Power of Words

I am finding my self on a role with posting. Maybe it is what happens after one experience extreme sleep deprivation then gets a couple of nights of sleep. It is almost like I kick started my brain in high gear by giving it a new start.

Anyway on to why I have decided to write this post. The other day I was at a meeting in which we were discussing how individuals are lousy self evaluators. That we all think we are wonderful or that we have done things correctly. It was then implied that our role as teachers was to somehow encourage our students to become more diligent self evaluators to bring them to reality so that we could inspire them to make a change (presumably for the better).

Maybe because I was raised my the king of Devils Advocates, I found myself taking arms with this. I find myself to be a self evaluator to the point of depreciation. I see Isaac, who is so talented, so athletic so strong, so tidy, doubt him self at every move. I see Emerson who has 0 self evaluation skills, but also few other skills, climb mountains, do flips, swim and all sorts of other terrifying acts that he really cannot do, but he does it on will power and belief alone. If I took away this confidence (however false it may be) he would surely sink. I see the scars of other telling Isaac his limits each and every day, and I am not willing to to say that children's faults need to be clearly pointed out to them. I do however believe in the other part of our discussion. We were asked to create a "destination postcard" an initiative of where we wanted our students to get to. I believe, I have seen all to often that when we propose a challenge or or faced with a problem, there are millions of ways to solve it. Who am I to stifle the options, or to narrow the playing field by my standards. It would be a silly world if it was filled with everyone with perfect handwriting, great spelling and a tidy desk, but no composers of literature, artist who dare to invent something beyond the realist's imagination.

Sure kids and adults will have faults, things they stink at, we all do. My job is to find what they are doing wonderful and allow that to flourish.