I heard a story recently that I’d like to share it with you.
One day a mother came to Gandhi with her little boy for help. She asked Gandhi, “Please, Bapu, will you tell my little boy to stop eating sugar. He simply eats too much sugar and will not stop.” Gandhi told the mother to leave and come back with the boy in three days.
The mother returned with her son and said to Gandhi, “We have come back as you asked.” Gandhi turned to the boy and said, “Young boy, stop eating sweets. They are not good for you.” The little boy agreed to stop.
The mother then asked Gandhi, “Bapu, why didn’t you tell my son that when we first came to see you? Why did you ask us to leave and come back in three days? I don’t understand.”
Gandhi said to the woman, “I asked you to return with the boy in three days, because three days ago, I, too, was eating sweets. I could not ask him to stop eating sweets so long as I had not stopped eating sweets myself.”
IF IT’S TO BE, IT STARTS WITH ME.
Whether we’re talking about the fight against childhood obesity by eating more fruits and vegetables and increasing physical activity or promoting strong character education and development or investing in our communities by having our youth do service learning activities – we had all better take a look at our own lives.
My Mom and Dad used to say, “Your actions speak louder than your words”. How often do we examine our lives? What values are we portraying to our students? Are we saying one thing and doing another?
When we promote nutrition education and physical activity, are we taking the stairs, walking whenever possible; choosing to drink more water rather than reaching for a soda; or choosing fruit over a candy bar? IF IT’S TO BE, IT STARTS WITH ME.
Both character education and service learning are necessary for building caring school communities, neighborhoods and a strong nation.
Do our interactions with our students demonstrate that we care about them; do we demonstrate healthy character education; that we are creating a safe environment, a sense of belongingness; and that we support them? Would we rather talk “about them” or “talk with them”? Would we rather talk with other staff, text someone on our cell phone or engage in a conversation with them? Are we living lives of integrity, giving our best efforts (not just getting by), being responsible (remember that half-finished report or lesson plan, etc.), coming to work on time and with a positive attitude (not complaining), being a team player (not gossiping), giving back to our communities with acts of kindness or volunteerism? IF IT’S TO BE, IT STARTS WITH ME.
More is “caught” than “taught” if you get my point. As modeled by Gandhi, you can’t ask someone to do something if you, yourself, aren’t willing to do it – live it!
Today I ate an egg and wheat toast with a cup of Kona coffee.
Author: Gloria Halley