8 Ways to Make Back-to-School Enjoyable for Everyone

We asked our Possip Employees through a Pulse Check to provide a list of ideas for a more enjoyable back-to-school season. Check out what they sent in below. 

---

First things first.  What is Possip?  Possip lets people quickly share praise and feedback so that it’s easier for your staff, families and community to engage! Possip uses your responses to tackle problems and remove barriers such as language, education, transportation, or technology.

— We can even sneak in a Bonus Question of your choice to help answer more specific needs. We used Possip on our own staff to get their ideas with making back-to-school more seamless and enjoyable.

Here is what we came up with!

 

8 Ways to Make Back-to-School Enjoyable for Everyone!

 

1⃣ Plan a mid-week activity.

Parents: Plan a mid week after school activity to give your child(ren) a fresh change of atmosphere. Students: set aside a mid week check-in with a classmate or friend to share how returning to school was. Teachers: choose a teacher buddy & order lunch ahead together from your favorite place.

Helena Whitfield | La Grange, NC

2⃣ Establish your ‘in school” routine.

As soon as you can, establish a routine. Figure out sleep and homework schedules. Sticking to a routine will help you maximize your time.

 Juan Candia | El Paso, TX

3⃣ Back to school ice cream social.

Enjoy a sweet treat for all of the hard work you have put into prepping for a successful school year!

 Jasmine Blue | Nashville, TN

4⃣ Have students find a special memento to bring with to school.

For kids nervous about going to school, have them bring a special memento! It could even be a special rock or small toy. This will act as a reminder that their parents love them – or, when they feel the memento in their pocket, they might remember that moment and share it later.

 Thomas Jordan

5⃣ Make a “modern” school supplies list with tools for virtual learning.

We all know school has been a little crazy these past few years. Try to be extra prepared for anything – this includes prepping for virtual learning.

 Jordan Jones | Miami, FL 

6⃣ Have a celebration! (maybe donuts). 

Let yourself have fun and mark the start of a new school year with some celebrating (and donuts).

 Christine Fisher | Cincinnati, OH

7⃣ Practice routine before school starts.

Have your kids wake up at the right time a few days before school starts. In addition, have them practice opening lunch items, raising their hands and asking for help.

 Adrienne Tate | Denver, CO

8⃣ Send postcards to your new class.

Send your new class post cards about anything you want! This can be a great way to build community and get to know each other.

Natalie Sessoms | Nashville, TN 

 

 

Pictured above is some of our Possip employees from a recent team meeting! 

 

Click here to register for our live demo to learn how to hear the voices of your community!

The post 8 Ways to Make Back-to-School Enjoyable for Everyone appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.

The “To Overcome” List

Shani Dowell, Possip CEO and Founder, shares why it’s important to take a moment to recognize all that you have overcome with a “To Overcome” list. 

---

A few weeks ago, I talked about the power of a “To Did” list. Now I want to highlight the power of a “To Overcome” list.

Actually, I was recently walking through my house and realized that for 3 weeks we had people sleeping in rooms that weren’t their own, sick people,
people in quarantine, and NO ONE was on a routine schedule.

— In short, COVID and “back to school” chaos hit our house in spurts.

Yet, I was wondering … 

— Why was I so tired? How come I was less productive? Why was I so overwhelmed?

Also, in hindsight, I knew why I was overwhelmed – sickness, overambition, lack of routine, chaos.

Consequently, this led me to want to share my encouragement – and realization – with you: the
“To Overcome” list.

— What did you overcome in your household this week? Were there big challenges that you tackled?

As parents, we often take for granted that not only are we making big things happen 
– but we are overcoming a lot in the process.

---

 

The “To Overcome” list:

Did you start something new in your work or educational life?

Did your kids have ANYTHING that wasn’t routine?

Are you handling additional activities – Sports? Arts? Friends?

Is there drama happening in your life related to work? Personal relationships? Family?

Do you have financial struggles you are navigating?

Are you taking care of others – outside of your child?

Do you have challenges or big responsibilities at work?

Do you have your own physical or mental health you are working through?

Are others in your family working through physical, mental, or spiritual health? 
Or differences?

Do you have big questions in your own life that you are trying to answer?

Are you trying to make improvements in your life in some way?

Are you trying to plan anything for yourself, a friend, or your work?

