Fish Philosophy

One of the very first things we took a look at when we started this semester is FISH philosophy. I had never heard of it before, and i can absolutely say that I am loving it! I think that the best thing about this philosophy is how simple it is. The four principles, which are Play, Make Their Day, Be There and Choose Your Attitude, are not only simple, but they actually make sense! The other upside to this theory is that it can be used both in your classroom, and in other areas of your life as well.

We have had a lot of discussions recently about the Make Their Day principle. I think that this is one of the easiest ones to accomplish, but it is just really hard to remember to do it on a daily basis. The smallest of things can make a persons day, whether it be a compliment or simply helping someone out! These small efforts can go a long way to brightening a persons day, or addressing an insecurity they may have, and they are really not hard to do. I think that kids do this for us as educators all the time, and we should remind ourselves daily to return the favor.

I also like the "Play" principle. It has been noted that perhaps we as adults may have the most trouble with this one simply because play is generally seen as lazy or lacking in ambition. I completely disagree with this and think that if you are able to play/have fun AND work, you will not only love your job more, but you will probably have that effect on the others that you work with as well.

I think that the "Be There" principle is fairly stright forward in that it simply has to do with being both physically and mentally commited to what you are doing. In otherwards, when you are at work, you are %100 focused on the kids, and not thinking about what you have planned when you get home etc. I think that kids can pick up on it when we, as teachers, are not really there and then they become less engaged. I also think that they feel more worthwhile when we are truly interested in them. In this respect, this principle is huge in building relationships with your students.

Last, but not least, the "Choose Your Attitude" principle to me is the one that we know we must do, but find the hardest. We all know that when you get to class you can fake it, but to truly "Choose Your Attitude" can be very difficult. My thoughts on it are that you should let the kids be your guide. The majority of early years students love school, and are thrilled to be there. Let them make you laugh and boost your ego and perhaps choosing your attitude will not be as difficult as you think. Focus on the positive, not the negative.

These are just a few of my thoughts about this philosophy. We started trying to practice FISH in our PT class today and I think it totally works. We played a game at the beginning of class today and the rest of the class absolutely flew by. I felt really focused after being able to have a little fun. We also started a "Warm & Fuzzy Bucket" in which we have to write one nice thing about someone, or something they have done, every day. A few were read at the end of the day and I left feeling in a great mood, so it works! Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings!