The Power of a Kind Word

There were a few days at school last week that were absolutely delightful.The lessons I planned went well, the book chats I had with students were engaging, and I felt like I made a positive difference. One of the key elements that contributed to that "good day" feeling was some genuine compliments I received from my fellow teachers. I don't repeat these comments to bring glory to myself; I share them to demonstrate how simple but attentive and meaningful they were to me. (These are paraphrases but the sentiment remains the same.)

"I turned to LD and I said 'I could just listen to Diana read all day' and she agreed. I love hearing you read aloud." 

- DH
(after a PLC meeting when I read a poem we were considering for use as a reading pre-assessment tool)

"What perfect timing! That's a great lesson. We're studying comics as part of media and some of our kids are having trouble saying no to each other when they need to. This is just what we need."

- JC
(during a collaborative ICT lesson where we used Photo Booth and Comic Life to do a follow-up activity based on the picture book "Noni Says No")

These comments were from the heart and not generic (a.k.a. "good job"). It reminded me to "pay it forward" and give those kind words thoughtfully and frequently. They can truly make someone's day. They certainly did to me.