Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Start On A Positive Note
Start On A Positive Note
Always begin each comment with a general statement letting the students know how happy you
are to be teaching them, or how much they are learning and progressing:
It has truly been a pleasure getting to know you as my student for this day.
You have made very good academic and/or social progress these past few days.
Next, include formative evidence that lets the students know how you view them as a person or
just simply as your student.
Personal Attributes
The student . . .
is an enthusiastic learner.
puts evident effort into his work as he completes assignments with quality in mind.
is respectful of teacher.
Work Habits
The student . . .
always completes tasks in a timely manner.
is a self-motivated worker.
follows directions.
uses higher level thinking strategies to apply learned skills to new situations.
is able to transition easily from one activity to the next. Communication The student . . .
builds on teachers ideas and expresses her own clearly and persuasively.
The student . . .
reads closely to determine what the text says explicitly and makes logical inferences from
it.
goes back to the text and cites evidence to support conclusions drawn from the text.
has a good sense of story structure. She's able to identify the setting, characters, problem,
and solution.
describes characters in a story and explains how they impact the story.
uses strategies such as making connections, asking questions about the text, and
inferencing to aid their comprehension.
Writing
The student . . .
has shown very good/great improvement in spelling and word work over the past several
weeks.
produces writing that has been a joy to read over the past few weeks. I especially liked
[examples of what the student wrote that you felt was well done].
shows a strong grasp of organization in her writing. She stays on topic and uses relevant
details.
Set a Goal
While the students may be learning and growing, there is always room for improvement. Provide
at least one specific goal that you will be working on with the student the following class. Use all
of the comments above to help you set your goals. Simply add beginnings such as:
Closings
Always close on a positive note, giving a boost to your students' confidence. Let them know how
proud you are as their teacher/tutor of what they have been doing, and how you look forward to
what is to come:
I am so proud of all you have accomplished. Keep up the wonderful things you are doing!
I can hardly wait to see how you impress me during the next class!
You have had a terrific class, and I am confident the next one will be even better!
The purpose behind filling comments out after each class for the students is simple, especially
when that space is used to create a positive summary of a student's achievements and their needs.
Rather than focus on negative characteristics or issues that a student is dealing with, an instructor
can focus on points of improvement, putting a positive spin on a student's needs to help foster
growth in those areas. Obviously there are specific phrases and words that are more powerful
than others for this purpose, and using the aforementioned descriptors and simple verbs will
greatly simplify the process in order to create better results.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great
teacher inspires. William Arthur Ward.