Incentives

This week our school held an Ice Cream Social. This is significant to Big Sur because it is one of the first opportunities for our school and community to come together after tragedy.

Our school has been affected by the Big Sur fires and the start of the year was not an easy one. Many homes in the community were destroyed. School had to be held in town because the fire jumped a break and crept down the ridge behind our school. We have in the last month returned to school.

To make sure parents, families and the school community came together our parent club and administration felt it would be important to bring people together. The Ice Cream Social was a huge success and many students and their families attended.

Events like these are great incentives for students. They enjoy coming to school and sharing their success with their families. While working on a project for a class, I came across a great incentive list. Although tailored to PBIS this incentives list has many great ideas for administration, teachers and parent clubs.

Events like our Ice Cream Social are important no matter the time of year, or happenings of the community. It's important for students to have things to look forward to and take pride in their school. I highly recommend looking at this list and coming up with a few incentives you could do at your school!

Restorative Justice in Monterey County

Restorative justice practices bring together those affected by crime/misbehavior with those that committed the offense and have, to the extent possible, everyone work together to come up with an agreement on how things can be made right as possible. 

I am a fan of restorative justice because it encourages dialogue among those students involved. Resolution and agreement are being done together - consequence or punishment are not created TO or FOR anyone. Instead, restorative justice encourages the creation of an agreement WITH one another. This holds people accountable for their actions, ensures the incident won't happen again, AND makes things as right as possible. 

If you are interested in learning more about restorative justice in schools throughout Monterey county contact Restorative Justice Partners, INC. http://restorativejusticepartners.com/ 

Book Summary: The Five Dysfuctions of a Team

The book The Five Dysfunctions of Team by Patrick Lencioni is a great read for any administrator. 

Each and every team has some sort of dysfunction. That is sometimes what helps you function. This book is a great read because it allows leaders to identify the problems of their team, and capitalize on it. 

The author states that "successful teamwork is not about mastering subtle, sophisticated theories, but rather about combining common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence. Ironically, teams succeed because they are exceedingly human. By acknowledging the imperfections of their humanity, members of functional teams overcome the natural tendencies that make teamwork so elusive".

As the title suggests, Lencioni outlines the five dysfunctions of a team. This includes absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. This book is powerful for administrators because it includes exercises and quizzes to help you and your staff identify the dysfunctions of your school or workplace. 

For a great quick review of this book and to learn about about Lencioni's five dysfunctions please visit the website https://www.talentsquare.com/blog/book-summary-the-five-dysfunctions-of-a-team/