The Power of Positive Thinking

Teaching has so many wonderful things about it.  So many.

If you're a teacher though, probably when asked about your profession, you could come up with a litany of negatives instantly without even blinking.  While I feel that too at times, I won't even allow myself to conjure up all the hundreds of things that overwhelm us daily right now.  Nope.  

Because tonight I want to share the positives.  And only the positives.

And frankly, well, though they feel outnumbered some days...the positives that are truly impactful and precious far surpass any mountain of negatives that are out there.

One of the bittersweet things about teaching is the turnover rate.  ;)  Every year a group leaves you and every year a new crop appears.  At the end of the year, your kiddos are trained exactly how you want them.  They know what they can get away with and what your pet peeves are.  They know how you work and when your best time of day is.  They just get it.  

Then fall comes and in walks that new batch of students.  

And let's just be honest here...you really never know what you're going to get.  Realistically, it doesn't matter how great the numbers look on paper or the scores or levels.  It's about the dynamics of the individuals when they are all in one room together for an entire year 6 hours a day 5 days a week.  It's your new family and just like with every family, there are going to be issues.

How do you deal with those issues?

Every student has the right to feel good about who they are and what they can do.  Don't get me wrong...there are definitely PLENTY of challenges out there...I have had my share for sure.  But this is your opportunity to seek good in something they do or who they are at the very bare minimum once a day.  Because for 6 hours a day 5 days a week 9 months a year, you are their everything.  You are their safety.  You are their peace.

It's easy to get upset at the child who won't listen.  

It's easy to get frustrated at the child who won't pay attention.

It's easy to make excuses and blame their parents.

It's easy to be irritated by the tapping or fidgeting.

It's easy to focus on the negative.

What's not easy to do?  Focus on the good.  

But that's what we should do.

That's the greatest and best challenge we can give ourselves.

Today I allowed myself that opportunity.

I have two students.  Fantastic people.  Both have academic challenges.  Most days they try hard and have every intention on doing their best.  Sometimes though they are still not able to do the task because academically they may not be where their peers are.  Today was one of those days.

We were taking a Math test.  It was just a fluency check mid-year to assess progress.  My two friends usually need one-on-one assistance or a lot of prompting, nudging, fire lighting beneath them.  After one kind reminder and a positive comment to each one separately they both completed the entire assessment without any support.  This rarely happens.

I was so thrilled at their internal motivation and desire to complete the test, I had to fight back tears.  It's a moment like that that reminds you of the power of positives.  They were beaming ear to ear.  If I would have pushed and prodded to get them working with a more negative sounding tone, I don't think the results would have been the same.  They may have even shut down on me.  By trying to "focus on the good," the results were amazing.  I could not have been prouder of them in that moment.

I know this is not a foreign concept to many.  However, I know sometimes in the daily grind and with all the responsibilities that keep being put on us, teachers feel overwhelmed and frustrated.

I agree and I empathize.

However, there is a time and a place.  Allow the time with the students to be productive, educational, and positive.  They not only need those words of encouragement but also that modeling.  They need to hear and see what positive problem solving looks like...not be yelled at or ridiculed for not following directions or that of the like.  Set up a positive environment in your classroom with not only the words you speak but the way you handle your body language around every student.  Everything speaks.

It will be remembered.


It will be remembered long after the mountain of complaints have dissipated.


They will remember you.  Make the effort to make a positive impact.