 

Any – and all of these things – are part of your “to overcome” list. So, you shouldn’t take them for granted. In fact, they are things you are overcoming to work and support your family.

 

Want to learn more about maximizing self-appreciation? Check out how to make a “To Did” list!

The post The “To Overcome” List appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.

Possip Spotlight: How KIPP Nashville Amplifies Voices

Last year, using Possip, KIPP Nashville asked their staff a powerful question: “What is one task or duty that would be helpful to take off your plate so you can fully focus on daily student growth?” The KIPP Nashville leadership team landed on this question after considering ways they could make the work lives of their teachers and staff more streamlined. 

KIPP Nashville’s Executive Director, Randy Dowell, initially thought an email blast asking this question would suffice but turned to Possip based on the suggestion of a team member. In 48 hours, they had a Pulse Check Report with clear examples from their staff on how they, as leaders, could help their teachers fully focus on student growth. Watch this Vocal Video to learn more about how asking one question can create a large impact. 

---

The post Possip Spotlight: How KIPP Nashville Amplifies Voices appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.

Possip Live Demo

Join our live demo happening on August 23rd! Join our speakers, Natalie Sessoms and Hannah Hall, to learn how Possip gives you a tool to hear from and celebrate your communities voices!

The post Possip Live Demo appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.

The “To Did” List

Shani Dowell, Possip CEO and Founder, shares the importance of showing appreciation to yourself during stressful times with a “to did” list! 

---

Y’all. This back-to-school season honestly almost took me out. The good news is we are back in the swing like never before.  That also means we are still trying to make up for lost time with our kids and doing THE MOST!  Most sports, activities, hopes. Or maybe I am speaking for myself. 

 

— And on top of that COVID is still real. We have spent the past month in my house going to or from COVID cases. 

— And none of that even deals with my day job.  I love my work leading Possip, and yet it is a rigorous job. 

 

So I have been overwhelmed- and venting to whoever will listen (including the Possip chatbot last week). Yesterday, while venting to my cousin GroupMe chain, I had a moment of “dang!  You are doing a lot!”  In result, today, I repeated the activity. I vented about everything I had done that day- big or small. From working – to walking the dog. From picking up my daughter from Volleyball practice to helping my son do his makeup work.  And after looking at my “to did” list I was feeling a little Lizzo energy “I’ma marry me one day!”

 

So this post and email are to encourage all of you – no matter what your role or identity is as a parent.  Make a “to did” list and give yourself credit for all the amazing things – big and small- you are doing.

 

---

 

A “to did” list is a celebration of all you have accomplished or done in a day.  So often we end our day reflecting on what we DIDN’T do.  This makes us feel badly about ourselves, underestimate what we have done, and can create a vicious spiral of feeling not good enough.

 

Here are four ways to make your “to did” list.

 

Top Ten List: 

Think of 10 things you did or accomplished that day.  The list can be as general or specific as you want.  Examples include: Worked; Sent Sophia an email; Took my kids to school; Made dinner for family; Washed the dishes; Took a walk; Scheduled an appointment with a client; Supported a friend with a text. 

My guess is once you start making the list you’ll find you have a lot more than ten. But forcing yourself to list at least ten things will help you realize what you have done.

 

Schedule: 

Go through your schedule for the day and write out each of the things you did.  Include meetings, little things you did (put away some laundry, responded to a text). So, you’re focusing on things you did at a high level that were scheduled, but also the small things you did in between.  Include things – even if you enjoyed them!  Did you workout?  Call your mom?  Talk to your sister?  Those are also things that you “did” that made a difference to your day and  to someone.

 

Who You Supported List: 

If you’re a people person you may really feel accomplished by who you’ve supported. In fact, Sometimes you forget how many people you have supported in a day.  Go through and list all the people you in some way supported that day.  Who did you show up for at a meeting?  Did you help anyone with carpool?  Who did you listen to? What did you give or offer to your friends? Parents? Kids? Partner? Team members?

Once you realize ALL the people you supported in that day – and you may also realize why you might feel so taxed and spent by the end of the day :).

 

4×4 List: 

A fourth strategy is anchoring in 4 areas you may care about, and creating a list of 4 things in those areas you did that day.   This will help you see the number of different areas you supported. Again, forcing yourself to list a number of things makes you spend time thinking about what you have done and accomplished.

