Make+Their+Day!

==**"I realized I was serving people and making people happy. This gave me a plus in my life and made me want to do it even more."** ==

**--Shawn, fishmonger **
=Make Their Day = = The philosophy of Make Their Day is to help create great memories for people. The key to this is engaging others. Include others in the fun that you are having. The idea here is to direct attention to the customer. Some of the benefits of implementing Make Their Day are: =
 * [[image:fish.jpg width="29" height="26"]]It is good for business. **
 * [[image:fish.jpg width="29" height="26"]]Satisfaction comes to those who serve others. **
 * [[image:fish.jpg width="29" height="26"]]By focusing our attention onto making a positive difference for others, we focus our attention away from our own problems. **
 * [[image:fish.jpg width="29" height="26"]]This is healthy, feels good, and will unleash even more energy . **

Fish food for thought:
When someone Makes Your Day, what do you usually remember about the experience?

Dana Lott: Hands down, it is the lasting feeling of the interaction! When I was in high school, 2 fun-loving social studies teachers made a HUGE deal out of birthdays. They had a special song and dance they did and it was quite entertaining. Made everyone's day. After high school, I reconnected with both of them as I taught in the same district. I mentioned that I never got the birthday song because my birthday is in November and I always had the 2 of them in the spring semester. Turns out that they sang it to me at a staff development meeting one year soon after that. They sure made my day. That lasting feeling is still with me--about 10 years later! :)

What are some ways you can make a positive difference for others in your school? What "plus" would that add to your life? How would you feel differently when you leave school at the end of the day?

Sue Lord: I try to make the library a safe haven for teachers. There is coffee, there is Coke, their is food, and both Gladys and I are available to listen whenever possible. Now and again there are treats. I also like to give the kids a pencil or something to give to their teacher because he or she is so great. The kids love giving this to their teachers, and the teachers always thank me later, for just a pencil! I love the pay it forward idea, I think it could change the world.

Lisa Coyle: I look for the little things that can help other people. Can I hold the door for the person behind me and say something nice as they enter the building with me? Can I let someone else in line in front of me without making me late? Can I help someone with a task they're struggling to do? These little things don't make a huge impact on my load, they aren't difficult to do, they aren't a long-term committment that I have to worry about. They **do** make people smile, they make me feel like a part of the team (even if it's not my "usual" team), and they make me feel like I've done a good deed for the day! Who would want to miss out on that kind of positive?

Jeanette Causey: I am the queen of birthdays. I love birthdays and really love birthday cake. I make sure that every teacher in our department has their birthday celebrated. I send around cards to be signed by the other science teachers and we have a special treat (usually cake or cupcakes) during lunch. It is fun and really easy to do. The other thing I do is send Thank You notes. Every Friday, I sit down and reflect on who helped me and or my students or my department that week. I send them a hand written Thank You note. Most weeks I write one or 2 sometimes a few more. I put them in the mailboxes before I leave on Friday because I want them to get it first thing on Monday morning. I have found this to be a quick, inexpensive but great way to make someone's day.

What things get in the way of you Making the Day of other people? What can you do to move past these obstacles?

Lynne McDowell: Work loads, deadlines, self-absorption, and negative attitudes of others keep me from making the day of other people. The stress of work loads and deadlines can be lessened by better time management and keeping my priorities straight. The customer comes first. Self-absorption and negative attitudes of others can be overcome by keeping my eye on the end result and keeping a professional distance from the nay-sayers. I try to remember the ten most important two-letter words: If it is to be, it is up to me.

Regina Hoskins: The amount I already have on my plate definitely gets in the way of me "Making the Day" for other people. I have to admit that I've even thought I don't need one more thing to do. But in thinking about this question in relationship to what I remember when someone "Made my Day" I think of small acts of kindness. For example, I was cleaning all the snow off my windshield at the end of a night of parent-teacher conferences and decided to clean the cars on each side of me. This did not take a lot of time since I was letting my own car warm up, but I'll bet it made someone's day to leave work after a long day and not have to take time to clean their windshield. I need to remember that small gestures can make someone's day and that it doesn't need to be something large or time-consuming. I need to remember the good feeling I get when I do something like this even when the other person doesn't know I did it. That's how I can get past the obstacle of too much to do and never enough time!

Jared: I think I could do a much better job in this with better planning. When it comes down to sudden changes in the day or shoring up something before class, I'll forget about birthdays or celebrating a student's positive behavior. Even spontaneous acts can get lost if you're not ahead of the game to begin with.

Actions to consider:

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Choose three or more people (students or peers) and Make Their Day that week.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Create a special welcome for people as they enter your door.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Appreciation FISH! Bowl -- get a goldfish bowl and have people write notes (anonymously if they choose) that recognize colleagues for their contributions. Read them aloud at staff meetings. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">LOVE this idea!