Creating a Positive School Culture!
How do you create a positive culture?
Do you have to have intentional leaders to drive it?
Does teamwork really make the dream work?
Is a positive mindset key?
Jonathan LeVan, principal at Woodland Elementary, is working to answer these questions at his own school.
He has been principal for the last five years, but has been at Woodland for eight years. He is really proud of the culture that has been created at Woodland and he feels it is so important to be intentional about building relationships with all faculty members (teachers, janitorial team, administrative team, etc.).
“I don’t run this building as a dictator, I want them to see that I will help lead the way, I am going to serve, protect, empower, and encourage the staff to step up into leadership roles. I tell them that we are all in this together and there isn’t one person that can’t make an impact on students.”
He also realizes the importance of making sure his students are rowing in the same direction with positive mindsets as well, which is why he decided to implement the Five Star Life Video Curriculum for Classrooms.
“(The Video Curriculum) doesn’t just connect with students in school but outside of school as well. This curriculum has changed the mentality of our students! For example, some of the male students didn’t realize they were being disrespectful to the female students, but after watching the Video Curriculum and reflecting on it, they realized that the music they were listening to wasn’t having a positive impact on their lives.”
At Woodland, Jonathan wants his staff to realize that the school is not a private practice. “What we doas teachers and administrators really impacts those around us so we have to learn to trust each other because we aren’t a private practice. Students won’t succeed in a private practice situation. It’s not a “my classroom” scenario, it’s an “our classroom” situation.For students to truly succeed inside and outside the classroom, the teachers need to be a team.”
He feels the same way about the student culture – they must work as a team to accomplish great things at Woodland and outside of Woodland! At Five Star, we teach students our Core Values (respect, responsibility, integrity, sacrifice, courage) and the value of working together for the common good.
The students at Woodland are making better decisions, their discipline referrals are decreasing, and their grades are increasing! Jonathan is proud of the culture at Woodland and knows that with Five Star Life’s model and the staff’s passion and commitment, the students will continue to create a positive environment with a strong focus on character, academics, and leadership.
It’s not too late to get the Video Curriculum for Classrooms in your school to experience REAL change and get a POSITIVE culture . To learn more, visit our Video Curriculum page.
