How to Be a Good Class President

Practice good manners. Whether it is your best friend, your classmate, a teacher, a janitor, or any other school worker, everyone should be treated nicely. Because you are the class president, you have to set an example on how to interact with people so that everyone else will do the same.^[1]

• Let others speak before you speak. Interrupting someone when they haven't finished their thought is extremely rude and shows disrespect to the other person. If it happens by accident, apologize for the incident and let them continue so they can finish what they were saying.
• Stop what you're doing and acknowledge whoever addresses you right away. Don't keep people waiting to try to get your attention, address them quickly so they can see that you want to listen to what they have to say. If you wait too long to address them, they might think you don't have time to listen to them.

Be equally as nice to those that might not be as nice to you. This might sound difficult to do because your instinct might be to be mean back. You are showing great maturity and setting an example to anyone that sees you interact in a positive manner even if you struggle to do it.Respond politely even if someone talks to you in a rude tone. Sometimes people have a bad day or might not be feeling well. Others many not know how to talk to people. As the saying goes, “Kill them with kindness” and be extra nice to them. That can help change their attitude in some situations.Treat everyone you talk to exactly how you want to be treated. That's something that everyone should be doing, but as a leader, this is important for you. Your classmates want to make sure you are listening to what they have to say, so pay attention. Even if what they are saying is not interesting to you, just smile and ask questions to stay engaged in the conversation.

Use positive body language to help you communicate better. When interacting with your fellow classmates, positive body language can help you show that you care without having to verbally say it. There are several simple actions that you can do in different situations.

• Make eye contact when speaking to others. Whether it is at the podium during a speech, or when you are having a conversation by the lockers, eye contact is important. It establishes a connection of understanding between people as well as emphasizes what is being said.
• Smile genuinely when greeting others or when having a casual conversation. A smile sets a relaxed tone and will make people feel at ease around you.
• Walk with purpose when getting from one place to another. Don't slouch and walk with your back straight. By doing this you are showing that you take your responsibilities as class president seriously and that you are ready to take on any challenge that arises.

Demonstrate small acts of kindness. It is as important as being respectful. Showing kindness does not have to be anything extravagant. Even the smallest gesture of kindness makes a difference.

• Greet people when you pass by them in the hallways. Saying 'Good Morning' or 'Good Afternoon' is a great way to establish a positive connection with people. Greetings can also really make a difference in people's days if they are not going too well.
• Open the door for others when there are people walking behind you.This small gesture shows good manners and is very appreciated.
• Help students carry their belongings if they have too much stuff on their hands. By doing this you are preventing any possible disaster of students tripping, papers falling everywhere, or projects breaking.
• Show appreciation to cafeteria workers by saying 'thank you'. It is so easy to forget to do this when you're busy talking to your friends, but doing this is important so everyone else can say it as well.

Plan specific days to show gratitude. School faculty, staff, and volunteers do a lot for students. Unfortunately, more often than not, their effort is not appreciated enough. Take the initiative to show appreciation through different activities where many students can get involved.

• Get students to assist you in writing thank you letters to all faculty and staff. Writing thank you letters is a great way to involve a lot of your classmates and teachers will appreciate getting unique letters from different students.
• Help organize a potluck for faculty and staff where the students brings all the food. A potluck can be a great bonding experience between teachers and students.
• Pick a day to have sweets and treats delivered to teachers in their classrooms. Designating students to deliver sweets such as cookies or chocolate to teachers after a long day of lessons is sure to bring a smile to these hard working instructors.

Appreciate your parents too. Everyone's parents do so much to get them to school prepared and ready to learn. There are several ways that you can help students show gratitude to their parents for everything they do for their children.

• Set up a station during lunch time with arts and crafts for students to use in order to create unique letters to give to their parents when they get home. Doing this will help students get creative and will allow them to have fun while showing gratitude.
• Suggest to the music department that creating a song specifically for saying thank you to your parents would be a good idea. The song could be showcased by the student choir, during a talent showcase, or individual students could learn it and sing it to their parents in the comfort of their home.