The Kindness Club has continued its tradition of giving teacher shout-outs on the announcements every Friday, recognizing and appreciating two to three teachers for their kindness and dedication to teaching. Mrs. Maria Pompano, Science Instructional Leader and Kindness Club advisor for four years, says the club has been doing teacher shout-outs for around two years, with the ‘24-’25 school year being its third year participating. When asked what the inspiration behind the teacher shout-outs was, Mrs. Pompano noted, “We wanted to do something kind, and we wanted to [find] a way to acknowledge teachers. We wanted it to be more public so that we could share what students had to say, and we wanted it to come from students so that teachers would know they were appreciated.”
During each semester, Mrs. Pompano sends out an email with a link to a survey, in which students can fill out what teacher they think should be recognized and give a blurb on why. Mrs. Pompano is the one who sifts through the responses and ultimately has the final say on who will be selected for the teacher shout-outs. When selecting responses, she likes to go through the form, find teachers that have been selected multiple times, and then sift through what department each teacher is in, spreading the selection across the school. This allows teachers from all over the school to be selected and not solely focus on one department.
All responses are strictly from students, allowing the staff to be selected with answers from a student perspective. When interviewing multiple teachers, all of them agreed that hearing the responses from the students made them extremely happy, as they realized that they truly do impact the students. Mr. Adam Gardner said, “I don’t often see the student perspective, like, I come in, I have my plan, I have my thoughts for the day. But to see that, you know, that I have an impact, I think makes me feel good.” Ms. Casey Gold also noted that being selected by students feels more impactful, as teachers do so much for their students, and it is rewarding to understand that the teachers are truly making a difference for their students. Ms. Gold said, “It’s a lot of work to be a high school student, and it’s a lot of work to be a teacher, [and] being recognized by the students means so much to the teachers.”
Although a small act, the club’s drastic effects on the climate of EHHS have shifted it to a more kind, positive environment for both the students and the staff. By allowing students to recognize their teachers, not only do teachers understand their impact on the schools, but students also share their experiences anonymously yet meaningfully. Kindness Club President Fatima Magana says that when teachers feel valued, “It can create a better learning environment for everyone.”
When they first began doing teacher shout-outs, the club would give out a thank-you note card with a small treat, but eventually stopped, as it was difficult to find times to bring them to the teachers promptly. Although they stopped, Mrs. Pompano continued to use the bulletin board near her office in the upper east wing to display the teachers’ names as a way to recognize them, alongside the announcement made. In the future, she hopes to bring back the tradition of giving out thank-you cards and find a way to display the teachers who were shouted out in a place where students visit more frequently. Mr. A. Gardner and Ms. Diana Kalman also agreed that they would like to see some form of physical certificate given, to visualize the recognition better. Ms. Kalman said, “Just a little physical [certificate] would be nice. [It’s] something to look at and be like, okay, somebody, at some point, appreciated me on that day that they nominated me, and I’m not just here; I’m making a difference.” Mr. A. Gardner feels that they should also find a way to deliver these certificates during opportunities like FLEX, as a way to appreciate and make a bigger deal about the accomplishments made, not only just for the Kindness Club but for other awards as well. He noted, “How cool would it be to see your teacher come into your FLEX and give you the Dunkin gift card in front of your peers? Or Guidance counselor. Or Superintendent. Or Instructional Leader. With our FLEX schedule and the fact that we house a lot of the staff, a variety of people could engage in this and make it meaningful.”
On March 14th, Mrs. Pompano sent out another email with the link to the survey. Please fill it out to recognize the teachers who have impacted you. Who knows, it might just make someone’s day.
