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Braving the Wilderness- Book Study (SAMPLE SURVEY)

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Braving the Wilderness- Book Study (SAMPLE SURVEY)

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In January our conference day's Keynote speaker is delivering the message on making connections, empowering educators, and establishing a belonging culture.  I felt that the book study invitation would be a great follow up to keep our momentum going.  (Invitation is below)

The purpose of this opportunity is to promote teacher and staff wellness.  The book study invitation will include why I choose to read this book and what I learned from it in a email to all staff.  This in attempt to make a personal connection to other staff.

Those interested in the book study would then be sent this survey that I attached as a link for you all to view.  It is intended to help me assess the self-awareness that the group brings with them.  This will help me lead the conversations as we move through the book.

Ultimately, after the book study this group could become a self-care affinity group.  I also hope to begin Onward in June for growth in Resiliency.

Thank you all for the great feedback this semester!  See you next time.

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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A self-care affinity survey for teachers can provide educational leaders with valuable insights into the well-being of their staff and guide the development of targeted support initiatives. I currently work within a setting that services adjudicated juveniles. Within my setting, educators are faced with daily stressors. These stressors are inclusive of recidivism, learning gaps, and even death. The survey I created can assist me as an educational leader in supporting teachers by identifying specific needs and professional development, establishing a healthy work environment, enhancing support, promoting communication, and modeling self-care. The survey can aid in understanding teachers' specific self-care needs and preferences. This information can be crucial for tailoring support programs that address individuals or groups’ unique challenges within the school community.  Insights from the survey can guide the development of professional development opportunities focused on stress management, well-being, and self-care. As an educational leader, I can organize workshops or training sessions aligning with teachers’ preferences and needs.

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Hi All, the survey I created is an introductory survey to help with the creation of a wellness committee and to see what events/activities the staff would be willing to participate in. We have had wellness initiatives in the past but none have seemed to stick or there have been changes within the school that caused things that were going well to end. I would not want to create an initiative or committee in the school if the staff does not feel that it would benefit them in the long run. There are so many things that we are required to do. I do not want this to feel like one of those tasks. This survey also helps me gather information about what staff is currently doing to take care of themselves and if they feel supported within the school. I want to ensure that the staff feels valued and heard. So many times we can express our thoughts and opinions only for them to be shut down.

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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For our final project, we chose to survey our fellow staff members via google forms. We made a survey that asked staff at Oliver Ellsworth School about their interest in an after school workout club in the gym. This will hopefully help staff with not only their physical health but mental health as well. This will also provide staff an opportunity to get to know their coworkers better and build a stronger relationship with one another. This club will hopefully build a stronger morale and climate among teachers and staff at Oliver Ellsworth School.

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Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

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At my school, we do not have extensive teacher focused SEL initiatives. I wanted our first experience to be an easy lift for staff and truly satisfy their own mental and physical needs. Practically, I also know I need to have a net zero budgetary impact with any proposed initiative. My SEL initiative is called Wellness Walks. A Wellness Walking club gives staff the opportunity for a much needed break while also utilizing the free resources of our existing beautiful campus.  I also feel that a walking initiative will personally resonate with most of our staff who are physically active and outdoorsy. This survey is intended to gauge the current level of SEL at the school as well as get an idea of the level of interest this program would have. I plan to send out the survey as an anonymous survey to all staff at the high school. If interest was sufficient, I would then follow up with an additional email to all staff about next steps, and where the groups will meet each period. I want this club to be more of a drop in  informational activity and not another commitment to overburden staff.

For the purpose of sharing this Google Form preview, I have not made any of the questions required. Should this be a live survey, I would change that setting to make the questions required.

Here is the link to the survey should the box at the top not work: https://forms.gle/P8HKzAbVi5QgBi3V7

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PD-No longer Professional - Personal Development Day

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PD-No longer Professional - Personal Development Day

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In our October or November Professional Development Day, our district allowed to choose workshops that could be housed in other school buildings, virtual ones, create your own, stay in your building, etc.

