Pass the Buck

Begin this activity by asking each participant to take a dollar bill out of his/her purse or wallet. (Suggest they raise their hand if they need financial assistance!) Then pass out a stack of play money and have the teachers pass it around while music is playing similar to Musical Chairs. (You might add additional stacks as the game progresses.) Of course the object is not to be the one who has the money when the music stops. The teachers will laugh every time the music stops. Use this activity to remind your staff that "the buck really does stop with us."

Conclude the activity by reading the poem "Passing the Buck Down the Line," adapted by Todd Whitaker.

Said the college professor,
Such rawness in the student is a shame,
Lack of preparation in high school
Is to blame.

Said the high school teacher,
Good heavens, that boys a fool.
The fault, of course, is with the
Junior High School.

The junior high teacher noted,
Its so hopeless and sad
Thanks to those elementary clowns,
They cant subtract or add. ...

You get the idea... The poem continues for a handful of additional stanzas. You can find the complete poem in Todd Whitaker's book, . Or you can find a copy to share or print at this link (scroll down to page 9). The poem is bound to generate a few laughs and some good discussion.

Contributor:
Bryan McLain, principal, Denton Creek Elementary School, Coppell, Texas

Send Us Your Favorite Tool Looking to nail your next meeting with a good idea? Tighten up staff relations? Hammer out some great test scores? Construct a fun reward or event? Ratchet up your team building skills? Just drill into our toolbox for all the tools you need -- like the one above submitted by a school leader just like you. If you find the tools in our Principal's Toolbox to be of value, we hope you will be willing to contribute your favorite tool. Just email a clear photo of the "tool" along with a brief description and your name, school name, and location to [email protected]. If we add your tool to the Principal's Toolbox we will even send along a few Ed World sticky-note pads via snail mail.