Take me back

Do you have a giftee who always says, "high school was the best time of my life" or "I wish I were a kid again"? Here's a uber-cool way to remind them---with school house chairs listed in the classifieds on Apartment Therapy-NY. The best part? Besides being "adult sized," they are also going for just $50! Remember how your legs used to stick to them in the summer when you were wearing shorts and then you'd walk around with red splotches down the back of your legs in between classes? Yep, those were the days....

Teacher Rewards

Since gifts come in many forms, and since it is back-to-school week, I thought it might be nice to provide links for student incentive rewards. E.G., the sticker board with stars for every good deed done or the three checks next to your name = detention.

Teachers have come a long way from those days and some of these ideas are really creative, I'm sure they'd work at school or at home!

Here's a link to an article from Education World titled, "Reward Systems That Work: What to Give and When to Give It!" This site includes 35 "Reasonable Rewards" such as "sit with a friend" and "take a homework pass." However, I have to wonder if some of these rewards would really interest kids ("have a teacher make a positive phone call home," "enjoy a positive visit with the principal," and "assist the custodian").

Certificates are a great, and inexpensive way to keep kids motivated. Heck, I can even think of a few other people who would appreciate a homemade certificate. At 123certificates.com you can print awards and even matching sticker charts like these---for free!

Anyone else got a great incentive for teachers to motivate students?