How to Build a Positive School Culture?

How do teachers in your school interact with students? Do they enter school with sad faces and with their heads down? Or do they happily chirp around interacting with their kids. Do you know what makes teachers enthusiastic about their classes and what makes students eager to study every day? Positive school culture has a deep influence on teachers’ and students’ attitudes and ultimately improves the learning experience.

You being a Principal must maintain a positive school culture.

What is ‘school culture’?

Culture, ethics, atmosphere, and environment are the words that can help you have a better understanding of the term school culture. School culture typically means the beliefs, traditions, and attitudes that are dominant and appreciated in a particular school.

School culture is also what students allow to happen on campus. The school administration can have the best set of rules but if none of the students abide by the rules, then the culture of the school is to dismiss authority.

The environment of your school also affects everything from teachers, to students and their learning attitudes. To make sure your school is running better, you need to acknowledge your school culture. Is your school culture healthy to promote productive activities for students?

If not, then take a step back, assess the current culture and implement a positive behavior interventions and support program also known as, PBIS.

It involves student-student interaction, student-teacher interaction, teacher-teacher interaction, and teacher-parent interaction.

A school culture that knows what is required for the student’s proper growth and learning is known to be a positive school culture. In such a culture, teachers are more interested in teaching and students are more eager to learn. Accomplishment, success, and joy are its main features.

Parent Involvement

To better understand the student’s nature and attitude, it is essential to have an interactive meeting between the teacher and the parents. It can help you get rid of the misunderstanding and mistrust in the student-teacher relationship. Parents’ involvement provides them with the platform to give feedback about their child’s report and get the remarks of teachers about their classroom performance.

The involvement of parents fosters the creation of meaningful and positive feelings. 

Encourage teachers and students

It is very important to encourage students when they perform well in their academics. This should be more than merely saying “very good.” It is suggested to award them with little prizes or gifts.

Compliments play a very important role in enhancing students’ confidence and boosting their interest in studying more.

Along with the students, it is also very important to complement and encourage the Teachers for the hard work to teach their students.

Norms and values

You must set specific rules and regulations for your school that everyone must obey. However, this does not mean that you start building norms for every situation in the school. This helps the students learn what they should do on the school premises and what is not allowed and why they should do and why they should not do it.

Hosting a school assembly is a great way to relay a positive message to all students.

Help the students develop discipline and follow the rule instead of punishing them over what they should not have done. Teach them what they should do.

Your students learn from their peers, and your personality should be a model for them. You should practically tell them what the good qualities are and what bad attributes are.

Motivational Speaker for National School Counselor Week

During the first week of February, schools and organizations across the country celebrate National school counselor week. The ASCA organization sponsors this week as a way to highlight all the accomplishments that Counselors do to help students find a career path.

3 things your school can do during school counselor week:

1. Students can create posters with positive messages for their counselors and hang them around campus.
2. Students can decorate special parking spaces for each counselor. Counselors can be greeted at school with coffee and donuts.
3. Your school can host a school assembly where the motivational speaker can address the most pressing issues that the counselors have to deal with. Issues like bullying prevention, drug prevention and drop-out prevention.

Ever wonder what Guidance Counselors do?

Students have Counselors available to them from Kindergarten all the way through college. Students have a touch point with a counselor at some point due to behavioral issues or because they need guidance. It’s rare for a student to go all the way through grader school and college without sitting down and speaking with a Counselor.

For example, in grade school, you have the usual emotional and social problems that Counselors address. Yes, School Counselors give academic advice but they have to deal with the whole student. It’s not unusual for Counselors to help with relationship issues, such as a breakup. They also help with emotional issues such as a student’s relationship with their parents. If the child is having problems at home, it’s likely they will have a hard time focusing on academics at school. In those cases, a guidance counselor is the perfect person to help a student move forward.

As students reach high school-age, Counselors help them fulfill their goals. Since high school students start to think about college, counselors help students apply for the colleges of their choice. They help students apply for financial aid and walk alongside parents so every application is submitted on time.

In addition to providing professional development trainings for teachers, schools should allow outside help with building a positive school culture. Ultimately, school counselors provide a healthy learning environment for all their students. They help them overcome weaknesses and nurture their strengths. Counselors are to be celebrated longer than a week for all that they do, but for now, we have National School Counselor Week every February.

5 Ways to Motivate Students After a Pandemic

Reopening schools after a pandemic will be challenging. For one, students who have been learning through an online experience will need time to adjust to a classroom setting. Some school districts will require students to wear masks while others will learn at their desk looking through plexiglass sheets. Whatever the case, motivating students in a post-pandemic society presents plenty of challenges. Opening schools is still the best option for the mental health of all students. How do you motivate students?

