Sticker Trail

In first grade, I was "teacher's pet" {surprise, surprise}.  One of my best friends was the class troublemaker who got his name on the board everyday.  My mom sent me to school with a pack of good-smelling smiley face stickers that I used to bribe my friend into behaving.  It seemed intuitive to me ... do well, and you will be rewarded.  Don't get your name on the board, and you will get a sticker.  I think I remember this sticker initiative working for a while.  When the stickers weren't doing it anymore, we upped the ante to pencil erasers and candy.

Fast forward 23 years and I now have eleven middle schoolers {some who were born when I was a freshman in college!} vying for stickers to fill up a CD donning their name to prove that they're "rock star" students.  A sticky celebration of good grades, hard work, goals met, extraordinary organization, or on-the-ball preparation. Earn ten stickers and get a sweet treat or a Dollar Spot/Target special prize.  Cheesy?  Perhaps.  Effective?  Absolutely.

Six year olds, pre-teens, and soon-to-be 29 year olds ... motivated by stickers?!  I will admit, in a pursuit to train for and run a 10K road race, I am earning stickers (and a generous $1) for each mile I run.  In my 4 weeks of training, I have earned $36 ... and 36 stickers.  Andrew started this incentive for me and it makes me smile.  BIG.  Last night I came home to a course map drawn out on a poster board with landmarks flagged with stickers.  Cows, horses, trees, and giant fish stickers to represent farms, forests, and ponds along the course in Wine Country.  I got to satisfactorily place my 36 stickers along the course before I went to bed.  When I woke up this morning, the poster was decorated even more with Bible verses and additional landmark stickers.  My loving coach might want to reconsider his career in IT and become an elementary school teacher.  He also might earn a few stickers for good behavior and creativity!

(Originally posted by Ashley @ http://aswistakstory.blogspot.com/)