's picture and display it on the scoreboard. The team who won the seat the most times by the end of the week, would get to eat lunch inside the classroom that following Monday. 

- I used many TPT review games and task cards. Choose ones that fit your grade level.

- Our favorite game was the Vaseline game! Each team got a bowl of Vaseline to put on their nose. They then raced to the table to grab a task card that was their teams color- no hands allowed! They came back to their team with the card, and all teammates needed to get the correct answer, and check with me before moving on to get another card. *TIP: I bought 5 jars of Vaseline... I only used 1, so don't over buy like I did. 

REMINDERS:

- Explicitly discuss the behavior expectations 

- All year build a classroom community that emphasizes the celebration of each other. Teaching students that by uplifting others they uplift themselves, you are setting yourself up for a positive and fun room transformation. You will also avoid sore losers and teammates with bad attitudes. 

- Carefully take down all your decorations and keep them in one bin once your done! You'll be so happy next year when your don't have to buy anything.

- At the end of the week, reflect on this transformation. What would you keep the same? What would you change or add? Write these things down and put them in the bin your decorations are in so you are better prepared for next year.

- It's okay to start small and build on your materials each year. Even just making a few changes or implementing a few review games will make all the difference!

I know your class will love this just as much as my champions did! Good luck, and thanks for being great for kids! 

- Julie

My Ron Clark Academy Experience

The Ron Clark Academy gate entrance!

Let me first start off by saying that I have watched every single YouTube video related to Ron Clark and RCA...twice. I've read every single book published by Ron Clark and Kim Bearden, have seen the Ron Clark movie 4 times, and spent an embarrassing amount of hours reading blogs of teachers I envied who got the chance to attend the Ron Clark Academy educator training. I was without a doubt obsessed- and for those familiar with RCA, you know I had good reason to be.

Last April I was lucky enough to attend the Ron Clark Academy Educator training (internally I'm still screaming because my dreams came true!) You know that old saying  'people will forget what you did but they will never forget how you made them  FEEL'? Yeah, it's true. I honestly remember my time at RCA so vividly because it left such a profound impact on me. Although it will be difficult to put into words how incredible my experience was, I'll do best to explain the highlights!

Slide Certification: Check!

Walking through the gates and into the academy was an experience in itself! So much energy! Students smiled as they danced to the upbeat music playing loudly throughout the amazing and vibrant colored building. We were all led into the gymnasium where we had the opportunity to speak with many RCA students. I was instantly blown away with their speaking and conversation skills. They spoke loudly, clearly, used their hands, asked me questions in return and had a genuine interest in what I had to say. I guess I was so in awe with their social skills because I had never seen these characteristics in any student before... the girls and boys I spoke to that morning were 5th graders- nine and ten year olds! The mannerisms of every RCA student alone is enough to have made the trip worthwhile- I couldn't wait to get back and start teaching MY students these important skills.

Throughout the two days, I visited many classrooms and was able to hear from and watch the teaching skills in action of all the phenomenal educators at the academy. Now, having Instagram stalked all my faves like Hope King, co-founder Kim Bearden, and Wade King for so long before, you could say I was DYING of excitement when I got to meet them and physically BE in their indescribable classrooms! I could write about 1,000 pages worth of information I gained from each and every educator, but like I said earlier I'll keep this to the point and just share the highlights.

HOPE KING: I have to share that when I went up to introduce myself to her I held out my hand to shake hers, and in return she spread her arms out and gave me a hug instead. I was a complete stranger to her and she made me feel so warm and welcomed. I couldn't help but think, 'wow, that's how I want to make people feel!'.

Of course I had to take a pic with one of my faves :)

While I was in her Alice and Wonderland themed classroom, she shared her amazing attention getters, games, and inspired our group to stay consistent with expectations- no matter how tired we are!


WADE KING: He's honestly the coolest guy ever. Watching him interact with students was a real treat. He shared his story of how he got into education, taught us the importance of putting time and effort in to making a classroom environment spectacular, and even played his guitar!

Wade King's music themed classroom!

DANIEL THOMPSON: The science teacher with a classroom just as amazing as his personality! He stressed the importance of having students always track the speaker and as a teacher to move with purpose and ALWAYS face the kids.

Daniel Thompson demonstrating excellence in the classroom

KIM BEARDEN: Co-founder of RCA, and the true definition of what it is to be a leader. In my opinion, leaders inspire action ... and that's exactly what Kim instilled in me. I walked out of her room feeling capable of making a positive change in the lives of my students, even when I have unfortunate events happen in my personal life. In addition to that, she shared personal stories, and reminded us that a little magic can make all the difference in a classroom.

Kim is SO sweet and personable, she was even kind enough to sign and write a
personal message in her incredibly inspiring book, Crash Course, for me.

