Positive reinforcement is the act of recognizing and rewarding something good in the hopes that the behavior will continue and the desire to do good will spread to others. And there’s one 3rd grade teacher at Fairfax Elementary School in Valley, Alabama who has mastered the art.
Mrs. Caffie, as the kids call her, is going viral for her unique way of congratulating students on a job well done.
Her actions were lauded by one mother who took to Facebook after the sweet display in which the teacher brought a yard sign congratulating her son for acing his reading test.
“Ya’ll! This is amazing! My son’s 3rd grade teacher just surprised him with a yard sign, for making a 100 on his reading test Friday! Mrs. Caffie, you made Christopher’s day.”
Her original post – in which Willonda Caffie can be seen glowing with pride as she hands Christopher a sign that says “Mrs. Caffie is so proud of me” as well as the student beaming while holding his sign – now has over 19,000 reactions and over 9,000 shares in less than a month. And it’s been shared and liked on other pages as well, such as the site Love What Matters.
Now, the kudos are rolling in not just for reading champ Christopher, but for the teacher who took time out of her own day to make him feel special.
As the comments rolled in, other grateful parents at Fairfax Elementary School praised the teacher as well.
One even included a photo of her daughter receiving the same reward.
In an online fundraiser for her classroom, Caffie described her school as receiving funds for low-income students, noting “Several kids don’t get much outside exposure, making school the only place where they can experience great things.”
It’s clear that Caffie is doing all she can to make her classroom the perfect place to learn and grow.
The school even posted an adorable video of the kids getting up and active in Mrs. Caffie’s class during the first week of school this year. In it, she leads students in a rousing rendition of “Git Up,” along with some high-energy dance moves.
Despite all the attention this school year, Mrs. Caffie has been bringing the yard sign to students’ houses for a while.
In November 2018, the school posted about her unique idea, noting how much parents and students both loved it. “For a little extra classroom motivation, Mrs. Caffie decided to design some lawn signs to go home,” it began. And it showed the two lucky kiddos who were among the first to get bragging rights.
It’s likely no surprise to the school that their wonderful third-grade teacher is getting so much positive attention, especially since they named her Teacher of the Year last year.
In their post, they said:
“A teacher is defined as an educational Rockstar who lives to inspire and loves to encourage. With that being said, Congratulations to Mrs. Caffie our school’s 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other. Fairfax is grateful for coworkers who motivate others to grow, work harder and achieve great things all while wearing a SMILE! Congratulations, Mrs Caffie. We are proud of you!!!”
Be sure to scroll down to see the post shared with the website Love What Matters, which now has over 22,000 Facebook reactions in addition to the original post’s 19,000!
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