Fabulous Fuzzies

By now, you MUST have heard about the latest craze in first grade: FUZZIES! Believe it or not, Pierce Downer's first graders are not the first "firsties" to fall in love with these magical balls of fluff. In fact, first grade teachers across the country are RAVING about the effectiveness of fuzzies. Since you have probably heard about fuzzies from a first grade perspective, we would like to explain our philosophy behind fuzzies.

Teaching first grade is especially rewarding because first grade teachers have the opportunity to teach children what it means to be a good listener, a hard worker, and a kind friend. Encouraging children to make good choices and form good habits is very important to us. This year, we decided to teach these good habits and choices in a fun and creative way: FUZZIES! Our students can earn fuzzies (little pom pom balls) for making great choices at school. If we notice a first grader walking quietly in the hall, raising his/her hand, or making another great choice, that student can earn a fuzzy to keep in his/her fuzzy cup. If we notice that a student makes a mistake like forgetting to raise a hand or interrupting a friend who is trying to learn, he/she might lose a fuzzy. We really like to encourage great behavior and habits in fun and positive ways. We also like to teach our students how to learn from their mistakes. At the end of the week, students may trade in their fuzzies for coupons. The coupons allow students to have special privileges in the classroom like leading the pledge, being the class photographer, or wearing slippers in the classroom for a day.

If you have any questions about our fuzzy system, please feel free to contact us any time!