*+The+Fish+Market

What is Fish???[[image:fish.jpg width="39" height="48"]]
The Fish Philosophy all started in Seattle, in the Pike Place Market. A filmmaker was directed towards the market and could not escape some commotion coming from a small fish market. What he saw were salmon, crabs, every water animal species to be consumed, being tossed about like a baseball game was going on. The crowd was cheering, customers were laughing, employees were not just enjoying, but __loving__ their jobs, and the cash register kept ringing.

The filmmaker, John Christensen, saw "the fish market as a metaphor to illustrate his belief that every workplace can be more alive and wholehearted" (1). In //Fish//!, Christensen and the Pike Place Market fishmongers teach four fundamental practices that are the foundation of the philosophy: Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude.

Why Fish for us?[[image:fish.jpg width="40" height="48"]]
A couple of us have been introduced and implemented the //Fish!// philosophy in our schools. There are so many days that we wake up, especially during CSAP time, and dread going to school. We're tired, we feel under appreciated, and sometimes we take that out on others...we forget to Be There for our kids and Play with them. At one of our schools, we have weekly meetings where anyone can put a pat on the back to another staff member in a fish bowl. We then share and celebrate that person's accomplishments, some of which can bring tears of joy to some. In the midst of the economy of our schools falling, teachers losing jobs, a major budget crisis, it's so very important for us to take these for fundamental practices and use them, if only in our homes or our classrooms.

In our libraries, we should BE the place where playing takes place. "This is a no shushing zone" is an appropriate adage, in that kids need to celebrate learning, enjoy books, research, and discovering themselves through the choices they make. But in order for our kids to play, we must be willing to play as well, and it also requires us to be there for our students, to sometimes make their day through conversations or awards, and choose the attitude that will best reflect the people we want to be. That's what //Fish!// can do for our schools.

Now click on the links to the left hand side to navigate your way through a more thorough description of each of these fundamental pieces.

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(1) __Fish Culture Personal Workbook__. (2006). Charthouse Learning: Burnsville, MN. pg. 7.