Building
Morale at Your School
How do you contribute to a positive morale at your school? This year our teachers are participating in a
voluntary "Sunshine Buddy" program. Interested
teachers put their name in a hat and they are matched with a secret Buddy to have
a Buddy and to be a Buddy.
There are many ways to appreciate your fellow teachers. There are literally thousands of candy gifts
with clever gift tags. (Who doesn’t love
chocolate or candy?) A big fave where I live is to treat our buddy to
a Sonic (drive-in restaurant) drink. Here
are some other less obvious choices for ways to honor your Sunshine Buddy.
Share an
activity
It’s Fall; time for
everything pumpkin – pumpkin DQ blizzards, pumpkin creamer, even pumpkin ice
cream! As I was browsing in Pinterest,
looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving, I came across an awesome idea
for an activity for a new Thanksgiving pumpkin tradition. It only requires a pumpkin, permanent marker,
and gratitude.
Wouldn’t
this be a fun activity for a classroom?
Children
tell what they are thankful for and it goes on the
Thanksgiving
pumpkin. To share it with my sunshine
buddy, I just buy a pumpkin (we can get this size for $4) and add a permanent
market and cute gift tag describing the activity. Or to make a gift tag, just print this
picture and attach it.
It’s pretty
self-explanatory. If desired, you can direct
your Sunshine Buddy to
One Artsy Mama where
your buddy can read all about this Thanksgiving tradition.
Share
supplies
What supplies are already in short supply? Post-it notes?
Glue sticks?
Expo markers? Look for volume
sales and when you find a good price, while you’re picking up something for
yourself, get a few extra for your sunshine buddy. Looking for a cute way to package them? If they are small enough, put them in a mason
jar.
Here is a blog post from
theSpruceCrafts for
Check out this Glue
Stick Teacher Gift Idea with a free printable gift tag:
Make
a craft
There are literally
thousands of ideas on Pinterest for making Teacher Appreciation gifts for your
Sunshine Buddy. Sometimes just by viewing
the ideas, you may come up with one of your own. It can be as easy as this:
donation is an awesome way to show some love. When you go to DonorsChoose, you can search
by zip code or by school to see if your buddy has a project for
which funding is requested. Another way
is to contribute to a classroom library.
Have a book fair coming up?
Teachers often fill out a “wish list” during the book fair. Sunshine buddies can access the wish list and
treat their Sunshine Buddy for a classroom book that students will enjoy now
and for years to come. A third way is to
purchase item(s) from a teacher’s Amazon Wish List (if they have one) or give
an Amazon gift card.
Give
your Sunshine Buddy a Break!
Is there a specific duty for which your Sunshine Buddy is
responsible? In a school setting
everyone has extra duties they are responsible for – for some it’s morning
duty, afternoon duty, recess duty, bathroom duty, and so forth.
Volunteer to take over your Sunshine Buddy’s
duty. Sometimes filling in for your
Sunshine buddy can be more valuable than any kind of gift. Have a Fall Carnival coming up? Donate candy or other requested supplies on behalf
of your Sunshine Buddy – Check! Our
school has a monthly potluck luncheon.
Bring a dish for your Sunshine Buddy and let your Sunshine Buddy know
they can put their feet up and rest the night before the Potluck and then come
the next day and enjoy the delicious food!
There are many other ways to treat your Sunshine
Buddy. Next time you find yourself saying,
“Wow! I wish someone would do this for
me,” consider if your Sunshine Buddy might be saying the same thing.
What does your campus do to promote morale? Please comment below. THANKS!