I was very fortunate that my supervisor organized a trip to the capital. Although our department is all World Langauge teachers, we could still take away from this day.

We met up at the school and 5 of us drove together to the capital.

Since the renovation of our building, the acreage has grown as well as has the distancing of teachers. In our old.... old building, we all shared 1.5 copiers and that was the meeting place. The rooms were closer to each other.. this all led to constant conversations, check ins, realizing when certain teachers were out, etc. We no longer have too much of that.

On our way up... 5 adults in a car... the option to stay quiet is not an option. Although our department has always been super close...a few moments/incidicents had caused a little withdrawal from a few.

Long story short... this innovative, educational and insightful PD field trip allowed us educators to get off campus which is HUGE... a complete disconnect from work. Additionally, the stress level was down, we laughed and learned while on work time, we connected, we shared and came back a closer knit department.

I feel that it is so important to give educators options to select their own personal development opportunities where they can shared and discuss topics they are passionate about while promoting their well-being, professional and personal development.

The survey results will help plan activities that align with the interests and availability of my colleagues. By allowing educators to create their own educational/personal development workshops/activities can promote their well being and their professional growth. This would not only benefit the educators, it would contribute to a more positive school climate.

The results could be shared with admin to develop a large SEL initiative. By understanding the specific needs and interests of our staff, we can create a more supportive school environment wile taking care of educators' emotional well being.

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Fun Literary Activities to Boost SAT Verbal Scores

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Fun Literary Activities to Boost SAT Verbal Scores

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The focus of my survey, "Fun Literary Activities to Boost SAT Verbal Scores" is to gauge the interest and comfort level of volunteer members of my high school's literacy council with literacy-boosting activities. Since many members are not English teachers, I want to make sure that the teachers feel valued and are fostering a love for reading, and improving vocabulary and comprehension skills. The group size is about 12-20 teachers and I plan to give them a paper survey at one of the biweekly meetings.

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602 Final Project Outline, Survey & Reflection FALL 2023

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My survey is in a digital format through GoogleForms. The point of this survey is to gauge staff’s thoughts on a peer mentorship (more specifically from veteran teachers to newly hired teachers) and also their willingness to participate. While I have a fairly good idea of what staff needs, being one myself, I tried to look at this activity through the lens of a building leader. While I may have the best of intentions in setting up this mentorship, if it is not something that will have staff buy-in then it will never be successful. My hope is that by explaining the survey at a staff meeting, and then collecting the data after its completion, I will be able to either begin next steps with the peer mentorship or move in a different direction based on staff input.

No matter the direction that the survey moves this agenda, the big takeaways are showing staff that leadership sees the need for improvement and is willing to take steps to make them. It will also allow staff to have ownership over what is happening within the school community and work together to strengthen it, ultimately increasing emotional resilience. If we do move in the direction of peer mentorship, staff will be able to benefit from the additional relationships formed within the school, which will hopefully have a ripple effect, build on their communication skills, and also allow time for self guided collaboration. As long as the staff sees this as an important endeavor, there is no need to try to micromanage. Treating staff like the professionals they are will encourage them to make the most of the time that they have to participate in this mentorship.

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When I first started working at Fair Haven School, it was in the capacity of an intern. I was lucky enough to take on a teaching role during that internship when I had the support of a mentor, administration, and many colleagues.

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The purpose of this questionnaire is to determine our staffs' wellnesses. This requires first that they rate their own wellness to set the stage for the rest of the questions. It leads into asking probing questions regarding their comfortability in engaging in wellness partner. The questions are layered and build on each other. For instances, I asked staff whether they prefer a familiar staff or someone that is completely new to them. I also asked about gender preference to respect the culture and background of all our staff. Since staff input is essential for the implementation of this project, I asked what do staff need from their wellness buddy within and outside of school. This will guide how staffed are paired. Once those preferences are determined, then I focus on high interest activities that will support staff wellness. This additional data point will ensure that pairs are properly and strategically established. Ultimately, I asked if staff were willing to engage in a post survey to determine the effectiveness/impact of the wellness buddy.

