In relevance to the Positivity Project mentioned in my previous post, I have become very interested in the things needed to create a positive school culture. Culture is a word that is thrown around in a little of different environments, and always carries a lot of importance. No matter if you are talking about a sports team, an educational setting, a family setting, or an office setting; the culture of the environment greatly affects those in it and their production and happiness. I believe that you can only go so far with having a negative culture or one that feeds on fear. The true successful teams and places display a positive culture in which those in the environment feel safe, comfortable, and appreciated by those around them.
I read through a few articles on the top and came across this one that I have linked below that discusses the 9 sings a business, company, or organization display if they are promoting a positive culture.
9 Sign of Positive Culture
If you did not get a chance to skim the article I have listed the qualities below:
1. A long line of future employees
2. Low employee turnover
3. Smiles and laughter
4. Sense of job security
5. No gossiping
6. It is not "just a job"
7. Employees are energized
8. Embracing new ideas
9. Open communication
I firmly believe that you should enjoy and love the place that you work at. It is where you spend most of your time, and something you are willing to work for and put time into. If you are not passionate about the career and enjoy what you are doing, you are not going to be jumping the put in extra time. I say this coming from a position where I truly love and enjoy my job. I love coming to work every day and I couldn't imagine it any other way. I think this article does a great job of pointing out several factors that create this positive culture that naturally attracts people and creates happy employees. All of these 9 factors and in some form influenced by relationships and how people are treated by others in the workplace.
I challenge you to give you employment a self assessment and see if it checks these 9 factors of the list. I think for those that find themselves in a negative culture should look hard at their career and determine if it is something they love. And if so, maybe they are just not in an environment that contributes to a positive culture.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Un-conference PD
This year Potsdam Central School District participated in an "Un-conference" for one of our recent staff development days. An Un-conference is a new type of professional development that encourages in-staff collaboration and sharing of ideas. The idea is that all of the teachers who participate in professional development opportunities relevant to their subject area throughout the year then in turn present that same material to the rest of the district. The process was interesting and raised lots of questions throughout our building, but overall was a new and interesting addition.
Potsdam made this day a requirement for out teachers. Every teacher that attended a conference during the year, or any kind of outside professional development paid for by the school, was required to put together a presentation on the material they learned. Once everyone provided a description of their presentation, a survey was sent out to all staff members allowing them to vote for their favorite choices. Once all votes were cast, the administration selected the top choices to present during the Un-conference day. These teachers were given slots that they were to present at, and then were allowed to sign up for other presentations in their open slots. Are school choose to do five 1 hour time slots throughout the whole day. Teachers were able to choose which event that they wanted to attend during each time slot. They day took a lot of planning and preparation, but was ultimately a success.
The Un-conference idea brings up a lot of questions and different thoughts regarding the topic. Here a a few I asked myself after attending:
Did I enjoy this more than a normal professional development day, which usually is a large group activity or working for some of the day with your grade level/area?
Was prepping for the presentation too much work for the teachers who had to do so?
Would the prep time needed for creating a presentation deter teachers in the future from attending outside conferences knowing they will have to present to the school?
Would I enjoy doing it again?
For the most part, I had a very positive experience regarding the Un-conference, even as a presenter. I didn't mind presenting my topic, and I thought it was very refreshing and interesting to be able to attend multiple other sections presented by my own colleagues. I would be personally be in favor of doing the event again. What are your thoughts on the idea?
P.S -- I have attached the link to the presentation that I completed for the day on P2
Unconference
Potsdam made this day a requirement for out teachers. Every teacher that attended a conference during the year, or any kind of outside professional development paid for by the school, was required to put together a presentation on the material they learned. Once everyone provided a description of their presentation, a survey was sent out to all staff members allowing them to vote for their favorite choices. Once all votes were cast, the administration selected the top choices to present during the Un-conference day. These teachers were given slots that they were to present at, and then were allowed to sign up for other presentations in their open slots. Are school choose to do five 1 hour time slots throughout the whole day. Teachers were able to choose which event that they wanted to attend during each time slot. They day took a lot of planning and preparation, but was ultimately a success.
The Un-conference idea brings up a lot of questions and different thoughts regarding the topic. Here a a few I asked myself after attending:
Did I enjoy this more than a normal professional development day, which usually is a large group activity or working for some of the day with your grade level/area?
Was prepping for the presentation too much work for the teachers who had to do so?
Would the prep time needed for creating a presentation deter teachers in the future from attending outside conferences knowing they will have to present to the school?
Would I enjoy doing it again?
For the most part, I had a very positive experience regarding the Un-conference, even as a presenter. I didn't mind presenting my topic, and I thought it was very refreshing and interesting to be able to attend multiple other sections presented by my own colleagues. I would be personally be in favor of doing the event again. What are your thoughts on the idea?
