Blog Prompt: What would your motto would be for the place you're at in your life right now? Is it different than it would have been five years ago? 10? 20?
mot·to (n.) pl. mot·toes or mot·tos 1. A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal. A short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle. 2. A sentence, phrase, or word of appropriate character inscribed on or attached to an object. 3. A maxim adopted as a guide to one's conduct.
I am a born winner.
That has been my motto and the motto I have used in my classroom for over 20 years. I tend to be very critical of myself and I use it to remind myself that God doesn't make mistakes which helps me through the tough times in my life. I was very overprotected when I was growing up and made (not intentionally) to feel that I was incapable of doing many things ("You can't cook, you're the baby of the family." "You are spoiled, we can't expect much of you. " "You are the brain of the family, but you have no common sense." "You are so klutzy and your head is in the clouds, we can't trust you to do things alone.") Many times I've berated myself for stupid decisions I've made or made excuses for my stupid decisions. This motto helps me pull myself up, dust myself off, get realistic, make adjustments (not excuses) and get on with my life.
My students have to write that on every paper they turn in for a grade. No motto, no grade, no credit for work - they are not allowed to go on to the next assignment. My students have such low self esteem because they are disabled that this motto has become important in my classroom. Parents have accused them of being lazy and peers make fun of them for being "dumb". By this self affirmation, they realize, like I did, that God doesn't make mistakes. There is a reason that we may not know about but we need to be the best that we can be. When my seniors graduate, I ask them to evaluate me and usually all of them say writing this motto over and over for 4 years really helped them.
mot·to (n.) pl. mot·toes or mot·tos 1. A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal. A short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle. 2. A sentence, phrase, or word of appropriate character inscribed on or attached to an object. 3. A maxim adopted as a guide to one's conduct.
I am a born winner.
That has been my motto and the motto I have used in my classroom for over 20 years. I tend to be very critical of myself and I use it to remind myself that God doesn't make mistakes which helps me through the tough times in my life. I was very overprotected when I was growing up and made (not intentionally) to feel that I was incapable of doing many things ("You can't cook, you're the baby of the family." "You are spoiled, we can't expect much of you. " "You are the brain of the family, but you have no common sense." "You are so klutzy and your head is in the clouds, we can't trust you to do things alone.") Many times I've berated myself for stupid decisions I've made or made excuses for my stupid decisions. This motto helps me pull myself up, dust myself off, get realistic, make adjustments (not excuses) and get on with my life.
My students have to write that on every paper they turn in for a grade. No motto, no grade, no credit for work - they are not allowed to go on to the next assignment. My students have such low self esteem because they are disabled that this motto has become important in my classroom. Parents have accused them of being lazy and peers make fun of them for being "dumb". By this self affirmation, they realize, like I did, that God doesn't make mistakes. There is a reason that we may not know about but we need to be the best that we can be. When my seniors graduate, I ask them to evaluate me and usually all of them say writing this motto over and over for 4 years really helped them.
7 comments:
I love how you pull your students into your winning attitude!
That is a fantastic motto, and what a great exercise for your class. I think all of us need to take that to heart and I think if I spent a moment every morning thinking that, I'd go into the day with a LOT more confidence. Thanks for sharing!
Great motto. I like how you have instilled that in your students. It is nice that you are building them up .
You are definitely a winner in my book Pat. Your students are so lucky to have you. And you are proof that a person can make positive changes in their lives regardless of their backgrounds.
this was great and what an excellent motto and I love how you did it on the layout. Sounds like your students are lucky to have such an inspiration teacher.
I LOVE YOUR LAYOUT! AWESOME!
Okay it is getting late and I must have my children on my mind because I thought I read, "I am a born Whiner!" I read your entire entry and said to myself that can't be what she meant. Aha! It's WINNER! Thanks for the good laugh now I feel dumb.
Post a Comment