Looking Forward
To Monday Morning

Just for Fun: Volume #1

THE GREAT COFFEE MUG ADVENTURE

A friend of mine "borrowed" a colleague's favorite coffee mug -- and the adventure began! The coffee mug accompanied numerous people as they traveled. At each destination a picture was taken of the mug (the cup, not the face of the traveler!) in the appropriate surroundings. For example, at Disney World a picture was taken of Mickey Mouse holding the mug. A note was attached to the photo saying what a good time the mug was having in the sun and how nice Mickey and Minnie had been to it. The note was signed,

Miss You,
Your Coffee Mug

When the pictures continued to come in over a period of several years, a scrapbook was made of all the adventures the mug had.

Diane Hodges An award-winning educator, highly acclaimed speaker, and bestselling author, Dr. Diane Hodges' weekly Looking Forward to Monday Morning columns present a wealth of ideas administrators can use to drive staff members happy! Diane is a frequent speaker at national and state conferences, including those of the national principal associations (NAESP, NASSP). In high-energy, humorous sessions, she unleashes dozens of ideas for promoting staff recognition and appreciation and for creating a climate of fun in the workplace. In addition, schools and school districts frequently call on Diane to share ways in which staff members can create more fun and appreciation for one another… in just minutes a day. Diane is the bestselling author of Looking Forward to Monday Morning, Looking Forward to MORE Monday Mornings, Quote This!, Laugh Lines for Educators, and Grin and Share It! -- all published by Corwin Press. You can learn more about Diane, purchase her books, or book her for a presentation in your school or district at dianehodges.com.

Alternatively, this might be a fun idea to do for someone who plans to retire at the end of this school year. "Borrow" the mug and have staff members take turns sending it to friends or relatives in other parts of the country or the world. They should mail the mug to people they know can be relied on to snap pictures and return the mug in a timely way. The staff members can write the notes and best wishes for retirement when the mug and photo are returned to them and compile them into a book that will be presented to the retiree (along with his or her mug) at the retirement party.

TOILET SEAT CHALLENGE

Transform a toilet seat (or another unique item) into an award for departmental "challenges." Spray paint the item with gold paint. The Toilet Seat Challenge begins when one group -- for example, a grade level, the administration, or a department -- challenges another group in the activity of their choice. Challenges could be met shooting pool, playing chess, playing cards anything that's fun. The losing group gets its name engraved on a brass plate that's affixed to the toilet seat. It's now their responsibility to challenge another group in the activity of their choice.

STOP EVERYTHING -- DANCE!

Select high-energy music such as Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett, We Are Family by the Pointer Sisters, or I Feel Good by James Brown. Play the music at a staff meeting and have members choose the song they find most energizing, invigorating, and stress relieving. Tell them that, from then on, whenever they hear this piece of music, they should stop what they're doing, go to a designated location, and join together in a dance. Most groups form double lines (see The Stroll) and opposite partners move down the center of the line together. No one says anything -- people should just dance, smile, snap their fingers, sing, and enjoy themselves. Visitors can join in and have fun, too. When the music is over, staff members return to work with a renewed attitude of joy and fun.

GRIN AND SHARE IT

It was local election time and a candidate was trying to visit all the houses in his district. At one house, a small boy answered the door.

"Tell me, young man," said the politician, "is your mommy in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?"

"Neither," the child responded, "she's in the bathroom."

QUOTE THIS!

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Writer

Find more quotes for educators in my book Quote This!

Find more smiles, chuckles, and grins in my books Laugh Lines for Educators and Grin and Share It! Find more quotes for educators in my book Quote This!

Drive your staff happy!
Diane

Education World®
Copyright © 2008 Education World