From the book's epilogue:

"Imagine what your world will be like one year after you have engaged in daily bucket filling. We suspect the following changes will have occurred:

- Your workplace will be a lot more productive and fun.
- You'll have more friends.
- Your colleagues and customers will be more satisfied and engaged.
- Your marriage will be stronger.
- You'll enjoy closer relationships with your family and friends.
- You'll be healthier, happier, and well on your way to a longer life."

Thinking about our school and classrooms, if we practice bucket filling on a daily basis what difference do you envision may be apparent as our first quarter draws to an end?

I think if we stick to the bucket dropping for the first quarter (and later the school year) we will see a string of positive events in all persons involved! Once the habit of positivity is maintained and held strong, it will become a way of life for us, our students, and their family. I know by the end, parents will be happy, students will be happy, and us teachers will be happy!! :)

If we practice bucket filling on a daily basis what will occur, I believe, is more productive, happy, and content students as well as faculty. If we look at research based findings, increased positivity through recognition and praise motivates people. Motivation in a student is often the catalyst for engagment, achievement and successful learning. When students are motivated to learn, the overall campus is upbeat. If students are receiving positive recognition, meaning their buckets are being filled, they will feel good about who they are and what they are doing. Recgonition should be specific and at times, simple, not overly produced or it can negate its original intention. At one point, a colleague (from another life) made a statement to me that her direct boss was always saying good job and repeated thank you's and yet she felt like it didn't mean anything. Ultimately my colleague felt negatively towards her boss' intentions. Moreover, I believe that being positive is contagious. If we practice filling buckets through the 1st quarter with meaningful recognition and praise as well as teach our students the concept, we may just see others demonstrating positivity along the way.

If we all practice bucket filling at school, by the end of the first quarter we will see a much happier school. It is always better to look at the good in things. This can be a process that easily catches on for the whole school and may even spillover at home with the families of the children in our class as well as our own families. Maybe parents would even be much more at ease with the whole conference time if they realized we were really trying to promote positive energy in our classroom communties and throughout the whole school!

I have used Bucket Filling since I did the book study last summer, so I have experienced the benefits. Focusing on the positive instead of negative has had a tremendous impact in my personal and professional life. I worked harder to establish professional relationships at school, and this was something I had always avoided. I now have a "best friend" at school, and it's the best working relationship I've ever had! The relationship we share has spread to others on our team and created an environment that I love to work in every day. My students loved writing and receiving drops, and even resolved many issues with each other by writing their apologies in the form of drops. I put a bucket and a box of blank drops on a shelf in my room, and students read them aloud to each other at the end of the day. It was amazing to see them expressing affection, love, appreciation, and even apologies when necessary. They enjoyed being on both sides of the drop; both giving and receiving. It was a real community builder, and something we never tired of. In my personal life, where it's sometimes harder to apply what I've learned, I've focused on posivity with my husband. The bucket book study made me realize how much I was focusing on the things I didn't like about him (that seemed exceedingly easy!). I realized that doing this blinded me to his positive qualities. Now, I am working on reversing my perception so that his positive qualities are making the negative seem less important and unworthy of my attention. It's actually starting to rub off on my pessimistic (but wonderful) husband! Now, I've just got to figure out how to use this with my teenage daughers...

I believe that the end of first quarter for the upcoming year will end on a positive note! I am excited and energized to begin the new school year introducing the Theory of Bucket Filling and the science of positivity to my students and parents! I think that teaching and using the theory of the bucket will be empowering to us as teachers, as well as to students and parents. I feel that students will better be able to identify their feelings, take ownership of their behaviors, and understand the impact that they have on one another and the community in which they are a part of. I think that engaging in daily bucket filling will create a strong sense of community in individual classrooms as well as among our campus. I think we will see parents embracing the Theory of The Bucket, engaging in home school connections to help reinforce the positivity. This will impact relationships at home and parent teacher relations as well. Conferences will be a time to celebrate each child individually and the strengths that he/she demonstrates.

After a quarter of filling buckets, I see happier children, happier teachers, and happier parents. I envision less "clique-iness" and more inclusion (for kids and adults). Stress levels will be lower, as we approach challenges with positive attitudes and support for each other.

I see a happier teacher, which will make a happier class, which will make happier parents, which will make............. Basically I feel that by using the Five Strategies in my life it will enable myself and the people around me more time to see and value what is truly important to them. I am very confident that my second graders will be responsive to the bucket and drops as kids love feeling good about themselves. I also know if I'm excited about it the kids will be too!

I believe that if we used the bucket filling at our school on a continuous basis we would find that it is contagious and that many people would naturally be participating. I think that we would find an overall happiness within ourselves and the school community. I find that sometimes teachers find the need to complain because they are burnt out. I don’t think that we would see this as much with positive bucket filling. Aside from the teachers, I feel that the students would be happier to be at school and would be more successful in their academics. This would be an overall improvement for any school to incorporate this idea on their campus.

I think using the Bucket strategies and activities will create, like Holly said, a happier teacher which will bring happier students. I am so excited to implement these strategies and get my students in the bucket filling moods :)

I think that the "learn about others" strategy is a great way to get students to focus on all things they have in common and what good things they have in their lives to share with each other. Also, if students have a commonality, it's a great way to form a bond or relationship with another person. This couldbuild a great community among the classroom, and allow everyone to get more involved in each other's lives in a good way.

I agree that if we ourself focus on bucket filling then it will become contagious with everyone we come in contact with. I tried to convince my husband to read the book but didn't have any luck. So after giving it some thought I felt that if I just use the philosophy myself that it will rub off on him. Hopefully my positive outlook will be enough to convince him to take a look at the book!

"I think that teaching and using the theory of the bucket will be empowering to us as teachers, as well as to students and parents. I feel that students will better be able to identify their feelings, take ownership of their behaviors, and understand the impact that they have on one another and the community in which they are a part of. I think that engaging in daily bucket filling will create a strong sense of community in individual classrooms as well as among our campus."

I like the way you expressed the student impact of filling buckets. I too am looking forward to a better sense of responsibility and community among my students.

I agree with what several of you said about our positivity affecting our students, our class as a whole, their parents, and other staff...I do think that being positive has a "trickle down effect". The other benefit of this is that it all comes back to us through healthy, productive relationships with students, colleagues, and parents.

I know how you feel Holly! I think it would be great to host a Bucket Study for spouses. They really need to be educated and be more on board with this concept:)

After reading these I think that we all agree that there will be happier students and staff.

In response to what I've read, we all seem to be on the same page. Specifically about being and having happy teachers. We set the tone and everything trickles down from that point. If, as a teacher we bring in the positivity and turn away negativity, for the most part, we are sure to see a positive impact in how students realte to others as well as build confidence from within. On another note, as some colleagues mention, this is something to use in every aspect of life...with family, friends and strangers, in times of struggle and in times of plenty.