Team-building exercises strengthen teachers at Cooper Elementary
Teachers at Cooper Elementary School spent part of their first day back to school solving a mystery and then documenting their solutions.
It wasn’t a mystery about elementary school crime — say plagiarism or missing text books. Rather, they were solving a murder mystery which involved drugs and what the first teachers referred to as “sinnin.” It was part of a team-building exercise created by assistant principal Rachel Manus.
The teachers were sent to collect clues, slips of paper that gave them the information needed to solve the murder.
Manus sent them to places they needed to know about.
The new teachers, among the eight new staff members, might not have known about Cooper’s outdoor classroom or the community garden.
Some veteran teachers were
reminded of some of the resources available in the school’s library when they searched that room for a clue. They also had a chance to check out the outdoor fitness stations that opened last spring.
Because each team was asked to take a photo with the custodian, Manus knows that the teachers have met a staff member they will probably need sometime in the future.
“We do have fun here,” fourth-grade teacher Chrissy Hallwachs confirmed. Her group presented their solution in the form of a cheer. Another group used the tune and finger-snaps of the “The Addams Family” theme song to present their solution.
The teachers judged each other on creativity. The winning team, the first-grade teachers, videotaped a skit that explained their solution. Prizes were given in various categories, including pedometers, whistles and jeans passes.
“It is widely recognized that incorporating team building and collaboration into student learning is critical to the development of future leaders,” Manus said. “The same is true for teachers. The staff here truly does function as a family and we need to make sure that we have time to develop those relationships as well. As we add new staff or shift roles each year, the dynamics of the team as a whole also changes. Team building provides the opportunity for staff members to get to know each other on a personal level.”