Well, it does for me. In fact, when I was at Pike Place in the 90s, I felt compelled to watch the fish market/entertainment for almost an hour. Evidently, I had a sixth sense seeing those Levi-wearing mongers in action would one day prove useful for blogging.
Years later, a FISH philosophy was documented using the organized fish market mayhem. Though some ex-employees from Pike Place say the philosophy is...smelly....many businesses and schools have adopted the FISH philosophy and its four tenets as everyday practice. See what you think? Could your classroom adopt these tenets? For parents and assorted others, could your family or business?
Tenet #1: Be there. Focus on your students and what is going on in the classroom; not all the things you have to do when you get out of work that evening. Ask students to do the same. This creates mindfulness and encourages being in the present moment.Tenet #2: Play. Teaching and learning is more fun when educators and students are having fun. How can you encourage play in your classroom and still balance tackling your daily learning objectives?
Tenet #3: Make Their Day. Little acts of kindness can go a long way. How can you show students they are valued in your classroom and welcomed there? Can you make their day collectively or individually? I've been known to go down my roster and make a different student's day each day. It does take a splash of creativity and effort to pull this off sucessfully.
Tenet #4: Choose Your Attitude. Life, as we know, has its ups and downs. The attitude we choose to get through those ups and downs is what makes good folks great. Which attitude will you choose today? How about your students? My friend, D, writes down on a sticky note a word describing the attitude she chooses for that day. That way, if she needs a reminder, it is visually there for her.
The FISH philosophy and organization has many resources for you to learn more and make your FISHing most meaningful. I highly recommend their books - Fish, Fish Sticks and Fish Tales - to name a few. If you click on the bookmark above, you can download a whole page of bookmarks; a great reminder of the four tenets.
Off to make little O's day,
Jen
