Journal Entry: Monday, April 19, 201X

Today I introduced the idea of a mystery person. The students seem motivated by the idea and want each other to succeed. There is a strong feeling of community and encouragement to stay focused and positive throughout the day. Today, Student X was the mystery person. I wanted to give the students success on their first day so I picked someone who I thought would get it. I was right; the students were so proud and congratulated her on a good job. She looked a little shy, but I could tell she felt good about it.

Tomorrow I am going to pick someone who may or may not get the final incentive. This way the students know what they can work towards. Some students have been asking if I will tell the person what they can do to improve. I have decided to not actually tell the person (I think that may be too crushing at this point), but rather to share why the mystery person did not get the incentive. For example, if he or she was talking in the hall or talking with a neighbor during Guided Reading I will tell the whole class what they can do to improve. This will encourage the entire class to improve their behavior and help each other throughout the day.