miércoles, 16 de abril de 2014

                                                  The power of words
Educating children is a daily challenge. We try to cover everything: contents, strategies, techniques. But we know that there is something that underlies all these aspects. I´m referring to good behaviour, to create a good atmosphere in the classroom where we can listen to each other in a respectful way, taking turns to speak.
I´m aware that it´s not easy to accomplish these instances. Sometimes, we feel that we have achieved some, or most of them, but then, something happens and we go backwards with a bitter feeling of disappointment.
In my opinion, the best way of struggling against these situations is TALKING TO OUR STUDENTS", using simple, well-chosen words that can touch their hearts and can lead to a deep, mature reflection.
I´m not saying that disciplinary sanctions have to be avoided. We need them at school. But I think that going "over and over" VALUES, is a profitable investment in our students' emotional development.

3 comentarios:

  1. You are right Patsy! Teaching values is crucial in education and sometimes we are so overwhelmed with other things that we forget about it. Teaching values and good behaviour is the first thing we remove from our "curriculum" when we need to rush through content. In my case, I sometimes feel guilty because I don't have time to work on the improvement of certain attidude. I've been thinking about this a lot and you are an expert on values!
    Thanks for this post. It's really useful to be reminded of this "duty" of ours from time to time!

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  2. At the risk of echoing my sister teacher: thank you, Patsy, for reminding us once again of the utmost importance of VALUES. And the power of words... How powerful they are, and they can be. Sometimes it's just saying "please" and "thank you", or a nice comment about someone's work. And it makes all the difference in the world.
    I've also been thinking a lot about words recently, as I've noticed that my students use words that are inappropriate for school (both in Spanish and English) without realising they are not the right code (not necessarily insults, but inappropriate terms all the same). And this has to do with setting the example... Talking to them about the power of words is definitely a good starting point. And introducing values in relation to the rules of the classroom is a good way to go on.

    As usual, thank you for reminding us of the really important things.

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  3. I love your reflections, Patsy! You are absolutely right! Values are, in my opinion, the most important thing...and the power of words is really amazing.

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