Middle school can be challenging for kids, for families, and definitely for teachers. But Denver math teacher Zander Epps wanted to shift the narrative. This semester, he set a goal to send a positive note home for every one of his 120 students.

Using a printed template, handwritten shout-outs, and a carefully organized tracking system, he’s been pulling students aside to tell them about the project and celebrate something they’ve done well. He says the results have been powerful: He’s noticed a change in classroom culture, with more students willing to help, participate, and support one another.

We talked to Zander about why he started this, how he keeps up with it, and what he’s learned along the way.

You can follow Zander on Instagram here.

Q: Can you share a bit about your background and experience teaching?

I’m originally from San Diego, California. I played collegiate volleyball at Lourdes University near Toledo, Ohio. I’m currently in my seventh year of teaching in the Denver area. Along the way, I’ve taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math. I’m working in 6th grade right now. 

Q: What’s your teaching style or philosophy?

My biggest priority is building healthy, strong relationships with my students. I am a firm believer that a student is more likely to take risks and put forth more effort for a teacher that they enjoy being around. I love being silly and using humor and meme references to really show my students that it’s OK to be themselves. 

Q: What inspired you to set the goal of sending a positive note home for every student this semester?

I saw the structure for the positive notes from a friend online, Diego Napoles. [We did a story on Diego—see it here.] He does something similar in his elementary classroom, so I wanted to adapt this idea in a more secondary-friendly way.

Q: Why positive notes? Why does this kind of communication matter to you?

Everybody likes a little positive reinforcement, especially middle schoolers. They’re at such an awkward yet unique point in their lives, and oftentimes these preteens are dismissed and the public tends to focus on the not-so-bright part of middle school. I’m hoping that sending positive notes home can change that perspective for a lot of my students. They deserve it. 

Q: What format do these notes take? How many do you have to do?

I think printed notes with handwritten shout-outs are the way to go! You can’t always count on an adult checking their email or voicemail, or their contact information may be out-of-date. But if you give a physical note to a student and hype them up about something positive they did that week, they’ll be in a rush to give the note to their family. In total, I have about 120 students that I will be sending notes to over the next couple of months.

Q: Be honest, this is middle school! Isn’t is hard?! What if you don’t have anything to say?

We all know middle school isn’t easy, for anyone! For some students, it’s easy to give them praise. For others, not so much. But throughout the course of a week, there’s no way that you shouldn’t be able to find at least one positive action to highlight. You have to know your audience. For some students, it’s showing up to class on time, bringing a pencil, limiting the number of interruptions—those are all wins that deserve some recognition!

Q: How do you stay organized and make time for sending so many individual messages?

I printed out about 200 templates on card stock, and I have a spreadsheet with all my students’ names on it. I’m taking a systematic approach with this to help keep myself organized. For example, one week I will focus on student #1 and #2 (in alphabetic order) from each class. Throughout the week, once I see something worthy of a shout-out, I fill out a positive contact template and include a handwritten message.

Q: What reactions have you seen from families or students so far?

The responses that I’ve received have been so awesome to see. I’ve gotten handwritten thank-you notes as well as thank-you emails. Parents have been very appreciative about the positive feedback that their child received. 

Q: What changes have you noticed in your classroom since starting this?

Students love getting the positive notes. I’ve seen an increase in students’ willingness to help each other out, be more kind to each other, and help clean up around the classroom, and they’re participating more. For some students, those things come naturally, but for others, I think that the positive reinforcements really help them feel more comfortable with those interactions.

Q: Do you think this is something you’ll keep doing in future semesters?

I wasn’t sure how this would go. I didn’t know if it would be effective or if it would be worth the extra legwork. But even in a short amount of time, I’ve seen such an improvement in our class culture that it’s definitely going to be something that I continue incorporating in my practice!

Q: What other advice do you have for using positive notes?

I can stand and teach in front of a room full of students without issues, but for whatever reason, I do not enjoy calling other adults on the phone. It’s been an obstacle for me throughout my career. Emails aren’t always reliable. Sending positive notes home has been an easy way to show love to my students, and it allows them to take more ownership of their actions.

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