P.S -- I have attached the link to the presentation that I completed for the day on P2
Unconference
The Impact of the Positivity Project on Mental Health
NYS has recently turned their focus on Mental Health Standards in education. Mental health has become an increasing important problem that is being seen in schools across the country. More and more students are struggling to live a happy and healthy live during school hours. Whether it be bullying, home life, or just not being educated, both educators and students are in dire need of a program that teaches and enhances our education system in the benefits of a strong mental health program. Below is one of the videos associated with the project.
Potsdam Central School District is in our 2nd year of implementing the Positivity Project, or P2. P2 is a non profit organizing founded by 2 West Point graduates that focuses on developing and enhancing stronger relationships through the use of positive psychology's 24 character strengths. The program's research is based of the studies of Dr. Chris Peterson, who is considered the founding father of positive psychology. He summed up positive psychology by saying "Other people matter, period." He drove home the point that in order to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life, it came down to the impact you have on others. It was not about money, fame, or fortune, but about the relationships you created and how you treated and nourished those people who care for you.
Since Potsdam has adapted the program, we have been continuously teaching our kids about mental health, using 24 character traits provided by P2. These character traits consist of things like Love, Kindness, Bravery, Perspective, and Humor. The students are taught each of these strengths throughout the school year, and what each of them mean, as well as how to find these traits in themselves and in others. They are taught about what strengths are strong for them, and which ones are weak that they need to work on. By creating the constant vocabulary words and defining them as a whole school, you create common vocabulary that all of the students can related to.
Our students have become much more aware of how their actions and words affect others. Not only has it created a safer environment for our students in school, it has also help create a positive school culture between our buildings and within our staff. P2 is something that started small in Central NY, but is now spreading all across the country to district. And with how much educational systems are in need of a Mental Health program, they should look no further than P2 to solve this issue!
Potsdam Central School District is in our 2nd year of implementing the Positivity Project, or P2. P2 is a non profit organizing founded by 2 West Point graduates that focuses on developing and enhancing stronger relationships through the use of positive psychology's 24 character strengths. The program's research is based of the studies of Dr. Chris Peterson, who is considered the founding father of positive psychology. He summed up positive psychology by saying "Other people matter, period." He drove home the point that in order to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life, it came down to the impact you have on others. It was not about money, fame, or fortune, but about the relationships you created and how you treated and nourished those people who care for you.
Since Potsdam has adapted the program, we have been continuously teaching our kids about mental health, using 24 character traits provided by P2. These character traits consist of things like Love, Kindness, Bravery, Perspective, and Humor. The students are taught each of these strengths throughout the school year, and what each of them mean, as well as how to find these traits in themselves and in others. They are taught about what strengths are strong for them, and which ones are weak that they need to work on. By creating the constant vocabulary words and defining them as a whole school, you create common vocabulary that all of the students can related to.
Our students have become much more aware of how their actions and words affect others. Not only has it created a safer environment for our students in school, it has also help create a positive school culture between our buildings and within our staff. P2 is something that started small in Central NY, but is now spreading all across the country to district. And with how much educational systems are in need of a Mental Health program, they should look no further than P2 to solve this issue!
Monday, October 22, 2018
Cross-Curiculum Integration
One of the goals that I have been working on as a special area teacher this year has been cross-curiculum integration. As a special area teacher at the elementary level, you are one of the few teachers in the building that are able to see all of the students in the building. We see all different ages throughout the whole year, and have the freedom in our curriculum to work on the activities that we choose to work on. Although physical education still does have state standards and requirements, we are not buckled down with the limits of state testing. It is my goal this year to try to work on a cross-curriculum project with each grade level by the end of the year. There are two major benefits that I see for cross-curriculum integration and why I feel as though that all special area teachers should make an effort to add this to their teaching.
1. Allows you as a teacher to get a glimpse into each classroom and see what the students are learning throughout the year.
Sometimes as a physical education teacher, you lose connection about what actually is going on inside each of the grade level classrooms. I never spend any time in the classroom and sometimes you take for granted what some of the students have knowledge of up until the point that are at in school. By spending time working on a cross-curriculum project, you are able to get a glance at some of the learning that is taking place inside the different classroom. It not only gives you a an understanding about what different grade levels are working on, but it also allows you to implement some of the same principles into PE class. Certain games and activities can easily be modified to adapt to certain learning concepts, especially math and science.
2. Allows you as a special area teacher to build better relationships with classroom teachers in the building.
I am a huge proponent in building a positive school culture, and to do that, teachers need to build stronger relationships with not only the students, but also each other. In order to coordinate a project like, you have to spend some time with the grade level teachers, and have conversations with them about what they are doing in the classroom and how you can work together to further reinforce those topics. Reaching out to these teachers shows a level of respect and care for their classroom, and I have found that in return, these teachers are glad to help in the process of creating cross-curriculum material.
Classroom teachers, what are your thoughts on this? Would you welcome a special area teacher into your schedule if you knew it meant some reinforced learning would take place in another area outside of your classroom?
