"The Blessing"
by Ellen Batinga Bishop on Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 7:06pm
All of the New Caney elementary staff watched a video today called "The Blessing" by Eric Cupp. It made such an impact on me today that I really looked at teaching in a different light.
The five elements of the blessing
1) Meaningful touch-Students need to know that they are loved, otherwise they begin to doubt their validity.
2) Spoken message-Praise students verbally or write something positive down and give it to them.
3) Attacking high honor-Get to know all of your students by finding out what their interests are and what they like and dislike.
4) Picturing a special future-give your students hope
5) Active commitment-show your students you care, not by just telling them verbally.
After our session, the new teachers were taken on a drive around the area surrounding our school. Our principal wanted us to see where the population of our students lived. I was floored, on our drive I saw families living in beaten down RV parks, trailers with roofs that were about to cave in or junk piled high in the front yard. It made an impression on me. How many of us as educators, look at some of our students and think "I don't like this kid" or "There is no way this kid is going to make it through high school." We never know what kind of situation our students come from. Sometimes we as teacher's are the only light they have. They look at us to feel worth. If you are a new teacher or a veteran, look at your students this new school year and strive to be their blessing. I encourage you to have a blessing journal this year and write down what you have done that would be considered a blessing to a student's life. When you start to feel frustrated or stressed out, look at your journal to help you remember why you are in education. Remember, we never know what kind of impact we can make on a child's life.
__________
Good stuff, huh? Ellen is the best...
The five elements of the blessing
1) Meaningful touch-Students need to know that they are loved, otherwise they begin to doubt their validity.
2) Spoken message-Praise students verbally or write something positive down and give it to them.
3) Attacking high honor-Get to know all of your students by finding out what their interests are and what they like and dislike.
4) Picturing a special future-give your students hope
5) Active commitment-show your students you care, not by just telling them verbally.
After our session, the new teachers were taken on a drive around the area surrounding our school. Our principal wanted us to see where the population of our students lived. I was floored, on our drive I saw families living in beaten down RV parks, trailers with roofs that were about to cave in or junk piled high in the front yard. It made an impression on me. How many of us as educators, look at some of our students and think "I don't like this kid" or "There is no way this kid is going to make it through high school." We never know what kind of situation our students come from. Sometimes we as teacher's are the only light they have. They look at us to feel worth. If you are a new teacher or a veteran, look at your students this new school year and strive to be their blessing. I encourage you to have a blessing journal this year and write down what you have done that would be considered a blessing to a student's life. When you start to feel frustrated or stressed out, look at your journal to help you remember why you are in education. Remember, we never know what kind of impact we can make on a child's life.
__________
Good stuff, huh? Ellen is the best...
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