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A few years ago, right before the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, a group of staff members had come together to establish a book club. This started off small, but in just a few short months each meeting grew in interest. We took turns selecting books to read and gathered on a monthly basis to engage in thoughtful discussions. This was a very positive experience, but quickly fizzled because the Pandemic and distance learning shifted our needs and focus. I am hopeful that we can re-launch this book club to help re-establish a collaborative community centered around diverse texts. My survey will be used to gauge interest in the staff and help plan for the re-launch.

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Through taking this class this semester, it came to my attention that at my school we spend a lot of time on our students' wellness but not much time on faculty wellness or resiliency. Because of this, I am proposing the creation of a Wellness PLC where teachers can have a safe space to discuss ways to combat burnout and exhaustion and share best practices. If teachers are well and their needs are met then we can better meet the needs of our students.

Also, This survey, which will be distributed in January, will provide me and the school Wellness Counselor with information about areas where there are most need when it comes to faculty wellness. The hope is that we can take care of the faculty so they can better take care of the students.

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Exploring SEL(f) Care -A Practice and Accountability Group -Maya Schofield

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Exploring SEL(f) Care -A Practice and Accountability Group -Maya Schofield

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The purpose of this group is to cultivate teacher resliency in a shared, collaborative space. In the past, I have hosted mindfulness groups for my school and workshops for my district. The feedback was positive and highlighted a need for activities that could be implemented in the classroom. There are some colleagues who do not want to engage in mindfulness activities, so I think this offering will be more inclusive. The social-emotional competencies we will explore and strengthen connect with the characteristics in Guilford's Portrait of a Graduate. My hope is that the work of this group will support the embodiment of strong social emotional competencies , which will support the development of those competencies in our students. I hop that it will also have a positive affect on school climate.

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Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

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While I currently work in schools full-time, there was a time in my life when I pursued Yoga Teacher Certifications, too. I don't have time these days to teach yoga classes, so I try to do what I can to incorporate the "mindfulness" aspects into yoga into my classroom. My connection with yoga and mindfulness helped me develop this idea: a weekly "Meditation Group" for teachers and district staff members.

The goal of this group would be to allow teachers some dedicated time each week to devote to their own self-care and would provide time and space for a guided (led) meditation.The group would be held either in the early mornings or just after school (time would be picked after getting survey results). There are many studies showing the health benefits of meditation, so I'd hope to share some of those studies on a regular basis as part of the group.

This survey (still needs some tweaks before I submit the final version) asks teachers about their current stress levels and self-care processes. Additionally, with the survey I hope to get a sense of how much interest there is in the group and/or other other ideas teachers have.

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At my school, we are continuously preaching the need for explicit SEL instruction for our students. However, it has come to my attention that there is no focus on the adult SEL in the building and what we mentally need each day to get through the days/weeks. Due to working in such a large school building, (pre-K through eighth grade- with at least 4 classes per grade) it is difficult to talk with all the staff members and make sure they are all doing okay. With that being said, I decided to send a survey to staff members at my school to see how everyone is doing emotionally and if they would be interested in a Playlist Walk and/or Coffee and Coloring. This survey will see which staff members in my building would like to participate in creating a playlist of upbeat, happy songs while also participating in walks throughout the school day- around the building or inside the gymnasium. Once I gauge the interest at my school, I would make a meeting date to gather together and discuss what all parties’ involved want to gain from this group.

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New and Veteran Teacher Wellness and Support

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New and Veteran Teacher Wellness and Support

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I created a survey to see if teachers would be interested in meeting to create connections and support each other. I work in a school of over 100 staff members. Since Covid, our staff bonding experiences seem to be less and less, yet we continue to gain more and more new staff members each year.

I personally know the importance of connecting with and being supported by coworkers. Without my friends at work, I would not survive the school years. I know how uncomfortable it can be to try and form new relationships and vent to people you are unsure if you can trust. My hope is that by forming a group like this, all teachers, old and new, can feel more connected and supported at work.

