Motivation is a Drop in the Bucket at Durant Road Middle
December 16, 2008 - At Durant Road Middle, teachers are working together in learning teams to discuss instruction and how to best meet the needs of students. One team or Professional Learning Committees (PLC) did an experiment. The team of six grade science teachers read How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Don Clifton. The book draws on Gallup research and millions of interviews to argue that positive interactions lead to solid relationships, higher worker satisfaction and increased productivity. The authors suggest that everyone has a bucket that needs to be filled with positive experiences, such as recognition or praise, or “drops in their bucket.” The team began to put the ideas into practice by passing out 'drops' to staff members. No major expense was incurred and no time or money spent on fancy program promotion during staff development. Yet the entire staff has been encouraged by these 'drops' of recognition and encouragement.The idea was such a success, that the administration and the art teacher got involved. Three beautiful buckets were painted with the school’s mascot, the dolphin. Each bucket is given to a staff member during our monthly faculty meeting. A bucket is usually presented with a creative, heartfelt verse written on a 'drops' to tell the collective staff all of the many reasons that particular staff member is being recognized for the month. Recipients enjoy the bucket for a month, then pass it to another staff member. The benefits are far reaching! Teachers look forward to monthly staff meetings, waiting to see who will receive the buckets. Teachers who are awarded buckets are motivated to rise to the attributes read from the 'drops' of recognition. The positive energy, which began with one PLC, has spread to all of the staff.
Thanks to Nancy Dooley of Durant Road Middle School.
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