Terrific Kids
Motivation, encouragement, recognition
These three elements can work magic with youngsters by creating positive attitudes and self-discipline. This is what the Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain-Swannanoa, North Carolina, sought to achieve when it instituted a program in a local elementary school in 1983. The members developed a system to reward students who strive to improve behavior, peer relationships, attendance, or schoolwork. The program was called “Terrific Kids,” and its results were impressive: Absenteeism, tardiness, and littering dropped off while academic performance shot up. The program quickly spread to other area schools. Today, approximately 800 Kiwanis clubs sponsor Terrific Kids programs in more than 2,000 schools, reaching nearly one million students.
Any student can be a Terrific Kid by meeting a goal agreed upon with the teacher. The chosen goal is an attainable improvement rather than a demoralizing stab at perfection that sets up the student for failure.
The student sets a goal to improve in some way, such as reducing tardiness or being quiet in class. Improvement against one’s own record is easier and healthier for a child than competing against peers. The student should develop his or her goal during a discussion with the classroom teacher so the teacher can help the student work toward the goal and immediately recognize achievement of the goal.
The recognition level for a Terrific Kid is high. Award ceremonies, prizes from businesses, media coverage, and attention from adults all contribute to the students’ enthusiasm to be Terrific Kids. As one mother reports: “I have three framed certificates on the wall. I couldn’t take them down without a storm of protest.”