Leading schools through rough waters with FISH!
Sharing FISH Positivity Framework to help Principals and teachers deal with ever-changing COVID requirements.
This year’s fresh start has been anything but, usually, the New Year brings hope, happiness and goals. With each state dealing with different requirements for returning to the classroom one thing all schools have in common is this is uncharted territory and the waters are looking rough ahead.
Teachers are heading back to school not knowing what to expect and it is causing them to be anxious and uncomfortable.
The conversations we have been having with Education Professionals have a common theme and it is not very happy.
- “I have lost my passion for work.”
- “I have no desire to return to the classroom.”
- “A lack of knowing what is going on has increased my anxiety so much that I have left my full-time position.”
And if the teachers are feeling this way it is bound to transfer across to the students. As a leader of the school do you have a plan to Boost Staff Morale?
As a leader are you asking yourself what now? How can you prepare your teachers and students for what is coming when as a Leader you are not sure yourself?
Well, we would love to assist with a few tips and suggestions to create positivity during these uncertain times. First, let’s take a look at what we can control.
- Unwind when you are at home and give yourself time to relax and refresh.Get plenty of rest and don’t stress about things that you can not control, especially outside of work hours.
- Consciously choose how you will show up each and every day.
- Create positive habits that support your personal well-being.
The more you communicate and show that you are up to date with all the current information the better your team will trust and respect you and feel at ease to focus on what they need to achieve.
- So set aside time each morning to read up on all of the latest news related to your state requirements.
- Hold a daily briefing with staff so that they know they have this to look forward to.
- Ensure communication platform (website, FB group or emails) is accurate and up to date. Maybe create a new FB group just for COVID updates and invite your parents so that everyone is informed.
As part of your daily briefings ask your team how they are doing but have a little fun with this. Look for a creative way to test the water and check-in with how everyone is feeling.
We love to use Fishy terms in our surveys such as; rate your positivity today on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being Floundering, 2: Cod be Better 3: Fishy Fishy, 4: Pro-fish-cent 5: STARFISH!)
- Create a fun check-in survey
- Create solutions to support the team based on responses
Be aware of how you are coming to work each and every day. If you are feeling low or exhausted make a conscious choice to choose a positive attitude.
- Create a list of 5 positive attitudes that will help you make the most of your day (focused, determined, optimistic, happy, confident)
- Share your chosen attitude with your team and invite them to join you by choosing their own attitude. This can be updated moment by moment as required but be aware that no situation can PUT you in a bad mood that is your choice. This is a life habit that takes practice and has the best results when shared with a team that can hold you accountable and also joins you in their own journey.
With so much uncertainty around school restrictions, unfortunately, most schools were unable to continue with their usual PD days as planned. Yet clever School Leaders are still providing development opportunities to their staff through other options.
- Online Courses that promote positivity and personal well-being
- Recommended reading or podcasts shared.
- Extra time given instead of training to allow staff to prepare mentally and physically for the year ahead.
We recommend a combination of the above three. Share a common Way of Being through FISH for Educators (appropriate for teaching and non-teaching staff). Only 60 minutes to complete but learners will learn valuable life skills that when practiced at school will help them to enjoy work and be more supportive and productive members of the school and community.
OFFER: Use coupon code: FISHBTS20 when checking out to receive 20% discount or contact us for large group discounts.
Build relationships and take time to set up your classroom behaviour expectations for the year ahead. What goals will your students achieve together as a group? How can you track success of these group goals? Maybe one of the goals is to create a Classroom Culture of Positivity and have a Zero tolerance for negativity. You might want to create a Giant Choose Your Attitude Chart and involve your students in this project. They can even have input on which attitudes are acceptable and make it to the chart as options. Then when each student enters the classroom they will select their name and move it to the attitude they have chosen to adopt for the day.
- It will pay off later if you take the time to get to know your students from day one. Students can Choose Their Attitude on their first day which can stem open conversations and build positive relationships.
- Brain breaks are a great way to introduce daily mindfulness for students (and you) – daily meditation is one way you can enhance wellbeing.
- Promote a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset by making it clear that mistakes are okay as it is through these mistakes that we learn and our intelligence is improved.
Set the Scene with FISH!
When a student first steps into a room they will make a judgment about the type of class they are going to be taking. They will notice what is hanging on the walls. The way in which a teacher sets up their class allows them to communicate with their students non-verbally.
Schools teaching SEL within a prevention-focused continuum of supports, such as PBL, have reported reduced rates of bullying, increased sense of school safety, improvements in students’ emotional regulation and greater staff and student wellbeing. – (Source: Queensland Government website).
A Choose Your Attitude wall will allow students to non-verbally communicate with teachers how they are feeling and enable teachers to then support those students’ based on their response.
Could also be set up in staffrooms to make other staff members aware of how their colleagues are feeling and from that they could make an extra effort to Make Their Day.
