Positive Culture

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.

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

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!