“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer, artist, and politician 1749-1832
I remember first seeing this quote on a perpetual calendar for teachers that I kept in my preschool classroom. It stuck with me. How true is this quote! If you’re a parent, homeschool teacher, classroom teacher,or a person who lives and works around other people, take a moment to re-read the quote. Wow! I think I need to post this one on the fridge and look at it every day.
We all struggle with attitude from time to time. Too much to do, too little free time, etc. . But I expect the children in my classroom and my own kids at home to display a pleasant, cooperative attitude. What kind of an example am I setting?
I do fairly well displaying a good attitude in the classroom 2 days per week. But on my days at home homeschooling my own children, don’t I owe them just as pleasant a person as I present publicly? Ouch!
Here is a silly poem I came up with to help my kids and myself to banish the “ratty attitude”. It’s yours for the quoting. I hope it gives you a smile and a boost toward creating a cooperative and pleasant climate with your kids and students.
Beware the Ratty Attitude by Karona Drummond
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
It will haunt you
Day and Night!
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
If it had teeth
It would bite!
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
It is sure
To distort your face.
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
Ratty attitude
Is a disgrace.
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
If it had odor
It would STINK!!
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
A ratty mindset
Cannot think.
BEWARE the ratty attitude…
When you see it coming…
RUN!!!
Put away that ratty attitude
And your work
Will soon be
DONE!!!
karonadrummond 
True, true! I once read that we need to be like a thermostat. If our relationships start getting too “hot”, we need to cool things down a bit; if they are too “cool”, we need to warm them up. We need to learn to have an internal sensor that goes off when things are not in balance and take the appropriate actions.
Thanks for sharing, it was a good reminder!
You’re welcome. I like the thermostat analogy. I’m going to remember that.
You’re welcome. The thermostat always helps me to remember, it is working on my kids now too!
Love the poem! At some point, I finally learned that there are times I need a timeout more than the kids do.. at least until the Green Eyed Monster Face goes away!
Thank you! i know what you mean about time out and the Green Eyed Monster Face. Are you thinking of Ed Emberly’s Go Away, Big Green Monster! ? I love that book…
LOL, no, actually, I haven’t read that book, but I have hazel eyes that tend to turn a bright shade of green when I’m angry… 🙂