“You look like a clown,” my dad said as I got ready for picture day.
Time froze. Tears poured down my face. Elementary school me was devastated.
(Though, to be fair, my outfit matching skills needed a lot of work back then and using a headband for a scrunchie probably wasn’t the best picture day choice. Sorry Dad!)
MANY years have passed, and that memory now makes me laugh a little, but the fact is… I still remember it. Every word. Most of the feelings. DEFINITELY the outfit.
This and many other small moments in time have stuck with me. What small (or big) moments have stuck with you?
OR, maybe the better question… what small (or big) moments in time are going to stick with your afterschool kiddos? How are your words impacting them?
Because, YOUR words matter.
In the day to day, I think I forget how important my words are, how much they stay with the kids that I work with. But they take in SO much of what you and I are saying to them!
This week for Teacher’s Appreciation Week, my kiddos at site wrote me the sweetest notes. Most of them were fill in the blank letters that included the line “My teacher always says…” Now, there were some very entertaining answers to this question, including “be safe,” “walk,” and “nothing” (though that last one is probably a bit of wishful thinking). But my very favorite was written by one of our third graders. “My teacher always says…we will figure it out.”
Mmmm, cue the warm fuzzies. It makes me so happy to know that my kiddos know that I have their back. That I’m always fighting for them, and that I will walk alongside them as they solve life’s problems.
But, this one simple line has caused me to pause and reflect, because I honestly don’t remember “we’ll figure it out” being one of my go-to lines when working with children (my staff, however, has assured me that it is). So, while I’m glad that “we’ll figure it out” is an often used response on my part, I’ve decided to take an intentional look at words and phrases that I use.
Will I always get it right? Absolutely not.
But I can try each day to speak into my kids’ lives in a way that’s positive and problem-solving.
And, YOU have that same opportunity. Will you reflect this week (or month) on the words and phrases you commonly use with your kids? What do those words and phrases tell the kids about YOU? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
For breakfast today, I had coffee. Always coffee.
Author Profile: @lexiwolkow