You can choose your 4 (or you can choose to make it a 3×3, 5×4, you choose the number of columns and rows!

 

Work	Kids	Friends	Fitness
Hosted event	Dropped Jodi off at school	Supported Russe through text	Walked the dog
Met with career services office	Took kids to soccer practice	Celebrated Sally’s promotion on Linked In	Breathed deeply
Served 20 customers	Signed homework	Talked with Erin at carline	Got 7 hours of sleep
Signed a contract	Updated transportation for today	Scheduled flight to see Kamila	Parked further to walk more.

 

Click here for tips for leaders on incentives in the classroom!

The post The “To Did” List appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.

Incentives in The Classroom

Virginia Williams, Possip reporter with a background in Elementary Education & Special Education from Raleigh, NC, gives school leaders some tips for incentives in the classroom.

---

Typically by September or October, we begin seeing family feedback about classroom consequences and incentives. It’s heartbreaking for a parent to hear their child say “we lost recess because a few kids were talking too much.”  We’re going to focus on some of the positive incentives that can be helpful.

I’m sure most teachers at some point have tried to motivate students by threatening them with the loss of privileges. I know a lot of teachers share that guilt.  We’ve heard (and maybe even said) phrases like: “If you ____, you’ll have to sit out of recess!” or “If you don’t ____, you’ll have silent lunch!” 

Even worse, sometimes an entire class receives a consequence because of the choices made by one or two students.  With the start of a new school year around the corner, you are thinking about how to build positive school culture.  School leaders want to see joy-filled classrooms with students who are motivated to succeed rather than classrooms with a culture of fear-based compliance.  You can help your staff achieve this goal by teaching them how to effectively use positive incentives.  Even more, we want you to begin this year with confidence in your teachers’ ability to reward and motivate students both individually and collectively.  Below are some ideas for you to share with your teachers.

Group Incentive

There is something so powerful about feeling like an important part of a community.  One of the best ways to create a team-like environment inside the classroom is to frequently remind students that they all have a role, and praise them when they do their part.  In lower grades it might sound like this: 

“We are about to go to recess. Remember, if each of us lines up quickly and quietly, we will be outside sooner and have more time to play.  This means every single person needs to go straight to their line spot with calm, silent bodies.  Ready? Go…Oh wow, I notice Kiyah is already in her line spot!  That helps our team get to recess faster!”  

To motivate students a step further, I encourage you to implement the ten-frame strategy.  A simple ten frame is a wonderful tool that can help to build community while also reinforcing math skills in lower grades.  When the entire class is meeting expectations, the teacher can add a point to the ten frame.  It might sound like this:

Oh my goodness!  The whole class got to their line spots silently!  Our team has earned a point in our ten frame!  Now we have ___ points.  We need ____ more points to fill our ten frame.” 

When the ten frame is full, the class earns a celebration.  The celebration can be a two-minute dance party or a quick game of ‘I Spy’. 

Individual Incentive

So what about when NOT everyone in the class is meeting expectations?  What about when you give perfectly clear directions and narrate the positive behaviors you want to reinforce, but there are still a few students who don’t ‘go to their line spot silently’?  Sometimes students wonder why they should behave – when others don’t.

That’s where individual incentives come in.  Students need something to work for that cannot be taken away by another student’s choices. 

A ‘VIP Bucket’ is very useful here – all you need is a medium-sized container and some construction paper.  You’ll cut the pieces of construction paper into strips, big enough to write a student’s name on each one.  When an individual is meeting expectations despite the choices of others, his/her name gets written on a strip and put into the VIP bucket.  At the end of the week, select a few names out of the VIP bucket to get a reward!  In lower grades, this might be taking home the class stuffed animal for the weekend.  In upper grades, it could be a homework pass or bonus points on an upcoming assignment.   

We hope these examples inspire you to help your teachers create positive classroom environments this year.  Remember, focusing on the positive is always a good choice!  

Check out these best practices related to discipline, that don’t incite punishment or harm the teacher-student relationship!

The post Incentives in The Classroom appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.

Possip Live Demo

Join our speakers, Natalie Sessoms and Hannah Hall, on a 30 minute overview to see how Possip helps schools and districts routinely access feedback from their stakeholders – families, staff, and students!

The post Possip Live Demo appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback App.