I was talking with Ms. B yesterday about how I'm nervous for the rest of this school year. Our staff has fallen into a deep hole with our moral and it is (in my humble opinion) affecting our kids maturity rate.
Usually, by this time of the school year, most kids will have matured a bit. Stopped being as combative, whine less, work harder, etc. But this year, we are not seeing the same type of maturity. By Winter Break, we need the break, but we're not about to pull our hair out or lose it like we were this year. This is a serious problem as we have a solid 3 month stretch ahead of us with only two 3-day weekends.
So I started brainstorming with Ms. B about what we can do to change this negative, whiney, self-centered outlook of our staff. We thought of happy hours, cupcakes, and little cards. These are all nice, but a longer-term, more sustainable answer must be thought of. I can only buy so many cupcakes with my paycheck....
That's when I told her, it's all about the YES.
I get a lot of flack from other teachers in my building about "doin' too much".
(That is our kids vernacular for going above and beyond, outside the call of duty, or using an extra amount of energy to do something. They usually do that in reference to you making them comply with your directions, but we teachers like to use it as well in our own way. Anyways, I digress.)
The reason I end up doin' too much is because I say yes to teachers, students, staff, custodians, construction workers, the random person in the building, far more often than I should. I don't mind saying yes, as long as it pertains to helping someone else out. This causes me to be involved in more things than most, and also be more helpful than most. All because of the word YES. [This explains why one of my New Year's Resolutions is to say NO 10 times.]
So I am going to challenge my compadres at work with this: Say YES 32 times in one day, and only say NO 10 times. Choose your words wisely.
We're supposed to have a 2:1 ratio in our classroom with praise:discipline. For every negative or disciplinary comment you say, you must say two compliments or positive things to students. While this is a nice ratio, and a nice thought, it's been lost and it's for more stable environments. Plus, that doesn't get anyone involved in anything. We need people to be more involved. Thus, I am changing this positive compliment into a YES, and the ratio must be amped up significantly. We are talking about a HUGE moral problem, a simple 2:1 isn't going to fix that...
I must wait for the "opportune moment" as Jack Sparrow would say - I'll report back how it goes. I don't imagine it's going to be well received by all my colleagues, but I think I'll give out cupcakes when I introduce it. Cupcakes make everything better.
If people actually do it, I bet that after a week or so people will start to feel a lot more invested in school and a little less down in the dumps. After 160 YESes, it will be hard not to be involved, and thus more invested, in the school.
Usually, by this time of the school year, most kids will have matured a bit. Stopped being as combative, whine less, work harder, etc. But this year, we are not seeing the same type of maturity. By Winter Break, we need the break, but we're not about to pull our hair out or lose it like we were this year. This is a serious problem as we have a solid 3 month stretch ahead of us with only two 3-day weekends.
So I started brainstorming with Ms. B about what we can do to change this negative, whiney, self-centered outlook of our staff. We thought of happy hours, cupcakes, and little cards. These are all nice, but a longer-term, more sustainable answer must be thought of. I can only buy so many cupcakes with my paycheck....
That's when I told her, it's all about the YES.
I get a lot of flack from other teachers in my building about "doin' too much".
(That is our kids vernacular for going above and beyond, outside the call of duty, or using an extra amount of energy to do something. They usually do that in reference to you making them comply with your directions, but we teachers like to use it as well in our own way. Anyways, I digress.)
The reason I end up doin' too much is because I say yes to teachers, students, staff, custodians, construction workers, the random person in the building, far more often than I should. I don't mind saying yes, as long as it pertains to helping someone else out. This causes me to be involved in more things than most, and also be more helpful than most. All because of the word YES. [This explains why one of my New Year's Resolutions is to say NO 10 times.]
So I am going to challenge my compadres at work with this: Say YES 32 times in one day, and only say NO 10 times. Choose your words wisely.
We're supposed to have a 2:1 ratio in our classroom with praise:discipline. For every negative or disciplinary comment you say, you must say two compliments or positive things to students. While this is a nice ratio, and a nice thought, it's been lost and it's for more stable environments. Plus, that doesn't get anyone involved in anything. We need people to be more involved. Thus, I am changing this positive compliment into a YES, and the ratio must be amped up significantly. We are talking about a HUGE moral problem, a simple 2:1 isn't going to fix that...
I must wait for the "opportune moment" as Jack Sparrow would say - I'll report back how it goes. I don't imagine it's going to be well received by all my colleagues, but I think I'll give out cupcakes when I introduce it. Cupcakes make everything better.
If people actually do it, I bet that after a week or so people will start to feel a lot more invested in school and a little less down in the dumps. After 160 YESes, it will be hard not to be involved, and thus more invested, in the school.
I recently had lunch with your mother and she began to tell me about your teaching experiences. Today she shared with me your blog. I have tears streaming down my cheeks as I write this. You are an amazing (and powerful black) woman and an amazing writer. On behalf of all your kids, I thank you for being there, for trying, and for fighting the good fight. I look forward to reading your posts and I will plan a trip to get down to DC to see you and meet your kids. I love that they have become color blind to you. When I lived in Southeast DC when I was young, I signed up to be a b=Big Sister. Each time I was matched with a young black girl and each time the girl rejected me for my skin color. "What would you know about my problems?, etc." I explained that I had ears to hear and I was there and they're black sisters weren't. But each and every time (5 in all) they couldn't get beyond my skin color and they rejected me. And I'm sorry to say that eventually i gave up on them. I'm glad you aren't doing that.
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