Through this course we learned the importance of a positive and welcoming work environment. I think that a group like the one I am proposing could help teachers with their positivity and mental health.

The survey results would help me to organize the group meetings and be sure to include all who would like to be included. I could help facilitate during the first few meetings and then my hope would be that the meetings could then almost lead themselves organically.

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At Fair Haven School we have such a large staff, in such a large building that it can be difficult to connect with colleagues. Over past few year, many teachers have become a part of our staff, but have not had opportunities to get to know other staff members. For the sake of our own wellness, it is important that we feel connected with and supported by our colleagues.

When I first came to Fair Haven School in 2018, I knew two people here out of over 100. These two staff members were personal friends before I began working with them, so I felt connected with them and supported by them. Without those two colleagues, I'm not sure how I mentally would have survived my first year here, or any of my years here to be honest. Feeling connected with and supported by fellow teachers is essential to our mental health as teachers. Sometimes, just being able to "vent" to someone who "gets it" can help to relieve some of the stress we feel as teachers. Fellow teachers who understand what we are feeling can also offer us recommendations for handling our work related stress.

Not everyone who works here was fortunate enough to begin here by already having friends in the building. Because I know that true connections with and support from colleagues benefit my mental health as a teacher, I would like to open the opportunity for more teachers to form these connections and gain this support.

Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran teacher, you know the strain the job can take on our mental health. Please fill out the form below to let me know your interest in connecting with colleagues to support your wellbeing as a teacher.

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New and Veteran Teacher Wellness and Support

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At Fair Haven School we have such a large staff, in such a large building that it can be difficult to connect with colleagues. Over past few year, many teachers have become a part of our staff, but have not had opportunities to get to know other staff members.

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For my final project, I chose to survey my colleagues with a google form to determine interest for a walking meet-up (Walking into Wellness). As teachers and staff members, we often find ourselves stressed, overwhelmed, burnt out, etc. We are so focused on taking care of our students, teammates, and families that we often neglect our own needs. Walking into Wellness provides staff members an opportunity to decompress, exercise, make connections/build stronger relationships with colleagues, and make time for themselves (which we all so desperately need!) Although BCS has a pretty strong school climate already, I am confident that teachers and staff would show interest in getting some fresh air and exercise! What better way to decompress and connect!

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I created a survey around the book "What Made Maddy Run," looking to get coaches of high school athletic teams together for a book club. The goal would be to discuss this heartbreaking story around a student athelte's struggle with mental health and suicide and relate it back to our own values, methods, and tranings as coaches of high school students. This book is incredibly powerful and blends a true story with research around student athletes' emotional well-being. It is near and dear to my heart, and I truly think that any adult working with high school students today should read this book. I hope the book club would spark deep, meaningful conversatons around caring for students athletes as a whole person and improve the culture in our school.

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After learning about Onward by Aguilar in Module 2 I knew that it was something that in some way I wanted to bring into my school.  We have utilized book clubs in the past for small groups when we became trainers for the models that we work under at our agency and other content that we have been tested on.  It seems to be a forum that the staff feel comfortable participating in and it seems to also be helpful in learning content with each other.  The survey I created is intended to get information on interest and knowledge of the topic that the staff have already.  I am hoping that it is something that the staff are willing and able to participate in so that it can be started with a group of staff that can then funnel out the information to the larger group to share the content and hopefully also the interest in the content.

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I created a survey about implementing a pottery club on campus. This was inspired by our schools day of service on Election Day when we got to use the pottery wheels to create pieces for our Empty Bowls fundraiser. This experience wouldn't necessarily be focused on wellness, rather its intended to be a therapeutic activity. I have found in my life that creating and finishing something, whether that be Legos or baking, is an incredibly soothing experience. On my campus we have the potential to help so many teachers because we have access to over a dozen wheels! It wouldn't only be soothing/therapeutic for them, but we would also work together to learn from each other. It's a great bonding experience for a large campus where most people don't know each other.

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