Today I attended Day 1 of Leadership Academy in my district of Henrico County for all the K-12 Administrators. Today’s Theme: Day of Discipline Positive School Climate and Outreach. Within the first 10 minutes of our welcome, “Discipline” was stricken from the title and transformed to “Positive School Climate and Outreach,” and I couldn’t have been happier. There are so many issues debated in the the education world today: ed reform, school policy, technology trends, national standards, school safety, no child left behind–the list goes on and on. There is one topic that all educators can and should agree on: building strong and meaningful relationships and motivating our students will foster a positive and inviting classroom leading students wanting to succeed in the classroom.
Now, I’m not naive to think that this is the only thing that will help students or that it will even be an easy process. That being said, making this a priority in schools and classrooms will only help the process of improving many issues that may arise. If you’re a classroom teacher and think, “I’m tied to my classroom. I can’t do anything for the whole school.” Think again! As @LeadershipTips on Twitter said, “Think big, believe big, act big, and the results will be big.”
Positive relationships and Motivation are contagious! In an education system where many of the educators on the front lines—the classroom teachers—are frustrated, motivation to stay the course is imperative. As soon as the drive to be the best at one’s craft starts to diminish, the quality of work and work ethic will quickly follow suit, and so will the students’ drive to succeed. A sense of contagious optimism from administration and teachers will help motivate the students in a positive direction. It’s not always easy, but as the great Julius Erving once said, “being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don’t feel like doing them.” There will be days that are hard to handle, but handled with a sense of contagious optimism for students and colleagues, can help motivate that sense of drive to get the job done.
Use this positive relationship building and contagious optimism and take a stand to make this year FUN! Make your classroom one that your students want to attend everyday! Make your students say, “NOOOOO!!!” when you tell them they will have a substitute teacher the next day. Get your students to ask everyday, “What crazy awesome things are we going to do in class today?” Think of your class as a dance party, and you’re the DJ. Do you want your students sitting on the outside of the dance floor, arms crossed, just listening to the music? Of course not! Its your job to get them to dance! Get those students on the dance floor and rockin’ out to their learning! Find the “music” that motivates their learning and keeps them dancing and begging for more!