Here are 5 ways to motivate students after a pandemic:

1. Teach them to learn again. Really. It’s that simple. Showing students the importance of learning will help them to continue growing as a student. The best students are those that constantly push themselves and look to increase in knowledge. Make sure to affirm them along their academic journey.
2. Be present for each student. When students are engaged by teachers, they feel cared for by safe people. Even the toughest of kids will respond, even if they try to look cool in front of their peers.
3. Raise the bar for the class. If you’re a teacher, make sure you implement ways for the class to keep each other accountable. When everyone in the class knows their role, they’ll perform at a higher level.
4. Show kids the end result. Stephen Covey said it best when he said, “Begin with the end in mind”. Begin the school year by showing kids a high school diploma or a college degree. Let them know that every grade level is one step closer to receiving their own diploma.
5. Challenge students to be resilient. Nothing beats a great story of overcoming significant challenges. During a school assembly, students will be inspired to finish strong even through major setbacks. The pandemic was a major setback for so many people and yet we must move forward.

If your school is seeking ways to motivate students before or during the school year, please reach out to us. We can certainly set up a time for a speaker to come to your school and inspire your students using humor and life-changing stories.

Ever wonder why schools hire speakers to motivate their students? Speakers are able to be the neutral person in the room. Speakers share the same information that the Principal or Counselor has shared, but they relay the information in a way where students listen. Nothing against the administration, but kids often listen better after a good laugh or after a powerful story. A speaker is to walk alongside the school administration.

Will your school commit to motivating students after a pandemic?

Using Humor To Motivate Teens at School Assemblies

I often ask event planners why they decided to hire me to speak to their teenage students and the answer I get the most is because I use a lot of humor in my speech.  The other reason is because I’m Hispanic and they usually have a high percentage of Hispanics at their school or they want to expose their students to someone who is Hispanic and holds a Masters degree and runs a successful business. 

Whatever the case, I’m honored to speak in schools all the over the country. My number one request from schools is to speak on the issue of bullying. As an anti-bullying speaker I try to use humor to hook teens before presenting a serious message. The only way I can describe it is to relate to that of a Surgeon. Before a Surgeon goes deep, he uses anesthesia to numb their patients, well I use comedy as a form of anesthesia before delivering a serious message about suicide and bullying, which is now being coined as bullycide.

I enjoy taking a cold audience and taking them on a fun journey where I make them the hero. I show students how to handle bullies at school and show how to take them from enemy to friend. That’s right. I don’t teach students how to report bullying, that’s too easy and it doesn’t work. I’d rather empower teens to handle bullies on their own, it’ll build resilience and instead of being safe for a day, they’ll be safe for a lifetime because they’ll own the coping skills needed to overcome bullying. I teach teens how to respond to bullies.

If your school is ready to have the top bullying speaker who uses humor in their speech, then I’d love to come to your school. Contact us today about a possible date.

Youth Motivational Female Speakers for Teens

Female teens are known to deal with issues such as self-image and attitude problems. For this reason it’s important for schools to bring a different perspective, that of which can only come from another woman. Schools should consider inviting a youth motivational female speaker for teens. These speakers can address issues that female teens deal with and provide practical solutions and tips to help them get through their adolescent years.

One of the top female youth speakers in the country is Jessie Funk. If you’ve never heard of Jessie, do yourself the favor of watching this powerful video clip below:

A speaker is only around students for half a day at most but that time can be priceless in the lives of teens. A motivational speech can stand the test of time for some students who just needed a little encouragement. Since most speakers talk about struggles they had to overcome, teens can relate to keep pressing on. For most teens, speakers bring a breath of fresh air, a new perspective, and for some a speech can be the wake-up call they needed.

Many teenage students have a problem with authority and so they tend to have attitudes towards their parents and teachers. They don’t want somebody else to tell them what to do, even if it’s beneficial to them. So when a speaker comes to a school and inspires them to respect their elders and to excel at school, they walk away from school assemblies encouraged to perform well at school. Many students have apologized to their parents and teachers after listening to a speaker because they finally saw that their attitudes have affected their relationships.

Female speakers are not the only one’s that inspire, male teen speakers can also make a huge difference regardless of the student population. It’s always best to take your student body demographics into account when hiring a speaker to speak at your school assemblies. Consider asking students to bring a list of speakers to the school’s event planner as teens know which speakers can relate to students. Whether female or male, invite a motivational speaker for youth to your school this year.

Youth Motivational Speaker | New Mexico Public School Districts

Are you part of a public school district in New Mexico? If so, you should consider inviting Latino Youth Speaker Fabian Ramirez to speak to the students at your school. He recently visited Mesa Middle School in Las Cruces, NM and did a fantastic job. He addressed the parents one night at a community event held at the school. In fact, if your school or organization received grant money you may need to have a community component when using your funds. Fabian would be an excellent way in which to use those funds. His speech helps parents know how to relate to their kids.

The day after the parent presentation, Fabian spoke to all students at Mesa Middle School. Shortly after his presentation, there was a buzz around campus in which students were inspired to treat each other with respect. Not only that but they were challenged to finish high school and continue on to college.

Speaker | FFA NM

Back To School Assembly Rally

So it’s the summer and you have plenty of time to relax and not have to think about school. However, in two months or less, schools across the country will be preparing for their own back-to-school activities.

The best back-to-school idea we can suggest to you is to have a school assembly or rally. Here’s why. You want to start the school year off on a good start and with all students on the same page. When done right, schools get their staff fired up about returning to teach and a motivational youth speaker is brought in to address the students in a way that is inspiring for the student body and helpful for teachers to build off of what is said. Now, speakers tend to say the same things that Educators say, but they do more than just say important information, they connect with students and they can say the hard things students need to hear because they are neutral people.

