Parents and Teachers can Be Their Difference This School Year!
You’ve Got This…
This is school year is going to be different! And you should be excited about that! The uncertainty that this year brings forces us to let go of the old norms!
Let’s take advantage!
Now is the time to make this school year the year that made the BIG DIFFERENCE for how our students view school and learning! We can really make a difference for our kids in the midst of all this uncertainty and chaos!
As you kiss your kids goodbye on their first day, or help them log into the computer for their new virtual classroom think about what it is that you really want them to learn this year. Is it math facts, reading, writing, getting all straight A’s? Do you want them to be the best? Do you want them to follow every rule and stay out of trouble? Or do you want them to be the kind kid, make friends, be happy, and work hard?
You see, our kids have their own perceptions of what we want for them. There was a study done by Harvard University that asked kids what they thought their parents valued more: academic success, happiness, or kindness. The results were surprising…
Most kids think that their parents 1st priority for them is academic success and achievements. When the same students’ parents were asked the same questions, they of course said that they valued kindness. You can read more about this study in my previous blog post called Achievement vs. Character.
Do your kids or students know what you value most when it comes to your expectations of them? We all want our kids to be successful humans, but what identifies success? How can we show our kids that character counts?
3 Things we can do as parents and teachers to help our kids understand what really matters.
1. Take Care of Yourself
If you aren’t mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy how can you expect your kids to know how to be that way themselves.
Is your own mind healthy? Do you take time to practice gratitude? Do your kids see you taking care of yourself so that you can be the best you? Do you meditate or pray? Take time to care for you, so that you have the energy to be there for them!
One thing I’ve been doing for the past year, is waking up before my kids to have a little me time! During that time I drink my coffee, listen to the birds chirp and the squirrels chase each other around, I write in my gratitude journal, and I pray!
Listen, if you do not have time for yourself…FIND IT! If you’ve never kept a gratitude journal, I DARE YOU TO TRY IT! It keeps you focused on being positive! It’s my best practice for the day!
2. Show Them What it Looks Like
Your kids are watching! You cannot talk the talk, if you don’t walk the walk! Strive to be the person you want your kids to be!
- if you want your kids to be kind, LET THEM SEE YOU BE KIND!
- if you want your kids to work hard, LET THEM SEE YOU WORK HARD!
- if you want your kids to help others, LET THEM SEE YOU HELP OTHERS!
- if you want your kids to do good deeds, LET THEM SEE YOU DO GOOD DEEDS!
- if you want your kids to love to read, LET THEM SEE YOU READING!
- if you want your kids to pray, LET THEM SEE YOU PRAY!
- if you want your kids to love God, LET THEM SEE YOU LOVE GOD!
Strive to be what you hope your kids will be and show them! Be a model! They will learn to have these habits because they’ve seen you doing it over and over again!
Let’s use this school year as an opportunity to be positive and focus on what really matters in our lives! Let’s live in a way that portrays the lives we want for our kids or students.
3. Show Them How
Ok sure, our kids watch us. They will learn from what they see us do. But we also need to be intentional about showing our kids how to be the kind of person we want them to be.
We need to carve out space in our day to teach them about what really matters most in life. This year, more than any other we can do just that! We have all had a little extra time at home this year. We have had time to play games, cook meals, eat meals, and watch movies. Have you used that time to be intentional about showing your kids how to be the kind of person you hope for them to be.
As your kids leave the house for school or log into their computers for their virtual lessons will they know how to be the students or person that you hope for them to be? Will they approach the day with the kind of mindset that you would hope? Will they handle struggles in a healthy way? Will their work ethic be one that produces results. Will they allow themselves to take academic risks?
TAKE ACTION: This week show your student what you expect of them by taking care of yourself, model the behavior, and be intentional about showing them what you hope for!
Enjoy Being Their Difference,
