"No matter how old we are, we need to know that the people who are important to us really do care about us. But feeling good about who we are doesn't come just from people telling us they like us.
It comes from inside of us: knowing when we've done something helpful or when we've worked hard to learn something difficult or when we've 'stopped' just when we were about to do something we shouldn't, or when we've been especially kind to someone else.
Along with the times we're feeling good about who we are, we can experience times when we're feeling bad about who we are. That's just part of being human."
It comes from inside of us: knowing when we've done something helpful or when we've worked hard to learn something difficult or when we've 'stopped' just when we were about to do something we shouldn't, or when we've been especially kind to someone else.
Along with the times we're feeling good about who we are, we can experience times when we're feeling bad about who we are. That's just part of being human."
The World According to Mister Rogers ~ Fred Rogers
Some of the most rewarding experiences in my teaching career were observing a student's "aha moments". Times, as Mr. Rogers points out, when a student finally understood a new math concept, passed a really difficult test or made a classmate smile.
During my talk with parents on Back to School nights I would encourage them to allow their children to find their own answers, to struggle if need be and not to take on their child's homework as their task. I didn't want them to rob their kids of the excitement and pride in doing things for themselves.
Yes, they will fail, they will be hurt. But they will also succeed, feel proud and be excited that they did something - all by themselves.
"That's just part of being human."
True for all of us - from toddlers to seniors citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment