"No Dark Sarcasm in The Classroom"

Sarcasm is a poison... a poison that can ruin someones reputation. It is a demoralising hit to whoever it is spoken to. I think that people should start cutting back on sarcasm simply for the reason of the devaluing nature of it it is a way to tear someone down and write it off as a "joke". This also goes for the phrase "just kidding"...you're not kidding and everyone knows it if you have to say just kidding after something you shouldn't have said it. Just cut it out that small thing and make a big impact.

The Remidy of Smiling

Smiling, a very slight movement that can move someone so completely. The act of smiling can brighten someones day in such a huge way. Smiling can communicate so many things at once and almost all of them are positive. If someone is struggling through a day and just needs one thing to cheer them up a smile can do it. Smiling can communicate value through a simple facial expression. it shows someone that you appreciate them or you want them to have a better day, or simply that you are their friend. Many people go through a whole day without seeing a smile directed toward them... how depressing. I once heard a story of a suicide victim who left a note at his home saying that he was going to walk to the golden gate bridge and if no one smiled at him he was going to jump. No one Smiled, no one looked, no one acknowledged him. No one took the split second to save his life. No one had the time to do a small act to make a HUGE impact.

Listen Louder Than You Talk

A great teacher of mine once told me to listen louder than I talk. He probably didn't realize that I would take it to heart as much as I have but I think it is a very valuable lesson. Most of the things that I have posted have had to do with doing something or saying something. but sometimes that the worst thing that you can do, sometimes all that you should do is listen... not talk, and who knows you might be able to help more after listening then you would if you just gave your advice at the beginning. Being a good listener is truly a gift and is not easy, sometimes you want to help so bad that you just have to jump in in the middle of the conversation, just wait, you might not understand the situation. Besides a listener is sometimes is better than an advice giver.

Is That Your Final Question...

Questions are a part of our everyday lives, but are we asking the right ones? And are we asking the right people? Questions are a very powerful part of our language it impacts people in more ways than you can imagine. Just by what question you ask and how you ask it can show a lot about yourself and your feelings toward a certain topic. It all goes back to showing care and interest in someone’s life. When a parent asks their child what they learned in school they are taking an interest in the child's growth and how what that child is actually learning, and it shows the child that the parent’s actually care about them and care about how they are doing. Also a simple question of "how are you doing" can spark a conversation that might save that person’s life or drastically change it. This again is a very simple thing and a very easy good habit to get into. A small act that could have a big impact.  

Go Out Therefore and HUG

There have been several studies that suggest that physical touch is necessary in order to live. There also have been studies that PROVE that a child that has been deprived of the very important aspect of human touch or compassionate touch will be less compassionate towards others in their life time, more emotionally isolated, and more prone to lashing out in inappropriate ways of touching such as bullying or sexually. Also studies have shown that if you take out the physical aspect of encouraging then the verbal aspect will loose all of its power. "Eliminate the physical touch and any verbal contact loses its power. We cannot reach out to people unless we reach out wholly. It is like the difference between a supportive phone call and a hug."* How easy would it be to just give someone a hug and possibly save them from a life of regrets? Just a simple hug two seconds out of your day but it might be something they had never experienced.




*http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/the-importance-of-physical-touch-1628

I Am Proud Of You

If you have ever talked to someone who is struggling with depression most of them will tell you that one thing that they crave is the words "I AM PROUD OF YOU". These five words can change someone’s day, week of maybe even life. Think about the impact that it would have on their life if they had never heard that before. These five words can give someone so much value and so much self confidence knowing that someone actually cares about what they are doing. Some people think that it should be saved until times when someone accomplishes something "big", but you don't know how hard something was for something and how much time they put into it. Why not show that you care and possibly make their day, week, or life.