FYI: I offer school training on Class/School Culture and Climate. I do not train on Fish! Philosophy, but lessons from my past experience are incorporated into the training. This training can be done in half-day, full-day, or spread out over the school year. The more time allowed for the training, the more time staff has to work on their own ideas.
This page was designed to provide resources and ideas of how I used Fish! Philosophy during my career.
First and foremost, the classroom climate and school climate is the key to success. Do students want to come to your classroom, or are you one of those toxic classrooms/schools? This led me to speak at several KASSP events, and I wrote several articles for their newsletter. Also, I was part of an article for "Education World" titled "Principals Caught Up in Fish! Philosophy."
During my first year as principal at Holton High School, I implemented the Fish! philosophy. For the first two years, my focus was on staff, and then I moved to including students. This website will share the resources and activities that became part of Holton High, and some were also implemented in my second principal's job at Shawnee Heights and Washburn Tech.
If you want photos related to the activities: click here.
Choose Your Attitude
Be There
Make Their Day
Play (have fun at work)
Brief history
I. The Introduction
I purchased enough books for the teaching staff.
After giving them time to read - I launched the book during a staff development day.
While discussing the book, I asked the teachers to reflect on their classrooms and make students' days when they arrived. One teacher said to her table (where I heard) that she made her students' day by being absent. I spoke later and discussed what her words meant about teaching and the climate of her classroom.
II. Activities
The first activity was "Negative Sticks," or what became better known as "the Icky Stick."
I created what I called "Negative Sticks" by writing those words on an ice stick and numbering them. I created five.
Then, I randomly handed them out to five individuals.
I announced that I would send an email to locate the five sticks at the end of each day for a month and create competitions each day.
Master teachers vs. Non-Masters
Males vs. Females
Etc.
If you were in a group that did NOT have a stick, I would place your name into a hat. I will have a drawing at the end of the month later. ($100.00 Walmart Gift Card).
Quickly, the sticks became known as the Icky Sticks. Staff would try to trick others when they had a stick so they could get rid of theirs. Within a few days, almost everyone was overly happy to ensure they didn't say anything negative. The laughs could be heard in the hallways daily. I had two individuals who decided this was stupid and collected the sticks. When I learned of this, I created a new rule. If you had a stick for more than 48 hours, you were disqualified, and I collected the sticks and put them back in play. (More on these two later.)
One staff member did everything she could not to have a stick because she wanted to win the card. Unfortunately, she became a target and was tricked often. When we drew, she didn't win the gift card, but the staff presented her with a 4-foot Icky stick made in the woodshop.
Teachers volunteered to serve meals at Christmas to the help ladies in the cafeteria.
Teachers placed signs on their doors with a smiley face and a sad face, reading, "Choose Your Attitude when entering." One teacher reported that when she got upset in class, the students told her she needed to choose her attitude.
Door decorating became popular. We decorated our doors for Halloween (actually allowed staff to dress up) and other events.
I got several large playground balls and gave them out. If you had a ball, your job was to find someone you didn't speak with very often and visit with them. Then, give them the ball, and that person would sign their name. Then pass it on by going to someone they didn't see often. After a week, I collected the balls, determined who had been visited the most, and gave a small gift.
I purchase a ton of sheets of small smiley face stickies. I gave each staff member a card with a lanyard they wore around their neck and a sheet of stickies they could give out. Whenever you saw someone do something positive or suitable for our school's cause, you gave them a sticky. The person with the most stickies at the end could choose from an electronic device or a meal with the spouse at a local restaurant. I even gave students stickies they could give to teachers. Remember the two guys that were D.Q. with the Icky Stick. They realized how much fun they had missed out on and went way out of their way to earn smiley stickies. I decided to give both of them a prize in which they both choose dinner.
After state testing, we took students outside and let them fly kites. Kites are cheap to buy.
I would have hamburger feeds where administrators would cook hamburgers and give them to students.
Offered cookies baked by the cafeteria ladies during breaks to students.
