How can I make my school a more positive place for students and faculty?

Question

I'm currently teaching in a school that has a very negative attitude towards everything and I can see it having an effect on my first grade class. Right now, the students/faculty are hearing 10 negatives for one positive: I need to turn the school around so that we're focusing on the positive things that people are doing and what they do right, rather than things that people are doing wrong. I'm looking for tried-and-tested ideas for making the school as a whole a happier and more positive place for everyone.

It's a private school, so the school isn't huge. The other problem is in the (very cliquey) community where everyone is very negative both feed each other's attitude. I'm trying to get the school to become positive so that it will encourage the community to become more positive also.
I have the support of the Heads of School (religious and secular), the Principal and the Board of Education. All have tried to think of something before but with no luck, so I thought I'd step in.
The walls were recently repainted and as much as I'd like to do that, it's not in our budget to be able to right now.

Answer 1

More power to you! I started my teaching careeer in a low income area where education was not highly regarded by the community. Unfortunately, many of the school staff members were also burned out and negative. In response to my, "Good morning!" my teaching assistant would routinely reply, "What's so good about it?" The teachers in the staff lounge would complain about how nearly all these stupid kids failed the last test. It was pretty depressing.

I started small, within my own class. As with all types of learning, learning new attitudes is a process, not an event. It takes time to turn things around, especially when the group you are working with is feeling so beaten down. But you are fortunate to have 1st graders - they are still young enough that they can't be as jaded as an older group of kids. Make your classroom as inviting and appealing as you possibly can, both in terms of the physical (clean, bright, interesting decor that changes with the seasons or teaching themes) and also in terms of the psychological environment. If you love to come to school and be with the kids, if you are thrilled to see them learn and grow, it is contagious. You already understand the power of the positive, and you will be sharing it with the kids. The little ones really look up to us, which gives us so many wonderful opportunities to impact their lives. One of my primary philosophies as a teacher is to instill a sense of responsibility in my students. Part of this means taking responsibility for our own accomplishments; I rarely say, "I'm so proud of you." Instead, I will say, "Paul, this was so hard, but you kept working at it. It feels so good to work hard and learn new things, doesn't it? You must be so proud of yourself." It's a small difference, but I want the kids to learn that there is intrinsic satisfaction to a job well done. That's where self-esteem really comes from.

Having said that, though, I also believe in giving positive reinforcement in as many ways as I can. With little ones, it often doesn't take much in the way of tangibles. I currently teach special ed (K - 2) and my little guys like to get a sticker on a card on their desk for completing a task, or for appropriate behavior. With some groups, I have had a token economy, where they could exchange the completed sticker card for a prize, but these little guys are happy with the sticker card, which goes home with a positive note. It's always good to contact the parents of the students with good news, as early and as often as possible. A note home, or a quick phone call saying, "I just wanted to share this wonderful thing about your child," helps establish rapport with the family. That in turn helps the family to promote a good attitude about school in the home. (Also, if you have to report bad news at some time in the future, you have already demonstrated that you do know about the good things this child does; you're not just a mean old teacher picking on the kid.)

Are there any projects on campus that your class can take on as a group effort? Instilling some pride in making your school a better place sometimes has a ripple effect, too. Can your class start a small garden area, or a recycling program, or make murals to beautify the hallway? Once your class has a project, you may see other teachers become inspired (or competitive, or jealous, but hey - whatever gets them moving!)

As far as expanding to the campus as a whole, you will need to perservere and know that there are some old (and young) grumps who may ultimately come around a bit, and there may be others who are so habitually down that nothing you do may ever change them. But try bringing a treat to the staff lounge - homemade brownies and a bouquet for the table, maybe. And I have always felt that establishing a good relationship with the office manager/ secretary and the custodian is crucial (maybe even more so than with the principal, although I would never say that at school!) Taking a moment to talk with them, and to express your appreciation on a regular basis works wonders! I also leave small anonymous tokens to various people now and again - a small box of chocolates, a nice pen, a $5 gift card for coffee, a card telling them to have a great day - just something to make them smile for a minute and wonder who was thinking of them.

Make sure you are taking good care of yourself. This project is a worthwhile one, but it will take time, and you may find yourself getting pretty tired (as if teaching 1st grade isn't tiring enough!) And one of the things that continues to surprise me, 30 years after I first got my credential, is that we never know what is going to have an impact on others. I am still amazed when parents tell me what an impression something made on their child, when it seemed so tangential to me that I could barely remember it. So keep on keeping on - you may make a huge difference when you least expect it.

Answer 2

A friend/coworker did an internship for principal a few years ago in a school like this. It was situated in a low class area of town and I think the entire aura of school was negative. I hated going to this school because it was so negative!
She got some paint and started painting the walls. She enlisted the help of teachers and students. She made the walls very virbrant and colorful instead of the dreadful colors usually seen.
She also made walls for student of the week where it would display a picture and tidbits of info on the student, such as favorite foods, subjects and dreams. She also did this for a teacher of the week...why they like to teach ect.
I saw a total transformation in the school's attitude by doing this.
Call a paint supply store in your area and see if they are willing to donate thier screwups and have a paint party.
I love going to this school now because it is one of the most positve. Even the dreadful state tests scores went up.

Answer 3

I don't know if you have extra "money" to spend on this.But, Jennifer Yazell from goldeneggcommunications.com came to our school. She spoke to our faculty about how we could develop better communication skills and accepting skills to help our school become a more positive environment.
She did a wonderful presentation of communicating styles (just like learning styles)

I believe it has made a difference in how I communicate and recieve communication from other staff members. It brought out some issues that teachers felt were happening, that others didn't see the same way, and opened many doors for discussion.

"what some people saw as "clique-y" others saw as a proximity or grade level issue. She really helped open those lines of communication....

Answer 4

My school isn't negative but our Headmaster was trying to make sure it didn't go that way by telling us all about the book "How Full is Your Bucket?" This book and its ideas will definitely help you in your quest. The basic idea is that everyone has a figurative bucket. When people say good thing this fills your bucket. And obviously when people say bad things this empties your bucket. There are ways to focus on filling buckets and this book will help you all "see the light". Maybe you can have the staff do a workshop with the book - and then teach the kids all about it so they will tell their parents - a kind of ripple effect.

www.bucketbook.com


The other idea I have used in my own classroom is that of "Tribes". One of the main reasons people can get "hostile" is when their basic needs of security aren't met. The concept is that you get everyone to join in a kind of family as a class or as a school called a tribe. They offer extensive workshops and it really helps with bullying and handling awkward relationship issues. But see for yourself - www.tribes.com

Good Luck!

Answer 5

DANGER!!!!first of all the system is hard to manipulate...doing that would be the equivalent of questionning the sys of ed in the US.. second thing you can do is to be positive.. the more u show that, the more others would take you as a model.. or if that doesn't work make a scandal.. at a big event.. shout it out loud..

Answer 6

Good luck with this one. If school management is negative, the entire staff will be negative, too.

My son went to a school for 10 years where management was VERY negative and controlling. NOTHING the parents said had any change on the school and its management. The principal told us "my way, or the highway." The only way we could make a change was to put our son in another school.

Time for you to save yourself and work at a different school.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

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