You’ll want to have a back-to-school theme in mind. Some school themes include: Anti-Bullying, Drop-out Prevention, Student Success, Drug Prevention (Red Ribbon Week) or just general motivational school assemblies to start the year off on the right foot. Students like to be involved so you can even have a back to school red shirt day where everyone wears a red shirt on the second day of school. Students enjoy wearing their new clothes on the first day of school but if you promote it on the first day, students will love it.

Another idea is to have students find 3-4 people that they don’t know and sit with them during the school assembly. Students do better when they have friends at school so why not implement a way for students to make new friends right when school starts.

If you need suggestions on how to get started with bringing in a speaker for a school assembly, please contact our office, we’d love to help.

Blue Ribbon Schools Program | Achievement Gap | Education Speaker

Has your school received the Blue Ribbon award that is awarded by the U.S. Government?

If so, now is the time to celebrate. As you may know, the Blue Ribbon award is given to the elite schools across the country and is considered to be the highest honor that a school in America can achieve.

For this reason, there is a lot of criteria that a school must abide by in order to get recognized. Basically a school does a self assessment and then it creates a strategic plan to improve. This takes the school administration and the community working together to fill the educational achievement gap that was exposed in the self-evaluation.

Schools are to keep the U.S. Department of Education updated on its progress all through the application process. At the end after a review panel makes their recommendations, the U.S. Secretary of Education announces the schools selected to attain the blue ribbon award.

Schools who have won the award consistently every five years are considered the best in the nation. Schools that hold this award have changed the communities in which they reside. Even the housing market around the awarded institution increases with many families wanting their children to attend a blue ribbon school.

Since this award comes every five years, why not celebrate by having a pep rally or by hiring an youth motivational speaker to come in and get your school excited about reducing the achievement gap. Maybe you have applied and need that little extra push to get all your students on board so they exactly what’s at stake. Some students need a little motivation to keep them on track.

If your school has entered the blue ribbon program and would like to partner with us in hosting school assemblies, please get in contact with us for more information on our education speaker services.

Learn more about this government program here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html

Funny Youth Communicator For Teens

Funny Youth Communicator

Any time you are speaking to young people, you must keep in mind that they enjoy humor. One thing we know about teens is that they enjoy a good time and they love to have fun. Students look to make any assignment fun and interesting. So getting a serious point across to them is no different.

I have been speaking to youth at school assemblies for awhile now and I know that before I speak to them about serious issues I look for ways to connect and what better way to connect than through laughter.

Once I have students laughing and having a good time I know that I have their trust. Once I have their trust I transition my speech into the topic the school or conference hired me to speak on. I speak about school bullying, I give my personal stories on how I dealt with bullies in middle school. I also speak about drug and alcohol awareness, a lot of schools are required to have some kind of program every year and most districts celebrate drug-free during Red Ribbon Week every October.

Another topic that is becoming alarming is dropout prevention. So many students are dropping out every year that some states don’t know what to do about it, it’s becoming an epidemic. There are now warning signs to look out for when a student starts high school that tells administrators who the at-risk students are in the school. Part of what I do is show them what it looks like when a person graduates high school and college. I even talk to teens about how I finished grad school as well.

The idea is to tell them that the more they learn the more they will earn so I try to encourage students to make graduation something that is mandatory in their life. I tell youth to finish what you started in relation to school.

At-Risk Student Outreach Programs

Most educators run away from at-risk students, I run to them.

What are signs that a student is at-risk?

Since most students are at school, doing an evaluation of the child’s performance would be a quick indication of a problem. Look to see if the student has ever been expelled from a school or relocated due to bad behavior. If they have been suspended and their grades are failing, these are warning signs that a student is at-risk.

Have a conversation with the child. If he/she is verbally abusive or uses foul language without respect for adults then the child could be a teen at risk.

Most students have a certain expectation of how they are to act outside of the home and when a student doesn’t care about performing well or getting in trouble at school, this is a red flag that there is a lack of discipline at home.

Teachers can often sense a lack of motivation from the student early on in the school year. Another clue is to have a conversation with the parent, either one should be able to give you a rundown of their child. If the parent has no clue of what their child is doing academically, this is a good sign that there’s a disconnect between the parent and the teen.

Studies show that students that miss a handful of days in the first two weeks of the school year will be so far behind that they may never catch up, thus making them at-risk for dropping out of high school.

Parents and educators need to give students with these characteristics extra attention. Most students in this situation are here because someone in their life has not believed in them or their environment does not set them up for success.

It’s important for all schools in America to have student outreach programs that target at-risk teens. I was an at-risk student and I know what it takes to overcome wanting to give up. Sometimes a student just needs to hear that they are important and that they don’t have to have all the answers, just enough to get them through school.

High school students especially cannot see themselves past tenth grade. My job as a at-risk youth speaker is to communicate truth into the lives of students who want to quit. I challenge them to work not only for themselves but for generations to come. When they see the end result, they’ll go after it.