In her eight years of teaching, Shauna Woods has seen her share of illnesses run through her classroom. During this time of year, it’s typical for her to experience a higher number of absences due to illnesses. Knowing how detrimental it can be to miss a number of consecutive days, Woods came up with a plan to teach her class the proper way to wash their hands.
“I began to think of something that I could put on their hands that they would have to wash off,” said Woods, who teaches at Hallsville Public School in Hallsville, Missouri. “On a Monday morning, I saw my ‘Mrs. Woods’ stamp sitting there and I told my students to wash their hands in the classroom sink and then see Mrs. Woods for a stamp.”
In a now viral Facebook post, Woods explains that the goal was to keep away germs. Each student received a stamp in the morning and if it had been washed away by the end of the day, they would receive a prize.
“We are doing our best in room 550 to keep the germs away,” Woods wrote in her post. “We are trying.”
Now that this idea has exploded, the students have recently been challenged to wash off their stamps so that a local radio station could come join our classroom for the day. They have accepted the challenge and can’t wait to have guests in our classroom.
Once Woods set clear expectations with her class the students have asked for a stamp each day.
“We discussed how to properly wash their hands and I told them they would earn a prize if their stamp was faded or disappeared altogether,” said Woods. “Day one was training day, as students were motivated to wash that stamp off or rub it off right away. Once we set clear expectations, students have asked for a stamp every day and know how to properly wash their hands. We’ve started a trend for the school and now, after going viral, the nation.”
Woods even stamps her own hand each morning. She says that even as an adult seeing the stamp on her own hand has been a visual reminder to wash her hands more frequently to stay healthy and germ free.
The class never thought this challenge would go viral. Woods says, “Our cups are full knowing that just maybe we’ve helped keep a few more students safe and healthy during this season.”
—Jennifer Swartvagher
All photos courtesy of Shauna Woods
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