Marcus Luther 

The Broken Copier - October 3, 2025

Original Article

So here we go: four different strategies I use from time to time, and especially during heavier times, to try and uplift students in the classroom:

⓶ Kneel down, give quiet praise (but not too quiet)

Sort of the opposite of the first move, this is one that I tend to use especially once I get to know students more—as sometimes it is the opposite student who benefits from this compared to the first.

If anyone has been in my classroom, you’ll likely see me popping all over and kneeling down to desk level for individual conversations and support (with increasingly-creaky knees!), so within that existing routine I then sometimes take it one step further to simply name to a student how well they are doing.

“Really quickly,” I’ll say, “I just want you to know you have had a really awesome stretch in the classroom lately.”

Usually this is done at almost a whisper, but I’m also aware that they are aware that other students can hear it. So simultaneously I’m avoiding a whole-class public praise but still celebrating them aloud in a way that they know at least those seated around them can hear.

Why I love this move? While I do love the “write them a note” strategy for this type of quieter student, this “loud whisper” move is much quicker and can just as readily build rapport, leaving the student feeling seen for how well they are doing.