Monday Memo - August 20

A few random notes:

• Please don't put your extra student desks in the hallway yet. We still have Registration Day on Tuesday, August 21 which always brings in new students to our lists.  Also, Mr. Schimmel will be waxing the hallway floors the following weekend (starting the evening on Friday, August 24).  He cannot do this if there are desks/other furniture in the hallway.
• If you plan on coming in at night to work, it may be wise to call and make sure that Mr. Schimmel didn't start on a hallway early.  If he does, you won't be able to walk down it!
• Mr. Schimmel has 6 bulletin boards that we can put up in the hallways to display student writing (at a lower level for students to be able to read them). Please let me know if you would like one outside your classroom. First come first serve.
• There are several 4 drawer file cabinets up for grabs by the receiving area. Let me know if you would like one and we'll have it put in your classroom. 
• As you are reorganizing classrooms for the new year, if you have anything you don't want you can put it in the staff lounge (there's already a pile of free stuff on the table).  Everything from the stage over the summer (last year's freebies) has been donated, so this will be a new batch. 
• If you need to put tape on your floor for anything, please see Kenny for tape that you can use.  Any tape other than floor tape (which he can give you) wrecks the floor. 
• A reminder from Mrs. Thompson's email: If you have a parent documentation log that you currently use, please don't prepare it for this year.  There will be a standardized one that we will be providing for you. 

And now, a Friday Focus Reflection (originally posted on my other blog):

I've read a number of books by Jon Gordon and have never been disappointed.  His books are quick reads, but always inspirational with powerful, positive messages.  I recently read The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work.  Who doesn't encounter issues of complaining, whether it's your spouse, a colleague or even yourself?

Complaining is very prevalent, however, the negativity it spreads is like cancer.  In Gordon's book, he shares the cost of negativity:

• Negativity costs the U.S. economy between $250 to $300 billion every year in lost productivity according to the Gallup Organization. 
• 90% of doctor visits are stress related, according to the CDC, and the #1 cause of office stress is coworkers and their complaining, according to Truejobs.com
• A study found that negative employees can scare off every customer they speak with--for good (How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath). 
• Too many negative interactions compared to positive interactions at work can decrease the productivity of a team, according to Barbara Frederickson's research at the University of michigan. 
• One negative person can create a miserable office environment for everyone else. 

This list could go on, but I'm sure you get the point: Complaining breeds negativity, and negativity makes it difficult to accomplish anything. So, how do you handle the Complainers?  One could imagine handling complaining this way...

Gordon's book is all about putting The No Complaining Rule into effect with suggestions to do instead of complaining (replacing a bad habit with a better practice):

1. Practice Gratitude

2. Praise Others

3. Focus on Success

4. Let Go

5. Pray and Meditate

(The list with descriptions can be found here).

The most memorable part of the book for me was an explanation from the "yard guy" on how he eliminates weeds. Instead of attacking the weeds with chemicals he uses an organic mixture that "creates an environment where the good grass can grow healthy and strong."  This allows the grass to grow and spread to the point that the weeds get crowded out and can no longer grow.

What does this "organic mixture" look like in schools?  For the adults, I see this as building on teachers' strengths, creating an environment in which teachers are constantly learning together and from each other.  Teachers share new ideas, or read some of the same books together, and even observe each other's classrooms to help improve the teaching and learning in their own classrooms.  For students this is also building on strengths and positives, versus focusing on wrongdoings and consequences.  For many schools this is being done through PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) or character development programs.  This year our school is going to use the "Bucket Fillers" theme, which I thought of the entire time I read The No complaining Book.  We already have a positive culture in our building, but I am excited to see what this theme will add to it as we focus on praising others and celebrating our success.

I would highly recommend anyone read this book.  You can find additional resources here whether you have read the book or not.  And I challenge you to take a Complaining Fast. Start with just a day and then try a week of No Complaining!  Focus on the things you "get to do" instead of "have to do" and turn your complaints into solutions.