I know that the title of this sounds a little "sappy". Something positive, even about people you don't like? I know that it's not easy but sometimes it can have a lasting impact.
One of the activities I would do with my elementary students was the making of positive posters for everyone. Each student would get a piece of paper with everyone's name on it. Next to the name, there was a space for each student to write something positive about that person. This brought up lots of discussions about how to do this when you didn't like that person.
The students had to think about each other without any negative feelings. This was not easy to do! Some comments related to nice handwriting or looking neat or doing well in Math. Anything positive would do. Next, I would have the students edit their work so the spelling was correct. We would cut out the strips for everyone and they would glue their comments on construction paper. The students would get their comment posters and take them home or put them up around the room. This was physical proof that they had positive aspects to their personality.
Sometime after this, I read in a magazine that a high school class had done this activity. They didn't make strips but had all the comments on one piece of paper. A soldier in Viet Nam kept that paper in his pocket through out his time in the field to hold on to who he was. What a powerful thing to read when all around you is falling apart!
We don't get a lot of positive feedback - any of us, including teachers. Maybe this should be done on a staff development day to promote a more positive atmosphere in schools instead of one of blame and fear! Something to think about.....
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