I'm keeping it simple this week and I'm posting about having FUN! Amid all the standards, evaluations, lesson plans, curriculum maps, budget restraints, discipline problems, parent complaints, standardized testing, student growth assessments, safety concerns, time and organization constraints, collaboration challenges, and a multitude of meetings there must be some fun added somewhere, right?
This week a colleague and I took on the challenge to "shake it up" at our school. We are on a mission to boost morale, build relationships, and just have fun every once in a while. We put together a staff Christmas party, a school wide door decorating challenge, and a family story night where students and staff come in their pjs, drink hot cocoa, eat cookies, and listen to holiday stories. Our principal has even agreed to be a reader! Hoping we don't crash and burn, but excited nonetheless!
Our goal: to show our students, parents, and staff that we care, that we want to be positive, and that in times of stress we want to be able to depend on each other to help stay afloat! I felt a little defeated this week, but I'm focusing my energy on creating some fun at work!
What events or things at your school make your job fun? What things do your coworkers look forward to every year? What really lights your fire at work? Please share ideas that have been successful at your school. I'm looking to keep this going all year.
The following link is pretty basic, yet I think the basics are what's important in Creating a Joyful School Staff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZKiJejNRtw
ReplyDeleteThe Fish Philosophy as all about having fun at work. I think you have to start small and keep it going. We just had a breakfast to celebrate our grad rate. The admin team cooked the breakfast right there for the staff - french toast, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc. We had skillets and crockpots going! We had celebration music and all had a good time. Our next project is the end of the semester awards ceremony for teachers. We will have it off campus and announce awards like the Oscars. "The nominees for Most Enthusiastic Teacher are _______ and the winner is _____!" We keep trying with little things that don't cost a lot. One principal told me that she uses poker chips. Teachers receive poker chips for doing things they are expected to do, but don't always get "caught" doing. They can trade the chips in for various items. There is a list of items and the number of chips they cost. There are items like jeans days, office supplies, etc. but my favorite was for five chips you can buy someone else a snack and a drink!
I love those ideas you recently implemented and would love to hear how they went. We also celebrate with food during holidays and other special events (baby showers and marriages). We had our first pep rally this semester and taught the whole staff a dance to show the students. Everyone had a blast.
ReplyDeleteWe also randomly have food in the faculty lounge (teachers bring in stuff) and pass a paw print award (bloodhounds is our mascot) off to a new faculty member each month. Small things, consistently over time certainly add up.