At the end of the day today, when you’re tidying your desk and getting ready to go to the pub, or to football, or home, or whatever your thing is on Friday, take a moment before logging off your school management system.

Look through your registers and find three kids who have properly earned your praise today. Maybe they volunteered when they normally don’t. Maybe they behaved better than normally. Maybe their book was excellent. Maybe they just tried really hard, even though they didn’t succeed.

Then pick up the phone and call home (or email, if you don’t like the phone). Tell Mum, or Dad, or Granny and ask them to pass on your congratulations. They will be overcome with gratitude, because most of the time they don’t get calls with good news. They will make you feel really good and you will leave the premises with a little spring on your step.

And next time the kid arrives in your classroom, you can say conspiratorially “Did your Mum say I called?” and you will share a very small private smile, and that student will do their very best in the lesson.

Win win. And it takes about a minute.

Happy Friday.