I have been seeing pictures of, “Tardar Sauce; The Grumpy Cat“, all over the Internet and there is just something about this cat that is adorable. There have been a ton of images recreated of this cat and because of it’s facial expression, and many of the memes generated have gone viral.
Then I saw this video (below) today and it actually brought me to tears. Partially because I am an animal lover but also because I think often of how in education we have sometimes we have placed kids in certain categories as the “bad ones”. The young individual narrating the video gives a much different view of the “Grumpy Cat”.
STORYBOARD: Tard the Grumpy Cat from Tumblr on Vimeo.
I remember earlier in my career, we would have meeting about placing students in the next grade and you would get the “warning” about the kids that were a handful in the class and I always cringed at that notion and shut down. Talk about a kid starting in a hole with a new teacher. There were known as trouble-makers before they even walked in the door. I always gave kids my trust and care before they earned it. As a student, I was a pain in the butt to select teachers. Those teachers usually had some pre-conceived notion of how I would act in class, and I ensure that I lived up to that reputation. Isn’t it easier to prove someone right than it is to prove them wrong?
The thing that I have learned in my career is that kids usually live up to your expectations, whether they are positive or negative. People are often shaped by their environments and if we simply can give them the love that all people need, and try to always focus on looking at them in the positive, they will do better.
I will forever look at Tardar Sauce from now on and smile at how sweet and loving he truly is. I will also continue to look through that same lense with our kids.
