My 365 Blog Challenge: Day 11/365
"Children will learn in your room because children learn involuntarily. What they learn depends on you."
("To Teach" by William Ayers. Pg 41).
People often focus on their language. We are taught as children not to swear and we learn in school the expected way to talk. Most people realize how important their body language is and how many messages they send out without speaking. How we react to stressful situations in front of students are silent messages that help reinforce behavior. My hope as a teacher is that I am modeling positive ways to deal with frustration (this is important as a coach too). The more students see behavior, the more likely they are to imitate it. I do not want to be the model of negative behavior.
1. Speaks calmly: It is human nature to get upset about things. Frustration is a fact of life, but speaking to my students with anger is unexceptionable. If I am too upset to speak calmly, I am too upset to speak at all. I am on a mission this year to give myself a timeout if I find myself in need of a break from a situation. It is better to deal with a situation at a later time while I am under control than when I am filled with frustration.
2. Smiles: I firmly believe people do not see smiles enough during a day. I am on a mission to smile at my students as much as possible (learning/school should be fun.)
3. High 5's/Hugs: I realize hugs are a bit controversial, but as an elementary teacher they are more acceptable. Physical contact (high 5's, knuckles, hugs etc.) are a way of showing people we care about them. My hope is that my students get hundreds of high 5's and hugs a day, but sadly this may not happen in all homes. I cannot reach a hundred, but I can make sure my class starts with a high five as they enter my room and ends with a high five as they leave my room.
My goals are to model self-control, excitement and kindness. These are important life skills, plus they make life much more enjoyable.
Loved this post! I think the silent messages we send students are at least as important as our words, and if we work with the so-called at-risk kids, our silent messages carry considerably more weight. I did not begin my teaching career with anything like a patient or calm personality; that's definitely the area where I've had to grow by leaps & Bounds. (It sure helps in parenting too!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Elisabeth!
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