Hello everyone! These days, positivity is difficult to come by. It might be easier than this time last year, but I think most of us can agree that we aren't living in the best of times... because of this, many of us are struggling to create a positive school culture in our classrooms, and community at large. Jim Van Allen is here to help us realize we can change this trajectory, and work together to create spaces WE ALL want to be in, students and staff alike. Through the power of collective belief and teacher efficacy, we can all put in the effort to foster healthy school environments. Dr. Jim Van Allan is the Vice President of Schools for The Jon Gordon Companies. He leads The Energy Bus for Schools and The Power of Positive Schools groups. The mission is to help schools create a positive culture that creates positive results. The programs accomplish this by providing sustainable and ongoing professional development, coaching, and workshops for schools across the country. Jim has worked with international best-selling author Jon Gordon for 15 years. Additionally, Jim is a Professor of Communication Studies for Keiser University and teaches public speaking and interpersonal communication fully online. His Ph.D. research was on using 'The Energy Bus' curriculum to create a positive campus culture at a model school in Ohio. Jim lives with his wife and two boys, ages 6 and 4, in sunny South Florida. Energy Bus for Schools: https://energybusschools.com/ Power of Positive Schools: https://www.powerofpositiveschools.com/ Jim's Podcast: https://communicatetomotivate.libsyn.com/ This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Writing Unbound: How Fiction Transforms Student Writers by Thomas Newkirk. Writing Unbound is about the value of writing fiction in secondary classrooms. Tom Newkirk asks a tough question: if reading fiction is the center of most English classrooms, why is writing fiction often ignored? Why do we separate fiction reading and fiction writing? Tom argues that when our writing curriculum is too analytical, students think of "writing" as impersonal, formulaic, and…well…boring. He says that opening a door to fiction writing can ignite students' interest and convince them of the value of writing. He even argues that allowing kids to write fiction will improve their analytic writing. Learn more about how fiction can transform student writers. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Writing Unbound.