Smiling makes people feel good and positive, conveying a sense of goodwill, rapport and trust.
Dr. T. P. Chia
“Everyone needs a smile file!” I heard the radio deejay exclaim on my commute to work one morning. A smile file, as the deejay described, is a place to turn for inspiration, reassurance, and encouragement. Whether you hold the file physically in your hands or click on an icon to view it, the contents of a smile file are there for the sole purpose of making you smile. I remember thinking to myself, What a simple yet powerful tool to have! Since a smile can elevate your mood, relieve stress, and increase positivity, I knew a smile file was something I just had to try with teachers.
Before trying it out with teachers, I made sure to add a smile file to my world. In the weeks that followed, I began building my very own smile file. A note I have held on to from my very first teaching job was the first item to go in. It was from a person who believed in me and celebrated how I continued to grow. A letter from a previous student was next. She reminded me how I had made a difference in her life and, after all those years, what she still remembers about learning in my class. And a quote discovered while shopping: A good coach sees in you what you can’t see in yourself. Shopping and my purpose as a coach—both make me smile!
With the increasing demands of life, both professionally and personally, teachers need positive reminders. Introducing the smile file to a handful of teachers this past year brought this reminder into existence. In my daily exchanges with these classroom teachers, I make it a priority to open a window into the world of what makes them smile. I started by listening intently, noticing their facial expressions during our daily exchanges. Finding what brings happiness and joy to their everyday practice became part of my ever-growing coaching practice.
Inviting Smiles
The introduction of the smile file isn’t something I send through an email to teachers or place in their mailboxes. It is an invitation that presents itself, in person, at just the right moment. For one teacher, who had recently transitioned from another role, the moment came when she began questioning herself during a weekly coaching session. Am I doing this right? Should I be doing it differently? Am I even making a difference? I sensed her anxiety and saw the need. “Find one thing that makes you smile this week, capture it, and begin your own smile file,” I told her.
“Smile file?” she repeated, with a smile on her face. I proceeded to give her a glimpse into the contents of my smile file by sharing what I had chosen to file and why. I was careful not to share too much, however, because each smile file is unique to the individual. She left our meeting with a mission.
Later that same week, the teacher stopped me in the hallway, excited to share word of an appreciative email she had received from a colleague. As she shared with me, her eyes lit up and her voice had a happy tone. Noticing the effect that this one email had on her, I responded, “Thank you for sharing! Remember to add that to your smile file.”
In the weeks that followed, the smile file became a touchstone for the two of us. As we engaged in reflection during our weekly meetings, we began identifying snippets of the day that made a difference in her outlook. Positivity entered her world as she looked to find what made her smile even in some of the toughest situations. Sentences such as That should go in the smile file and Put that in the smile file became part of our collaborative practice.
Smile files are becoming contagious in my school, just like smiles! From starting with a single teacher, I continued to spread the idea with teachers one by one. We find plenty of evidence of learning that makes teachers smile—sticky notes, reading responses, and revised writing, to name a few things. During before- and after-school chats about life, we celebrate family and friends. Photographs and special moments are added to smile files. Colleagues’ positive feedback to each other from a professional development session brings smiles and is included. This unique reminder to smile is spreading happiness and joy, creating a more positive, inviting learning environment for teachers and students.
Just like the radio deejay spread the word about a smile file over the air that day, I aspire to continue spreading the word at my school. Finding the time to reflect and celebrate accomplishments while wrapped up in the increasing demands of life is what I hope to instill in our building’s culture. The term smile file has become an everyday term, heard throughout our hallways, within our classrooms, and even in our collaboration meetings.