I would have an all-school assembly and excuse the teachers (we called this C.R.T. - Class Release Time) to finish some work. (I did this about once a month). One month showed them the Fish! Philosophy video, and we threw around a stuffed fish, asking students to share what they took from the video. We also showed movies like "Pay it Forward" or had guest speakers.
The staff met independently without the administration while we hosted an assembly. Teachers worked together on several projects. Once, I don't recall what they were to work on, but it got heated. I learned that folks were upset. So, I announced I wanted to see all the staff in the library just before school was let out. Many arrived and thought they were in trouble. When I told them, I heard how tough the morning was and wanted everyone to go home in a good mood. I handed out Blizzards from Dairy Queen and thanked them for all their hard work.
I would often cover a class to give them a break or let them work on something.
I had a monthly newsletter that offered new strategies or teaching tools. One holiday, I added a coupon in the newsletter that gave out a free movie rental at the local movie rental store. I encouraged staff to find a movie during the break and watch it with the family or their other half.
Challenge teachers to take their fingers off computers and make eye contact when talking to students.
Say "hi" to students as they walk into your classroom and in the halls.
After reading the book "How Full Is Your Bucket?" I took pictures of all staff (teachers and support staff) and hung them on the teacher's workroom wall. Then, I placed a small bucket under the photo and provided paper copies of water drops. I encouraged folks to write little positive notes when they saw someone do something unique and place the water drop in their bucket. This idea also made Education World in an article titled "Recognizing the Stars on Your Staff."
I often fixed meals for the staff. One year, I set up a pasta bar during lunch. They came through the workroom and had stuff prepared so I could throw it together and warm it up.
I would work with the local sub shop and provide free subs to staff.
I worked with various businesses and got free stuff. I would also hand out a gift to a student for all kinds of reasons.
To improve attendance and behavior, students earned their names in a drawing. At the end of the school year, I gave out a computer. This was before we launched a 1-to-1.
Played trivia over the loudspeaker. Students called into the office to win. I used trivia to check out students for the school year. Once they were done, they could leave. Winning trivia was essential.
I hosted an anti-stress week the week before finals. The idea was to help staff focus on getting rid of stress and then ask them to help students during the final week with their anxiety. I sent out a daily email with tips on getting rid of stress. Below is just a very brief highlight of what was in each email.
Monday - activity on closing eyes and deep breathing.
Tuesday - Massage chair for 10 minutes
Wednesday - identify those around you who you could visit with and help with their stress.
Thursday - Nirvana Room, focus on how your classroom can cause you stress.
Friday -Pillow Fight or Punch a Pillow. Setup a pillow ring (like a boxing ring) in the workroom. The staff could come in punch pillows (which we drew faces on) or get into a pillow fight.
Once a year, I would hire someone to come in and give shoulder massages.
During a seminar period, I had each class build its paper plane. Then chose a pilot to fly the aircraft. All students were invited to the gym, and pilots were asked to stand on the gym's walkway. While classes cheered on their pilot, we had heat races to narrow down whose plane would fly the farthest. That class won a free pizza.
Once took students out and built snowmen.
Gift cards to various restaurants were placed under chairs for the first staff development day of the year.
We added a milk machine and sold pizza from Pizza Hut during lunch.
Adopt a family at Christmas and had a drive for gifts.
Turkey Trot - where we had a competition between P.L.C.s and later with students (by grade level) to bring food. Then we asked the counselors to give out the food so that every needy family had enough food for a Thanksgiving dinner. During a staff meeting, counselors report back to staff on the reactions they reached when handing out food.
I gave out Hams to all my staff at Christmas. I worked with a local store to get a special price. I later did hams and turkeys, letting the staff choose. I used my pop machine money to do this.
Tacky Turkey involved drawing a name and giving them a tacky (fun) gift each day for a week. Then, on Friday, provide a nice gift under 10.00. Those interested volunteered to be part of this activity — a lot of fun with the tacky ideas.
Secret Santa again, another volunteer activity.
Did a staff baby photo contest
Between November and December, I hosted a yard sale. Folks do items for sale, and other staff members purchase items. The money raised was used for the Holiday party.
