Deep thoughts

As if I weren't already too busy, a few weeks ago I signed up for a Professional Development course. I know, I'm crazy, right? Hey, what can I say? I always need clock hours, the presenter is an amazing teacher I've heard about for the last seven years (Ernie Chapin), and my principal offered to pay the $80 fee. What did I have to lose? Other than a few hours of precious time, that is.

Anyway, the class is called "Effectively Dealing with Disruptive Students: Practical, Classroom-proven Techniques." It is from 6-8:30 p.m. for four weeks. I just finished the third week.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my time. Ernie is a dynamic speaker to say the least. He is very random-abstract, which is very hard for me to follow, but I like his stories. I wouldn't say that I'm going to walk away with a bag of tricks to pull out the next time a kid is obnoxious, but he's definitely caused me to think and to reflect. I appreciate that.

Last night I was flipping through the resource handbook, and I came across the following quote.

"I've come to a frightening conclusion that 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 a 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 or 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."

Haim Ginott
Gold Nuggets

Whoa. That's deep. And a boatload of pressure! I've always believed this, I just never put it in words before. Seeing it written down is powerful - and a little scary. I think this goes for parents as well. We, as adults, have SO much influence over young lives. That's an awesome responsibility. It's humbling, for sure, and a little intimidating as well.

Especially because kids don't always act the way we want them to. But that's the point, right? We have to teach kids what behaviors we want. There are a lot of people who complain about the state of the world. That kids today are horrible. Way worse than we were at their ages.

But really, who do we have to blame for that?

It's time we all take a step back and look honestly at the interactions and relationships we have with kids. If we want to inspire change, we must be ready for that change.

The next time a kid does something that frustrates me or angers me, I'm going to remember this quote and think before I react.