RON CLARK: Watching him teach is what I honestly looked forward to the most. The ENERGY this guy has is astounding. He has a way of interacting with kids in a way that you must see for yourself in person- my words would do no justice. Even just sitting and observing I personally felt energized and inclined to participate with the kids! (I mean, I didn't, of course, but I wanted to, ha!) Hearing him speak so passionately about his purpose and his life at RCA made me feel very emotional. When meeting him personally I couldn't help but tear up as I thanked him for everything he had taught me.

Ron Clark in action!

Some other take-aways from the Ron Clark Academy experience:

1. It's not what you teach, it's HOW you teach; what you put into selling is what they will buy
2. Less memorization, more APPLICATION
3. Consistency with expectations: every second of every day
4. Formula for classroom success: discipline, respect, structure BALANCED with creativity, passion    and enthusiasm
5. Mix a student's weakness with an interest
6. Your vibe is your tribe
7. Eat lunch with your kids every single day
8. A classroom should have movement, music, and magic :)

Four years of college courses combined could not even come close to teaching me as much as my two short days at RCA have. Seriously.
It was bittersweet leaving the Ron Clark Academy. Part of me wanted to hurry and get back to my own classroom because my head was exploding with ideas I could not wait to implement. The other part of me was so sad to leave an environment so profound and life-changing. The Ron Clark Academy is the definition of academic and social excellence in a school. As I walked out the gates of RCA one last time I vowed to myself that every day I step into my classroom, I will put in the same excellence and energy as I have witnessed at RCA.
My experience has changed me as a professional and as a human being in the most positive way possible, and I could not be more grateful.

My heart is full. 💙

My ultimate role model, the man himself: Ron Clark!

MVP Celebration

Let me first start off by saying that every teacher should implement a reward system that works best for them and their students. I do not believe that there is a right or wrong way, or that one way is better than another. I am simply here to tell you about what I use in my classroom and what has worked for me and my students. I have one reward that is awarded to one deserving student each week: The MVP.

What is the MVP?

I have a sports themed classroom and refer to all my students as champions and teammates. I decided to call it 'MVP' because that is the honor given to the teammates who work the hardest on a sports team. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the MVP is the most coveted honor in my classroom. It is the only reward I implement in my classroom and it has been extremely effective in increasing positive behavior, homework completion and self-motivation.
At the beginning of the year I hyped up this award BIG TIME! What you put into selling is what students will buy (now that's something that applies to all things in teaching haha!).  I explained to my students that the MVP is so great of an accomplishment, that to receive it will require every ounce of their best effort. I let them know that getting MVP is not easy, but so worth it. I encourage my students to be self-motivated. I want them working to be the best person they can be at all times. In the words of master educator Ron Clark, "Not every child deserves a cookie!" and well, not every child deserves MVP, that's just the facts! I want my students to truly work for MVP, because just like in real life, hard work and effort will get them far. 

How do you choose the MVP?

I choose ONE student each week to be MVP. I only choose students who really deserve it, so I might go the whole year without ever choosing a certain student to be MVP because they did not deserve it (this has never happened though, I can proudly say that all my students have risen to the occasion!). I choose the student who has followed 'Our Game Plan' expectations with great effort. These things are based off of Ron Clark's Essential 55 List. These requirements apply to the whole student- not just the academic side! Always say please and thank you, be positive and enjoy life, make eye contact when someone is speaking and always be honest are just a few listed on the Game Plan.  Students also must be in attendance every day that week and not miss a single homework assignment. Failure to be at school or miss an assignment, and they are automatically out of the running for MVP (but just for that week, not the whole year). 

What does the MVP receive?

Receiving the title of MVP is enough of reward in itself! But to make the reward even sweeter, the MVP gets to sit at a special desk. This desk has a whiteboard top, special markers, cool pens and tons of stickers. In addition to that, I include a few mints and a snack and juice ticket that they can redeem from me any time they like. Their picture is also displayed outside of our classroom door for the world to see. :)

 
What exactly is the MVP celebration?

My absolute favorite part of the MVP reward is the celebration we have on Friday! At the very end of  the day Friday, the current MVP and I come up with a list of the top 7 champions who were very close to earning the title. My students love being able to help me choose, and they know how big of a responsibility it is. After we've made the list, I then have the final say of who won. The celebration is a big deal, I turn on our disco lights, play some upbeat jams and have my students line up in a line across from each other leaving space for the current MVP to walk down the aisle with the trophy. As he/she walks down the aisle, the rest of the team jumps up and repeatedly chants "who's gonna be the MVP?! who's gonna be the MVP?!". Next, the current MVP and I announce the top 7 and after that, I describe the specific qualities of the student that earned them the title (without revealing their name). Finally, the current MVP announces the name of the next MVP. When he/she hears their name, my students swarm around them with hugs and high fives! It makes my teacher heart so happy to see my students celebrate each other- that's the REAL purpose behind MVP! 

MVP has changed my classroom in so many positive ways! It's our jobs as educators to build students' confidence and character. My students have learned that they will not get a reward 'just because' and most importantly they have learned to be genuinely happy and excited for the teammate who does win MVP.

- Julie 🌟