Assistant Principal Amere Watkins came to his role with experience working with older students, where he relied on traditional discipline methods. Transitioning to an elementary setting presented new challenges, especially as he sought to connect with younger students in a positive way.
Then he met Coach Isaiah Marshall, who not only had established a great rapport with the student body very quickly by being a playful and trusted adult, but also provided support for school staff to help them learn new practices for skills like group management, relationship-building, and conflict resolution.
Thanks to Isaiah’s influence, Mr. Watkins learned that kids respond well to fun ways to get their attention and playful interactions with administrators, which encouraged him to include play in his leadership approach, creating a positive school culture.
Soon thereafter, he could be found leading call and responses at the beginning of student assemblies to get kids ready for announcements, could be found on the playground playing, and could be seen high-fiving in hallways.
Mr. Watkins shared, “It’s essential to have Coach Marshall and Playworks so that students can properly play in a healthy way. Because we all come from different backgrounds. And so what Playworks has done for us is brought us all together, and we’ve shared and celebrated these many different cultural backgrounds.”
Mr. Watkins is just one of many stories of Coach Isaiah’s impact, and one of thousands from communities across the country that embrace play and Playworks. Explore more of Isaiah’s impact
