Staff Maxims T-Shirts: Foster a Sense of Connection and Community with Staff and Students
Everyone can improve the school. Whether you’re a third grader or the principal or a custodian, we can all have consistent language and live the values that we as a community hold high.
– Todd Miller
INTRO
This activity was shared by Todd Miller, superintendent at Santiam Canyon School District, in a Crowdsource on October 20, 2022.
School identity is more than school colors and a mascot; it’s how a school community expresses who it is and rallies around their shared vision, values, and purpose. This idea provides an opportunity for staff to be more involved in promoting, expressing, and utilizing the school’s identity/maxims to foster a more unified community and connect the identity/maxims to the classroom and their lives outside the classroom.
OBJECTIVES
- Promote, express, utilize school identity/maxims in and out of the classroom
- Foster a sense of community with staff and students
IDENTITY/MAXIMS STAFF SHIRTS
- Have sets of staff t-shirts made, so that there is ONE different school/district maxim on each shirt in the set.
- Each shirt should be a different school color.
- Printing layout example: school/district logo on the front, maxim on the back
- Dedicate a day each week when all staff wear a maxim shirt.
- But also encourage staff members to wear them on other days.
PURPOSE/ACTIVITY IDEAS
- Staff are able to express themselves and the maxims in a personal way
- Staff can tell students something like “I wore my (insert maxim) shirt today because (insert reason which doesn’t necessarily have to be school-related).”
- EXAMPLE: I wore my never give up shirt today because I had a bad day yesterday, and I wanted to remind myself that I’ll get through this rough patch.
- Staff can tell students something like “I wore my (insert maxim) shirt today because (insert reason which doesn’t necessarily have to be school-related).”
- Teachers can connect the maxims to their lesson which makes both the maxims and content relevant to students, but also helps teachers know they’re actively ensuring their class connects with the shared vision for readiness and school culture
- Staff can tell students something like “I wore my (insert maxim) shirt today because (insert connection to the lesson/activity).”
- EXAMPLE: I wore my never give up shirt today because today we’re going to start a new unit on fractions today, and while it can be challenging, I know we won’t give up, and we’ll all be able to learn the concept.
- Alternatively, you could just tell the students broadly what you’re doing that day and ask them for how they think that connects with the shirt you’re wearing.
- EXAMPLE: I wore my never give up shirt today because today we’re going to start a new unit on fractions today, and while it can be challenging, I know we won’t give up, and we’ll all be able to learn the concept.
- Staff can tell students something like “I wore my (insert maxim) shirt today because (insert connection to the lesson/activity).”
TIPS
- These are just a couple of ideas for how these maxim staff shirts can be used in purposeful ways.
- Like what about maxims shirts for students? For example, you can sell/give them along with other school merch, or when they demonstrate a maxim, reinforce their behavior with a shirt.
- Encourage them to wear it when they’re “feeling” that maxim.
- We encourage you to come up with your own. Please share where you take this idea in the comments!
- Encourage them to wear it when they’re “feeling” that maxim.
- Like what about maxims shirts for students? For example, you can sell/give them along with other school merch, or when they demonstrate a maxim, reinforce their behavior with a shirt.
Responses