1. Allows you as a teacher to get a glimpse into each classroom and see what the students are learning throughout the year.
Sometimes as a physical education teacher, you lose connection about what actually is going on inside each of the grade level classrooms. I never spend any time in the classroom and sometimes you take for granted what some of the students have knowledge of up until the point that are at in school. By spending time working on a cross-curriculum project, you are able to get a glance at some of the learning that is taking place inside the different classroom. It not only gives you a an understanding about what different grade levels are working on, but it also allows you to implement some of the same principles into PE class. Certain games and activities can easily be modified to adapt to certain learning concepts, especially math and science.
2. Allows you as a special area teacher to build better relationships with classroom teachers in the building.
I am a huge proponent in building a positive school culture, and to do that, teachers need to build stronger relationships with not only the students, but also each other. In order to coordinate a project like, you have to spend some time with the grade level teachers, and have conversations with them about what they are doing in the classroom and how you can work together to further reinforce those topics. Reaching out to these teachers shows a level of respect and care for their classroom, and I have found that in return, these teachers are glad to help in the process of creating cross-curriculum material.
Classroom teachers, what are your thoughts on this? Would you welcome a special area teacher into your schedule if you knew it meant some reinforced learning would take place in another area outside of your classroom?
Monday, October 1, 2018
Teach Like a Pirate
During my NYS Conference for Physical Education this past year, I listened to a speaker by the name of Dave Burgess, who is the author of the book Teach Like A Pirate. Dave provided a key note speech unlike any other one that I have ever heard, and one that really made sense to me as an educator. He was full of passion and excitement, and all about teachers getting creative and crazy to get their students involved and passionate about learning. I immediately bought the book after his talk, and read it that summer.
Over my last year of teaching, I have tried to adapt the TLAP (teach like a pirate) mindset when it comes to educating my students. I have dressed up in costumes, turned the gymnasium into a grocery store, and have created some very imaginative experiences for my students in the classroom. Not only do I enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone and having fun, I can tell that my students enjoy the process and are much more engaged in the topics that we are learning.
There are 2 statements that Dave asks the readers in his book that I would in turn like to ask you. They are:
"If students did not have to attend your class, how many of them would show up just because they wanted to?"
and
"How many tickets do you think you could sell for fellow educators to come sit in on one of your lessons?"
I try to ask myself these 2 questions when I am re-visiting one of my lesson plans, trying to put the TLAP spin on it. Dave asks the readers in the book to try starting on the lesson that you absolutely hate to teach. We all have that one subject, topic, material, or segment that we just do not enjoy teaching as an educator. I encourage you to find out what that lesson is for you, and spice it up! For me it was gymnastics. I never enjoyed the sport when I was going through schooling, and I still to this day do not enjoy teaching in. But, last year I created "Ninja Gymnastics" and introduced a masked ninja character to my students. Students had to perform different "ninja routines" in order to earn different colored belts in class. The unit concluded with a performance in front of the ninja, where the ninja passed out the final belt to each student. Not only was it the most fun I had in my career teaching the topic, but the students absolutely loved it, and I know now I will never go back to teaching it the boring way I started off with.
What is your "Gymnastics" topic? How could you make it not only more fun for the students, but more fun for yourself? Below are a few links to some of Dave's talks as well as some of his books and resources.
Teach Like A Pirate
Ted Talk
Over my last year of teaching, I have tried to adapt the TLAP (teach like a pirate) mindset when it comes to educating my students. I have dressed up in costumes, turned the gymnasium into a grocery store, and have created some very imaginative experiences for my students in the classroom. Not only do I enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone and having fun, I can tell that my students enjoy the process and are much more engaged in the topics that we are learning.
There are 2 statements that Dave asks the readers in his book that I would in turn like to ask you. They are:
"If students did not have to attend your class, how many of them would show up just because they wanted to?"
and
"How many tickets do you think you could sell for fellow educators to come sit in on one of your lessons?"
I try to ask myself these 2 questions when I am re-visiting one of my lesson plans, trying to put the TLAP spin on it. Dave asks the readers in the book to try starting on the lesson that you absolutely hate to teach. We all have that one subject, topic, material, or segment that we just do not enjoy teaching as an educator. I encourage you to find out what that lesson is for you, and spice it up! For me it was gymnastics. I never enjoyed the sport when I was going through schooling, and I still to this day do not enjoy teaching in. But, last year I created "Ninja Gymnastics" and introduced a masked ninja character to my students. Students had to perform different "ninja routines" in order to earn different colored belts in class. The unit concluded with a performance in front of the ninja, where the ninja passed out the final belt to each student. Not only was it the most fun I had in my career teaching the topic, but the students absolutely loved it, and I know now I will never go back to teaching it the boring way I started off with.
What is your "Gymnastics" topic? How could you make it not only more fun for the students, but more fun for yourself? Below are a few links to some of Dave's talks as well as some of his books and resources.
Teach Like A Pirate
Ted Talk
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