cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by sabianmaggy
This morning we had a meeting with our Senior Team at Parkland School Division, and we did a very interesting activity. To build relationships amongst our team, we talked about a few personal items in our life. Two of the questions were very standard (where did you grow up, how many siblings do you have?), yet one was a little tough for me. The question was, “What was the most difficult, important, or unique challenge of your childhood?”.
Personally, I discussed some of my own childhood memories of being an overweight child and being mercilessly teased by many when I was a kid. This is something that has always been tough for me to share. It is something that has stuck with me as an adult, and has really shaped a lot of my thinking as an educator. I have always been an advocate for kids and have felt that it is important for me to always focus on doing what is best.
As the others spoke and shared their stories, all very unique, it is amazing how what they do now is shaped a great deal by things that happened when they were kids. Some of the stories were very personal and I appreciated the openness of the group.
But doesn’t this tell you something? A lot of the stuff we are doing RIGHT NOW with our students is going to shape them long into adulthood. This isn’t rocket science but when we really sit back and think about this, the work that we do with our students today is so important in shaping what they do and what they will become. Whether the interaction is positive or negative with our students, it is going to impact them later. We continue to hear this over and over again through the stories of adults.
Lots of pressure, lots of responsibility, but really, lots of excitement.
Let’s just keep remembering that we are shaping tomorrow through the positive relationships and interactions that we have today.
