How P2 Has Made a Difference at Yacks Elementary
By Brianna RoachThe Positivity Project has been a great addition to the school day for Yacks Elementary students. Students of all ages and grades are responsive to the program. As a first-year implementing school, we have laid the foundation for using the program and made future plans for the best way to implement The Positivity Project in our school climate.
Our classrooms use the daily slides, read-aloud, mindful movement, and breathing exercises to support student understanding of character strength topics. For some of our younger learners, we have taken more time to support their understanding of basic character strengths to build healthy social habits and vocabulary usage. Using the daily slides and some of the Tier II materials has helped teachers implement the program in a way that their students are responsive to on a daily basis. With just a few minutes each day, teachers can communicate expectations through character strengths with their students.
We have noticed students using the character strength vocabulary to describe characters when retelling or summarizing a text. It has been great to hear students using the character strength words and truly understand what they mean.
The program not only supports positivity and collaboration by building peer relationships, but supports relationships between students and staff as well.
How Yacks Elementary Has Implemented P2
Our school created a display in our main display case showing the character strengths of The Positivity Project as branches on a tree. This stays on display for students to notice and spend time with daily or as needed. Posted near the display are the questions for supporting students in de-escalating themselves in a situation. These questions are helpful for us because we have focused so much on restorative practices in the past. The questions help to bridge the gap and support students and staff in fully implementing The Positivity Project.
At the beginning of the school year and the start of our implementation journey with the program, teachers used the survey to choose their top three character strengths. We have these posted outside of each staff member’s classroom or office to support consistency and presence within the school building.
Our school has hosted monthly assemblies to come together and touch base on the character strengths and examples of how they are implemented in real life. Students have been able to engage with students from other classes during these assemblies. The assemblies are just like the daily slides, simple and easy to implement!
The morning announcements have been beneficial for our school because they support consistency. Each morning, the announcements are used for the character strength of the week. This is helpful for students to hear from each of the classrooms. It is also helpful for staff to hear because it helps to keep us all on the same page and in the same positive mindset to support our students in learning and using these character strength skills. The ease of the morning announcements and the simple way in which this enhances our day supports our students in reminding them that all staff are on board and support students in using and understanding the character strengths in order to be the best version of themselves at school and in the community.
The Difference P2 Has Made
Our students are perfect candidates for a program of this kind. We have many students who can use extra social support and encouragement on a daily basis. Using The Positivity Project to meet those needs is simple and enjoyable for teachers. The minimal prep required supports teachers being able to prep for academic activities. Teachers feel that they can realistically meet student social and academic needs with this program because of the simplicity of its organization and the implementation.
As a P2 leader in my building, I feel I have seen and heard a change in many students because of the program. Students identifying their own strengths, the strengths of others, as well as using the terms in an academic setting proves just how cohesive the program is and the way in which it supports students academically and emotionally in just the right ways!
The lessons themselves are great for starting the day on the right foot. For example, in my classroom, I add The Positivity Project lesson for the day on to my morning meeting. This helps set a climate for the day that is communicative, supportive, and open minded. Students are engaged in the lessons, whether it is a read aloud, snippet of a tv show, collaborative activity, or turn and talk, students are all getting involved and participating in one way or another. The Positivity Project helps the school maintain a consistent way of communicating expectations between grade levels and support staff to best help students make wise choices as well as stay true to who they are as individuals. Students can highlight their own successes and character strengths while also noticing and encouraging character strengths in others.