Holiday party - at first was my house, but I determined it worked better to do it at either the end of the day or before school. I would furnish a meal and give away the hams. At one school I couldn't afford hams (too many staff), so I gave out a small gifts.
I tried to thank my staff often, whether in an email or in person.
Educational Week: I gave out sweatshirts that said, "Educators with Attitude." I asked students and staff to write a letter to an educator who made a difference. I then helped and made sure the letter was delivered.
The energy box was a shoebox I gave to teachers. I told them to decorate the box and use it to house all the thank you notes, photos, etc., that would remind them why they got into the profession. During my days at the Technical College level, I gave new instructors a box during new instructor training.
I then turned to my P.L.C.'s and clubs to take a month to bring Fish! Philosophy alive.
One group had a drawing that allowed you to dress up the person you drew any way you wanted. I know for a fact that my name was never made in the drawing because my name landed in the hands of that teacher. I was dressed up in a rented Big Bird Outfit. I wore the outfit all day, which involved giving a tour of campus to a group of High School administrators. We also made the local news.
One group did something every day during the week to remind everyone of the four philosophies. Then on Friday hosted and Hawaiian Luau, where we dressed up. SADD organization having a whole hog roasted, and the local Juvenile Intake employees served non-alcohol drinks to staff and students. We also invited a grade level from the elementary to join our fun and delivered a SADD message.
FCCLA provided candy to students and asked them to make a difference by donating to Ronald McDonald House. Volunteer to pick up trash in the community by cleaning yards
Special Ed served breakfast to the staff and ran a toy drive for soldiers in Iraq.
STUCO volunteerism involving food drives, clothes, city park cleaning, and more
During the seminar, KAYS ran a special presentation on our T.V. network and finished with an A.E.P. party.
I also created a newsletter titled "Living Fish!" Samples can be seen by clicking the philosophies listed below:
Workbook used during training. The link is to a OLD workbook: drive.google.com/file/d/1IXLjLJR6MFnaAVpNDpCBr3C2KtTwOKlt/view?usp=sharing
I also did several trainings over the years. This included middle schools, high schools, and even several businesses. Below are some of the resources I used.
Workbook
I came across a list of ideas and thought I would share. These are not mine:
Attitude
Be prepared for students & teachers.
Posters (Posters and phrases—warning)
Have an unlocked door
Teacher's consciousness of attitude
Teachers warn kids when having a bad day.
Students positive phrase – chart with good comments about fellow students
Provide students with motivational phrases and posters
Create enthusiasm
Make things different to keep it interesting.
Smile - Smile
Laugh
Listen
Compliment
Be there for them make them feel welcome - Greet students by name.
Stay positive, and don't waste their time.
Develop high expectations and help them move in those directions
Teachers spend time together and enjoy each other.
Students and teachers who participate
Make all welcome
More postcards, things like that…
Student recognition – incentives (attend to all students)
Teacher/staff TGIF or TGIM – Play more
More plan days for S.I.T. – complex jobs, etc.
Chocolate
Be prepared each day.
Be flexible
Show appreciation
Be excited about teaching.
Don't do the same thing every day (Variety)
High expectations
Say hi, makes eye contact/smile.
Take baby steps
Saying Hi J.O.E. (Personalize)
How it's beneficial for them in life
Say hi to kids in the hallways (greetings)
Talk one on one with students to show we care about them.
Try to be positive – have some fun.
Treat them as we would like to be treated even though many don't – some do.
As a teacher, I can pray for my student before the start of each day.
As a teacher, I can greet my class and talk with them for the first couple of minutes of every day.
Not talk w/ other staff negatively about other students.
Get my groups outperforming more.
Give students the opportunity for input into class schedules/selections.
Smile
Talk with kids in the hall.
Change classroom posters
Laugh
Give of self
Teach respect, mutual respect.
Make school a place you want to be
Model attitude you expect from students.
Teach how to connect with people
Teach leadership with people
Play
Pep Rallies
Real incentives
School lock-in
See movies together
Have lunch together
Go to dinner together.
