I Have a Choice

We just finished our fifth week of school.  The honeymoon phase is officially over. Limit testing is in full swing and I have been having conversations with my students about their choices. When I talk to a student about their behavior, one response that always bothers me is, "but Mrs. Wren, s/he _____." A bad choice is a bad choice. The circumstances behind the choice are usually not very important, at least not to me. It does not matter if a kid pushed another kid because they were mad, the bottom line is that they pushed someone and that behavior is wrong. 

As a teacher and parent, it is easy to look at a student or Kiddo 1 and tell them that their behavior was wrong regardless of the circumstances, but man is it hard to look in the mirror and say the same thing. I have gotten really good at making excuses for my anger and yelling. I can convince myself my behavior is justified.  The justification almost always revolves around sleep deprivation. Kiddo 1 was up late or Kiddo 2 was up multiple times to eat.

I know sleep deprivation is a really issue and we are trying to deal with the sleep issues but in the mean time, I have a choice to make. I can continue to let it control my behavior or I can work to control my behavior regardless of how much sleep I got or did not get the night before.  My softball coach in college used to always say we can control two things: our effort and our attitude. Once again those lessons on the field are relevant in the real world. I can control my attitude or I can let sleep deprivation control it for me.

The same is true in classroom. I can let my frustrations control my attitude or I can be the type of teacher/person I want to be regardless of what is going on around me. This is no easy task! Joshua Medcalf and Jamie Gilbert of Train2BClutch have an entire business entity around the philosophy of treating others well and doing your best regardless of your circumstances.

I am tired! I am also tired of behaving in the same ways and it is time to change my behavior and control my attitude. Sleep deprivation is a convenient excuse, but it does not limit the damage that yelling and being rude can have on my family and my own mental health.

We make thousands of choices every day.  Are you going to let your circumstance influence your behavior or are you going to act lovingly and respectful regardless of your circumstance? As my principal says at the closing of daily announcements, have a good day or a bad day, the choice is yours.