It’s important to have motivational posters in classrooms, after school rooms, and in any areas where children spend their time and need inspiration to learn, play or explore. Special Education teacher Neva Fenno shares how these posters can make a difference for students, and which posters she has used in her classroom.

The first classroom I was assigned was a blank slate. And I mean blank. Except for the water stains on the ceiling and the cracked plaster, there was no decoration or any indication that the room was for teaching. I visited in late August to get ready for the students (grade 4 SPED) to arrive, and was met by a true conundrum. What to do before my first paycheck to liven things up?

We all spend our own money on our kids, it’s just easier than trying to navigate purchasing systems in a big school district (although it gets easier over time). In 2013, 99.5% of all school teachers spent over a billion dollars on back to school supplies.

Today, we usually find at least a whiteboard in our classroom, and if we’re really lucky, we have a SmartBoard™. But that still leaves a great deal of real estate to brighten up in a teaching space.

Let’s look at some ways to use posters for inspiration and learning.

Start with inspiring your kids to greatness:

Everyone needs to be reminded of the many ways we can use self-talk to raise our spirits and inspire ourselves to greatness. Hang a few of Mindset Posters and use them – when you see a student being glum, discouraged, or not trying, take them aside and point to one of the posters. Remind your students that the motivational posters are there to help them. I also like these Positive Messages Posters – which can be colored, and their messages are short and effective.

You can also use these Velvet Art Posters as a craft activity that also motivates students.

These posters provide encouragement and affirmation for children that may be going through a tough time. I have a laminator in my classroom (don’t forget the film) and it’s great for protecting those spontaneous moment images we collect in our daily teaching.

In my SPED classroom, I have used the “Paint-a-Dot” poster series. Just brush on the water and the image appears!

This is a great interactive poster. If you see your students need some inspiration and motivation, plan an activity. Have them add water to one of these posters and read the message that appears. Have a discussion on what it means and ways they can remind themselves they are brave, smart, and strong.

From inspirational to decorative, pick up some posters for your own “blank slate”.

About the Author:

Neva Fenno, M.S.Ed., MLIS, has been a special education teacher, school library media specialist, curriculum specialist and grants manager for several urban school districts in New York and Massachusetts for 30 years. As grants manager for 7 years, she managed up to $28,000,000 a year in federal, state, foundation and corporate grants from application through fiscal administration. She has hundreds of stories to tell, not all successes, but from each story there is a lesson to be learned.