Teacher Thought #2

 Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (KJV)

Words have lifelong influence on children. I’m seventy-two years of age and still have my parents’ voice, especially my mother’s, in my head.

“Wherever you go, you carry our family name with you.”

“Always hand someone a pair of scissors handle first.”

“Make sure your bed is made before you get on the bus.”

Some words were more important than others, but they all carried weight in my life, even things my parents didn’t remember telling me.

Making my bed wasn’t a hard thing to do, but I wasn’t especially careful about it. The lumps and bumps in the covers resembled a topographical map.

Finally, my mother took me to the bedroom and said, “If a ladybug walked across your bed, it would get seasick.”

I was horrified. After that conversation, I made my bed with much more care. I didn’t want any ladybugs to throw up on my bed.

 Words change people.

When I became a teacher, I experienced this issue in my students’ lives. More than one student come into my room believing they were stupid. Either a parent or another teacher had called them dumb – and they believed it to be true.

It takes a long time, months, to help them understand that they are useful and valuable and smart.

One word can tear them down. It takes many words and time to build them back up again.

Are you sending out life or death with your words?