The Fish Philosophy

From national conferences to the local teacher workroom, we have all heard much discussion about improving student achievement. Whether we talk about Marzano, quote DuFour, or discuss Tomlinson, all of us have at likely asked or been asked the question: "What are the biggest factors that affect student achievement?" Is it peer pressure? How about low reading skills? Maybe it is environment? There exist a vast array of ideas and answers to that question. Sometimes I get too caught up in the research that I forget to look in the mirror. One of the biggest factors that influences student achievement (in my humble opinion) is the teacher. Most of us start our careers with an unbridled passion and an unparalleled idealism that makes every student a future doctor, lawyer, teacher or nurse. And then somewhere along the way (usually by our 5th year) we seem to loose that focus. We get into a "rut" and we become oh so comfy in our routine. We begin see the glass as half empty rather than half full. Morale declines and turnover begins to rise. WHY? Somewhere along the way, many teachers forget how FUN and REWARDING our job can be! Recently I was given a book entitled "The Fish Philosophy" and I must admit, I was not in the know! With my curiosity peaked, I was shown a video about a group of workers at Pikes Place Fish Market in Seattle, Washington who decide to change the way they operate to make work more enjoyable.

There are four key parts of The Fish Philosophy:

1. Play - You must have fun! Of course this does not mean leave your students unattended while you play Bananagrams with the teacher across the hall, but this does mean to make your classroom educational and FUN! What are some ways you do this at school?

2. Make their day - Sometimes we may be the first adult interaction a student has in day. Do you greet your students as they enter our class? Do we always take the time to make our students and/or coworkers have a better day? Sometimes we may be the only positive adult interaction for a child in our classroom. And let's face it we are all happy when someone is sincere and genuine in his/her effort to make our day a little better. How do you make their day?

3. Be there - It is easy to be physically present, but are we always emotionally present? We must be emotionally present for both our students and our coworkers. Do we see the "big picture" for that individual? Are we really listening - even if we don't like what we hear? What are ways you are there for your students and colleagues?

5. Choose your attitude - I once taught at school where every day after morning announcement, the reader would say, "Make it a great day or not. The choice is yours." My students always laughed and over time many grew frustrated with the the daily quote. I had never thought about it in that way, but it is so true. Whether it is a great day or not is up to us. How do we react? What attitude do we choose to embrace? Certainly there are going to be some days that are less than fabulous. However, isn't it exciting to think that we have the power to choose to have a positive day regardless of the series of events. What's your attitude? More importantly what is your attitude when the attitude of others is negative?

How much difference could we make in student performance if we embraced the Fish Philosophy rather than Dory's idea to just keep swimming?