One of things that inspires and motivates me are quotes and short stories or poems (think Jack Canfield). I have been collecting these since I was 11 or 12. During grad school at Boston College, I learned about Haim Ginott. Dr. Ginnot was a teacher, child psychologist and psychotherapist known for his techniques around conversing with children. One of his quotes (famous especially among teachers) that I refer to often and always have posted in my classroom is a good reminder that we can control our environment and our own reality.
“I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.”
I have seen the power of this realization in the classroom and with my own children. When you are frustrated with your children or things seem out of control, think about your mood and the events that led up to the craziness. Could it have been avoided? Most likely you will find that it certainly could have been. Was it your mood? Where you only half listening to the kids? Were you trying to get something else done?
I will leave you with another favorite quote of mine that I usually have posted on my computer:
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” Charles Swindoll
How are you reacting?