Various class activities
More interaction with kids
Play music
Have contest-prizes
Treats for students who are on tasks
Take a few minutes each week just to clown around in class.
Need more interaction outside of school to get to know teachers, not just lunchtime
For the classroom, develop more personalized projects but achieve the goals you are after for student learning.
As a staff encourage each other
Have a semester staff party
Encouragement games like secret Santa
Don't take it personnel if students don't have work done.
A missed assignment isn't the end of the world.
Try to make one student day in each class.
Games
Contest
Music
Games that involve learning content area
Teacher exchange with another subject area
Five minutes to share each day
Positive atmosphere
Staff/family parties
Skits/role-playing
Student input – ask kids for ideas.
Find out the likes of the students and give them choices.
Parties
Staff Retreat
Try/search/find ideas that Marco polo.
Learning games like yarn games. A.E.P. day like softball games
Secret pals once a semester.
Retreats for staff
Dinner together
Puzzles
Brainteasers
Positive attitude
Enjoy what you do
Stucco Parties
Involvement in their interest
Different activities
5 minutes to talk
Ask the student for ideas.
Staff retreat
Staff party and family party
Staff rotates meals
Spend time on the other floors
Competition
Be creative, push the envelope.
Get together, family.
Cards, etc
Make their Day
A.E.P. activities
Be absent
Contact, treat them well.
Get to know them personally-kids, etc.
Not give homework
Give all A's
Allow them to talk
Make a point to visit with every student.
Socialize with staff
Say hello to everyone.
Listen
Student checklist by faculty and classroom teacher
Sharing time
Visit with all A.E.P. kids.
Get them involved
Get kids together
Call students by name
Take time to visit with them.
Learn their interests
Staff – take time to visit personal level with other staff.
Talk with them
Positive body language
Find out what things they like
Congrat notes to parents.
Complements
Celebrate important events/accomplishments
Smile
Talk to students/Praise at the opportunity.
Care/be interested
Send Post Cards
Games/group work
Change seating arrangements
Vary activities
Read comics
Eat chocolate
Music
Mid-day party
Break time – playtime
Team teach – once in a while
Notice their work
Bring food
Be aware of attitude and body language.
Ask how they are doing.
Have an open door
Be sensitive
Try to say hello to each student and class.
Kid around with someone student fellow teachers
Move around the class and connect with kids.
Be upbeat and sincere.
Be accessible
Be open/honest
Talk with them and do some lighthearted joking with them.
Staff- tries complimenting a staff member per day.
Send a note of encouragement home to each student.
Junior class pencils
Speak to those I see – inquire personally about things I know they are involved with
Greet Kids at the door
Recognize each student
Compliment them on something
Notes, emails
Chocolate treats
Use A.E.P. rewards
Talk about outside activities.
Tell a clean joke
Birthday recognition
Compliment
Notice them
Offer comments of some kind.
Be Present
Ask kids what they think.
Share time in class
Talk with each kid
Be excited
Listen to students
Make a card for illness and death
More feedback to students – positive and negative
Have material down so as not stumble through it
Expect a lot and tell them.
More student input and feedback about lessons
Listen to them
Talk with staff
Note unhappiness
Avoid multi-tasks when it comes to students.
Pay attention
Email, etc
Listen, be concerned, and learn from the student.
Be enthusiastic
Get rid of dull lessons.
Show you care by showing grades often.
Offer chocolate
Read aloud to them
Walk around/don't sit at desk or computer.
Show enthusiasm
Smile more
Be passionate about what you do.
Love what you do and show it
Communicate to the student why I love my job
Go to student activities outside of the school day
Get less stressed out.
Attitude
Ask and listen
Notice them
Be ready to go
Ask more of them
Do not accept less
Save ideas – visit with students.
Know what students are working on - see if they need help
Take time
Why things are essential to them
Share ideas with staff
Do an activity you love and show it.
Introduce others
Care about others
Eagles nest
Positive and prepared each day, they step through the door
Learn with students on various lessons
Know that kids have more severe problems wants needs – than getting your work done.
Within reason give them time to do work.