I used to be stunned! Fifteen years as an intermediate teacher and I could count on the fingers of 1 hand the variety of times this has happened. A former student took the time (a number of years later) to seek out me and are available over to say “Thank you.”
It wasn’t an effort or a thanks, though each were rare and far appreciated. That was what he remembered. In my class, the young man was good-natured, friendly and hardworking. He was an above-average student. But he was also 11, and sometimes his immaturity got the higher of him.
At the top of that faculty yr, during our “closing ceremonies,” he was presented with a prize: a construction paper ribbon. On the back of the ribbon, I wrote an acknowledgment of his character together with how I saw that character manifest in his future academic and sporting endeavors.
As a graduating athlete, he now stood before me to thank me for difficult him and much more for the words of affirmation that had been given to him. He let me know that those words on the back of a straightforward ribbon still hang in his room.
This moment convinced me. I could put obscure stickers on all my students’ work and send them out every yr with the ever-present ribbons, or I could make a worthwhile investment.
Agreeing with Lou Priolo, who in his book entitled Happy peoplesays, “Show others that you simply highly value others by praising them for biblically commendable qualities,” I selected to praise my students with clear and uplifting statements.
The afternoon spent with this young man also had an impact on my grandparents. Christlike qualities are essential in every area of life, and it’s my responsibility to show and nurture these qualities within the lives of my grandchildren. Giving good affirmations, specific and sincere, will help me fulfill this role.
Consider with me the next 12 Christlike attributes that it is best to affirm in your grandchildren.
1. Authenticity
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Aldo Murillo
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